# 2019–20 Cornell Big Red men's ice hockey season

The 2019-20 Cornell Big Red Men's ice hockey season was the 104th season of play for the program and the 59th season in the ECAC Hockey conference. The Big Red represented the Cornell University and played their home games at Lynah Rink, and were coached by Mike Schafer, in his 25th season as their head coach.

## Season

The season was ultimately cut short by the coronavirus pandemic but Cornell finished their 29-game regular season schedule with an overall record of 23-2-4 and a record of 18-2-2 in the ECAC Hockey conference. Cornell finished the ECAC season in sole possession of first place thus winning the Cleary Cup for the third straight year and was the number one seed in the ECAC Hockey tournament which was ultimately canceled before the quarterfinal round began. Cornell also won the Ivy League championship for the third straight year.
Coach Schafer was named the co-winner of the Spencer Penrose Award as Division 1 Coach of the Year with Brad Berry of the University of North Dakota. He was also named ECAC Hockey Coach of Year, winning the Tim Taylor Award for a record setting fifth time, as well as being named Ivy League Coach of the Year for the third time.
Cornell finished the truncated season atop both the USCHO and USA Today polls.

## Departures

| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Chase Brakel | Forward | Canada | Returned to Juniors (Portage Terriers) |
| Alec McCrea | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (Signed with Grand Rapids Griffins) |
| Connor Murphy | Forward | Canada | Left Program |
| Matt Nuttle | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (Signed with South Carolina Stingrays) |
| Brendan Smith | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (Signed with Wichita Thunder) |
| Beau Starrett | Forward | United States | Graduation (Signed with Bakersfield Condors) |
| Mitchell Vanderlaan | Forward | Canada | Graduation (signed with South Carolina Stingrays) |

## Recruiting

| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
| Ben Berard | Forward | Canada | 20 | Duncan, BC |
| Sebastian Dirven | Defenseman | Canada | 21 | Bainsville, ON |
| Sam Malinski | Defenseman | United States | 21 | Lakeville, MN |
| Jack Malone | Forward | United States | 19 | Danville, CA; Selected 180th overall in 2019 NHL Entry Draft |
| Travis Mitchell | Defenseman | United States | 20 | South Lyon, MI |
| Peter Muzyka | Defenseman | Canada | 19 | Toronto, ON |
| Matt Stienburg | Forward | Canada | 19 | Halifax, NS; Selected 63rd overall in 2019 NHL Entry Draft |
| Ben Tupker | Forward | Canada | 19 | Collingwood, ON |
| Zach Tupker | Forward | Canada | 19 | Collingwood, ON |

## Roster

As of November 26, 2019.

## Standings

2019–20 ECAC Hockey Standingsvte :
| | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record |
| | GP | W | L | T | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| #1 Cornell † | 22 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 38 | 81 | 34 | 29 | 23 | 2 | 4 | 104 | 45 |
| #7 Clarkson | 22 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 33 | 63 | 38 | 34 | 23 | 8 | 3 | 96 | 63 |
| #14 Quinnipiac | 22 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 30 | 64 | 45 | 34 | 21 | 11 | 2 | 94 | 78 |
| Rensselaer | 22 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 27 | 63 | 41 | 34 | 17 | 15 | 2 | 95 | 87 |
| Harvard | 22 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 27 | 82 | 59 | 31 | 15 | 10 | 6 | 116 | 87 |
| Dartmouth | 22 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 22 | 60 | 73 | 31 | 13 | 14 | 4 | 93 | 106 |
| Yale | 22 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 22 | 57 | 64 | 32 | 15 | 15 | 2 | 77 | 97 |
| Colgate | 22 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 21 | 50 | 54 | 36 | 12 | 16 | 8 | 76 | 87 |
| Brown | 22 | 8 | 12 | 2 | 18 | 41 | 54 | 31 | 8 | 21 | 2 | 52 | 84 |
| Union | 22 | 5 | 15 | 2 | 12 | 46 | 71 | 37 | 8 | 25 | 4 | 67 | 112 |
| Princeton | 22 | 2 | 16 | 4 | 8 | 46 | 71 | 31 | 6 | 20 | 5 | 66 | 100 |
| St. Lawrence | 22 | 2 | 18 | 2 | 6 | 37 | 81 | 36 | 4 | 27 | 5 | 64 | 130 |
| Championship: March 21, 2020 † indicates conference regular season champion (Cleary Cup) * indicates conference tournament champion (Whitelaw Cup) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll; updated March 23, 2020 |||||||||||||||

## Schedule and Results

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Rank$^#$ | Site | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Exhibition ||||||||||
| October 20 | 2:02 PM | vs. Nipissing* | #5 | Lynah Rink • Ithaca, New York (Exhibition) | McGrath | W 6–2 | 2,784 | |
| October 26 | 7:02 PM | vs. USNTDP* | #4 | Lynah Rink • Ithaca, New York (Exhibition) | Galajda | W 3–0 | 4,117 | |
| Regular Season ||||||||||
| November 1 | 7:05 PM | at Michigan State* | #4 | Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, Michigan | Galajda | W 3–2 | 5,203 | 1–0–0 |
| November 2 | 7:05 PM | at Michigan State* | #4 | Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, Michigan | Galajda | W 6–2 | 5,752 | 2–0–0 |
| November 8 | 7:08 PM | vs. Brown | #4 | Lynah Rink • Ithaca, New York | Galajda | W 4–1 | 3,451 | 3–0–0 (1–0–0) |
| November 9 | 7:02 PM | vs. Yale | #4 | Lynah Rink • Ithaca, New York | Galajda | W 6–2 | 4,117 | 4–0–0 (2–0–0) |
| November 15 | 7:00 PM | at #7 Clarkson | #3 | Cheel Arena • Potsdam, New York | Galajda | W 4–2 | 2,911 | 5–0–0 (3–0–0) |
| November 16 | 7:00 PM | at St. Lawrence | #3 | Roos House • Canton, New York | Galajda | W 6–1 | 592 | 6–0–0 (4–0–0) |
| November 22 | 7:02 PM | vs. Quinnipiac | #2 | Lynah Rink • Ithaca, New York | Galajda | W 2–1 | 3,876 | 7–0–0 (5–0–0) |
| November 23 | 7:02 PM | vs. Princeton | #2 | Lynah Rink • Ithaca, New York | Galajda | W 5–1 | 4,267 | 8–0–0 (6–0–0) |
| November 30 | 8:00 PM | vs. Boston University* | #2 | Madison Square Garden • New York, New York | Galajda | W 2–0 | 15,142 | 9–0–0 (6–0–0) |
| December 6 | 7:00 PM | at #12 Harvard | #2 | Bright-Landry Hockey Center • Boston, Massachusetts | Galajda | W 3–1 | 3,095 | 10–0–0 (7–0–0) |
| December 7 | 7:02 PM | at Dartmouth | #2 | Thompson Arena • Hanover, New Hampshire | Galajda | L 1–2 | 2,267 | 10–1–0 (7–1–0) |
| Fortress Invitational ||||||||||
| January 3 | 11:35 PM | vs. #6 Ohio State* | #2 | T-Mobile Arena • Paradise, Nevada (Fortress Invitational Semifinal) | Galajda | W 5–2 | 3,735 | 11–1–0 (7–1–0) |
| January 4 | 8:30 PM | vs. #14 Providence* | #2 | T-Mobile Arena • Paradise, Nevada (Fortress Invitational Championship) | Galajda | T 2–2 $^{SOL}$ | 4,769 | 11–1–1 (7–1–0) |
| January 10 | 7:05 PM | at Rensselaer | #2 | Houston Field House • Troy, New York | Galajda | W 3–0 | 2,879 | 12–1–1 (8–1–0) |
| January 11 | 7:00 PM | at Union | #2 | Achilles Rink • Schenectady, New York | Galajda | T 3–3 $^{OT}$ | 2,184 | 12–1–2 (8–1–1) |
| January 17 | 7:00 PM | vs. #17 Northern Michigan* | #1 | Lynah Rink • Ithaca, New York | Galajda | T 2–2 $^{OT}$ | 3,511 | 12–1–3 (8–1–1) |
| January 18 | 7:00 PM | vs. #17 Northern Michigan* | #1 | Lynah Rink • Ithaca, New York | Galajda | W 3–1 | 3,876 | 13–1–3 (8–1–1) |
| January 24 | 7:00 PM | vs. #20 Dartmouth | #1 | Lynah Rink • Ithaca, New York | Galajda | W 3–2 | 4,267 | 14–1–3 (9–1–1) |
| January 25 | 8:00 PM | vs. #16 Harvard | #1 | Lynah Rink • Ithaca, New York | Galajda | T 1–1 $^{OT}$ | 4,267 | 14–1–4 (9–1–2) |
| January 31 | 7:00 PM | at #18 Quinnipiac | #1 | People's United Center • Hamden, Connecticut | Galajda | L 0–5 | 3,488 | 14–2–4 (9–2–2) |
| February 1 | 7:00 PM | at Princeton | #1 | Hobey Baker Memorial Rink • Princeton, New Jersey | Galajda | W 5–3 | 2,500 | 15–2–4 (10–2–2) |
| February 8 | 7:00 PM | at Colgate | #2 | Class of 1965 Arena • Hamilton, New York | Galajda | W 4–1 | 2,056 | 16–2–4 (11–2–2) |
| February 9 † | 4:02 PM | vs. Colgate | #2 | Lynah Rink • Ithaca, New York | Galajda | W 5–3 | 4,077 | 17–2–4 (12–2–2) |
| February 14 | 7:00 PM | vs. Union | #2 | Lynah Rink • Ithaca, New York | Galajda | W 5–2 | 3,601 | 18–2–4 (13–2–2) |
| February 15 | 7:00 PM | vs. Rensselaer | #2 | Lynah Rink • Ithaca, New York | Galajda | W 4–2 | 4,267 | 19–2–4 (14–2–2) |
| February 21 | 7:00 PM | at Yale | #2 | Ingalls Rink • New Haven, Connecticut | Galajda | W 4–0 | 3,015 | 20–2–4 (15–2–2) |
| February 22 | 7:00 PM | at Brown | #2 | Meehan Auditorium • Providence, Rhode Island | Galajda | W 3–0 | 1,418 | 21–2–4 (16–2–2) |
| February 28 | 7:00 PM | vs. St. Lawrence | #1 | Lynah Rink • Ithaca, New York | Galajda | W 5–0 | 3,889 | 22–2–4 (17–2–2) |
| February 29 | 7:00 PM | vs. #7 Clarkson | #1 | Lynah Rink • Ithaca, New York | Galajda | W 5–1 | 4,267 | 23–2–4 (18–2–2) |
| ECAC Hockey Tournament ||||||||||
| Remainder of Tournament Cancelled ||||||||||
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time. ||||||||||
† Postponed from February 7 due to inclement weather.

## Scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
| Morgan Barron | C | 29 | 14 | 18 | 32 | 24 |
| Brenden Locke | C | 29 | 8 | 18 | 26 | 4 |
| Yanni Kaldis | D | 29 | 5 | 19 | 24 | 4 |
| Tristan Mullin | F | 29 | 9 | 13 | 22 | 22 |
| Max Andreev | F | 24 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 12 |
| Michael Regush | C | 29 | 11 | 7 | 18 | 8 |
| Cam Donaldson | C | 25 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 10 |
| Ben Berard | LW | 27 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 4 |
| Alex Green | D | 29 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 33 |
| Sam Malinski | D | 25 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 12 |
| Jeff Malott | LW | 29 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 12 |
| Travis Mitchell | D | 29 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 29 |
| Matt Stienburg | C/RW | 27 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 45 |
| Kyle Betts | C | 24 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 6 |
| Noah Bauld | C | 26 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 29 |
| Jack Malone | C/RW | 27 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 4 |
| Joe Leahy | D | 10 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 4 |
| Sebastian Dirven | D | 28 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 18 |
| Zach Tupker | C | 20 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Cody Haiskanen | D | 23 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Liam Motley | F | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Ben Tupker | LW | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Matt Cairns | D | 19 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Austin McGrath | G | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Matthew Galajda | G | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bench | - | - | - | - | - | 2 |
| Total | | | 104 | 189 | 293 | 294 |

## Goaltending statistics

| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
| Austin McGrath | 1 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.00 |
| Matthew Galajda | 29 | 1733 | 23 | 2 | 4 | 45 | 608 | 5 | .931 | 1.56 |
| Empty Net | - | 9 | - | - | - | 0 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 29 | 1760 | 23 | 2 | 4 | 45 | 613 | 5 | .932 | 1.53 |

## Rankings

| Poll | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 (Final) |
| USCHO.com | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| USA Today | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |