Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
The Cornell Daily Sun
Submit a Tip
Friday, Aug. 15, 2025

DSC_6140-1-scaled

Men’s Hockey Trounces Toronto, 6-2, in Final Tune-Up

Reading time: about 6 minutes

This story has been updated.

In its last exhibition game before the regular season, men’s hockey pounced on the University of Toronto, earning a 6-2 win in front of a sold-out crowd at Lynah Rink. Goals poured on, gloves were nearly dropped and a goaltender was ejected in a dramatic matchup that, on paper, does not count.

“It’s tough –– you can’t play physical because every time [we’d] hit somebody [Toronto] would retaliate,” said head coach Mike Schafer ’86. “I was happy with the discipline, and [there were] good pieces, but we’ve got a long way to go.”

The win was attributable to contributions all throughout the Red’s lineup, as four different skaters scored, and 10 different players earned points.

All three goaltenders saw time between the pipes, as senior Ian Shane, junior Remington Keopple and freshman Justin Katz played 20 minutes each, in that order. Shane stopped 5/5 shots, while Keopple allowed one goal on four shots, and Katz similarly allowed one goal on eight third-period shots.

“We had 14 forwards in the lineup and eight defensemen,” Schafer said. “We played a lot of those guys just to see how they did.”

It was never particularly close on Saturday, as the Varsity Blues played undisciplined hockey while Cornell passed circles around them. In total, the Red had 50 minutes of power play time and converted three times.

“I don’t think I used a regular power play [unit] in the third period,” Schafer said.

The first period had no shortage of action, as the Red notched three goals and 27 total penalty minutes were awarded –– 23 to Toronto. Cornell came out of the gates firing on all cylinders, rattling off three quick shots and testing Toronto’s first-year goaltender, Sebastian Resar, early on.

Back-to-back penalties taken by the Varsity Blues culminated in the Red’s first goal of the contest. The latter of the two –– a boarding penalty taken by Billy Moskal –– gave Cornell nearly four straight minutes of man-up play.

While the first power play unit — composed of junior forward Dalton Bancroft, freshman forward Charlie Major, sophomore forwards Ryan Walsh and Jonathan Castagna and sophomore defenseman Ben Robertson — generated some quality chances, it wasn’t that squad that cashed in.

The second unit, with just five seconds left on the power play and 9:34 into the period, broke the ice after senior forward Sullivan Mack found the back of the net. Mack received a pass from junior forward Nick DeSantis and, with ample time on the left circle, sniped it over the shoulder of the goaltender for the opening tally.

Less than three minutes later, senior forward Kyle Penney joined in on the fun. A strong move to the net on a delayed penalty call prompted a rebound off the goaltender, which Penney quickly collected and buried to extend the Red’s lead.

Just over two minutes later, Cornell swung the game wide open. Approaching the red line with seemingly no angle, Walsh fired the puck on the near side and watched as it found an inch past Resar. 

Though that would be the final goal of the period, it would not be the last lick of action. As the seconds ticked down on the opening frame, a passionate scrum ensued in front of the Red’s net. Toronto’s Jacob King laid a punch and shove on Shane, prompting all 10 skaters –– plus Shane –– to rough each other up. The play, which was followed by a lengthy review spanning over 10 minutes real time, warranted an ejection of King and three other minor penalties, two for Cornell and one for Toronto, all for roughing.

“You just get to a certain point where you have opportunities, but then [when] you're up four or five [to] one, you want to protect yourself, you want to move pucks,” Schafer said. “You're not really trying to attack [as much] anymore, you know? So the mindset totally changes.”

Cornell entered the second period a man up, with Keopple taking the crease for the Red. It didn’t take long for Cornell to increase its lead, as Castagna skated into the zone with speed, stopping short of the crease and firing a nifty backhand shot over the shoulder of the goaltender and into the net. The goal marked Robertson’s third helper of the night and even granted Keopple an assist of his own. 

A few minutes elapsed before the shutout bid was spoiled. A giveaway in Cornell’s zone found the stick of Toronto's Ben Woodhouse, who deked Keopple and backhanded in the Varsity Blues' first goal of the contest.

“We made two bad turnovers tonight that end up [going into] the back of out net,” Schafer said. “[We were] trying to do too much as the game got going.”

Castagna’s goal at the 17:48 mark of the second was Cornell’s lone goal of the second frame, but not for lack of trying. The Red fired 15 shots on goal in the middle frame, and Resar was up to task for all but one.

Penney hit the pipe with 37 seconds left, and time ultimately expired on what was becoming a Cornell onslaught. 

With the first-year Katz between the pipes for the third, Cornell was awarded yet another 5-on-3 power play opportunity early on. A slashing call on Toronto’s Mark Cooper preceded a slashing call on Owen Robinson, awarding Cornell two men up for 52 seconds.

This time, the first power play unit did not let the opportunity slide. Walsh fired a shot for his second score of the game, restoring the Red’s four-goal lead, with assists from Major and Bancroft.

Katz made a handful of saves down the stretch, preserving the lead as Castagna buried a beautiful shot from the slot to make it 6-1. One final goal from Toronto cemented the game at 6-2.

The Red will open its 2024-2025 season next weekend with a two-game series against No. 7 North Dakota at Lynah Rink on Nov. 1 and 2. Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m. for both games.


Jane McNally

Jane McNally is a senior editor on the 143rd editorial board and was the sports editor on the 142nd editorial board. She is a member of the Class of 2026 in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. You can follow her on X @JaneMcNally_ and reach her at jmcnally@cornellsun.com.


Read More