The calendar has flipped to the new year, and things are back in full swing at Lynah Rink.
Lucky for the Red, the first month of 2026 shows no signs of slowing down — starting on Friday, Cornell will play each and every weekend of January.
“First and foremost, practicing can get old,” said head coach Casey Jones ’90. “We gotta get our habits down, our details here early in January. Then after that, they get a little tired of practice.”
Cornell has 10 games slated for January. Eight of those 10 will come at Lynah Rink, all consecutively, beginning Friday night against the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
“It’ll be a fun, good environment, always building towards something every week,” Jones said. “It’s a good thing for us, especially being home to start off [the] second half.”
Cornell will take on Omaha at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday night at Lynah Rink. All action will be streamed live on ESPN+, and live updates will be provided on @DailySunSports on X.
Walsh Earns Hardware at Spengler Cup
While the rest of the Cornell squad enjoyed a well-earned rest, junior forward Ryan Walsh was busy overseas. Walsh represented the United States Collegiate Selects at the 2025 Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland, a group that made a deep (and surprising to many) run to the championship game.
“[We’re] really excited for him to have that opportunity and be a part of that,” Jones said.
Walsh, primarily a center, was moved to the left wing for the tournament due to the Selects’ depth down the middle. He also played a large role on the Selects’ top penalty kill unit, and added a goal and an assist in the Spengler Cup final.
Walsh has not yet practiced with the Red over the break (the Spengler Cup began on Dec. 26 and Walsh was practicing with the Selects before that) and is expected to arrive in Ithaca midday Friday. He shouldn’t be rusty, per Jones.
“I'd imagine he’s skated enough. We're not concerned about that. He'll be in probably a good frame of mind,” Jones said. “Should be an easy transition coming back. … He was excited. He's excited to get back to his teammates here.”
Amid the travel from Davos to Ithaca, Jones expects Walsh to slot into both games against Omaha this weekend.
“I fully expect him to play,” Jones said. “We could dress the 13 forwards too, to ease that transition. We’ll see how the travel goes. … My expectations is both games, [and] if there's a little bit of a hiccup or something, maybe see him Saturday. So we'll see how that shakes out.”
Home Sweet Lynah
Cornell is beginning a lengthy homestand, with its next eight games occurring on home ice. If history is any indication, a long stay at Lynah should bode well for the Red — it has not yet lost in its own barn this season.
The Red’s pristine record at home is, of course, at least partially attributable to the raucous atmosphere at Lynah Rink. But an unfortunate instance of scheduling will result in Cornell hosting three straight home weekends while Cornell students are away for winter break.
“It’s an interesting one, just the way it shakes out. It's the way the non conference games kind of flowed,” Jones said. “I've had it where you've had some successions like that in previous years. But, you know, we're at home, so it shouldn't be overly taxing.”
Scouting the Mavericks
The Mavericks (7-11-0, 3-7-0 NCHC) are battle-tested, boasting wins over No. 5 Minnesota Duluth and No. 14 Minnesota State, but also large losses to No. 4 North Dakota and No. 7 Western Michigan. Omaha also split a series with Yale in late November, a team Cornell beat 5-2.
“These games for us are obviously really important for your NPI, stuff like that. … You got to take care of business, especially home games and non-conference,” Jones said. “It's certainly got to set us up and get us prepared for a league play.”
Omaha benefited from the opening of Canadian Hockey League players to NCAA eligibility, adding 10 players to the roster with CHL experience. Leading this group is freshman forward Luke Woodworth — the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League transplant comes off a two-season stint captaining the Drummondville Voltigeurs, including a championship season in 2023-2024. In college, he has 13 points in 18 games and brings leadership and experience beyond his first-year status. Another “Q” alum, Maxime Pellerin, has contributed a team-leading six goals. Marcus Nguyen, another freshman forward for Omaha, comes with 327 WHL games under his belt.
“They’re really dangerous in the offensive zone, dangerous on the power play,” Jones said. “They possess a lot of skill, a lot of pace.”
On the backend, senior defenseman and captain Griffin Ludtke has a +5 plus/minus rating and a team-leading ten assists. Sophomore Marc Lajoie is another imposing figure on the blueline for Omaha, standing a towering 6-foot-6, matching Cornell sophomore defenseman Luke Ashton as one of the tallest active. NHL Fans may also recognize sophomore Marcus Broberg, the younger brother of St. Louis Blues defenseman Philip Broberg, who has put up four points this season.
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.
