After a successful women's ice hockey weekend and a homecoming football victory, fans once again poured into Lynah Rink for men's hockey. The Red hosted Waterloo (3-1-0, 3-1-0 OUA) in Lynah for the first time in 26 years, giving fans their first glimpse of the Red this season. The Red are currently unbeaten in its last 30 exhibition contests, boasting an impressive 28-0-2 record during that time. Entering this matchup, looking to defend historical dominance in preseason play, it has a lot to maintain after winning 14 straight exhibitions, outscoring its opponents 155-46 during the broader streak.
This evening also marked the beginning of highly anticipated sophomore campaigns and fresh milestones under head coach Casey Jones ’90. Fresh off a 22-win debut season with the Red that shook the hockey community, Jones tied with Dick Bertrand ’70 for the most wins in a head coach's debut season in program history. A strong 4-1 win tonight provided room for improvement but set the tone for what promises to be an exciting year under his continued leadership.
“I think we needed this game,” Jones said. “You hope that you're able to score yourself through some of that to give yourself a chance to win while you're tightening up.”
While the Red led in shots on goal 18-7 at the end of the period, it did not feel that way throughout.
The two teams went back and forth throughout the first half of the frame, with Cornell looking more skilled, though still in its first game of the season. Passes were not connecting, and chemistry was being developed.
Three minutes into the period, junior forward and transfer Ivan Zadvernyuk was sent to the penalty box for hooking. With a two-minute power play against them and a man down, the Red showed a cohesion not seen up until that point. During the penalty kill, the Red continued to press, earning grade A chances for both senior forward Ryan Walsh and junior forward Charlie Major to push into the offensive zone.
Cornell forced Waterloo onto its heels, a shift in momentum that carried over long after the advantage expired. With less than ten seconds remaining in the first power play of the game, Major and Walsh went for an aggressive shot, setting the theme for the rest of the matchups.
Following the initial power play, the Red attempted eight more shots on goal, one of which was by freshman forward Louie Wehmann. Throughout the first period, several new faces were seen on the ice, exhibiting a successful transition to college hockey.
With an aggressive start to the game, a five-minute major penalty was assessed to a Waterloo defenseman for grabbing the facemask, allowing for an opening in which the Red could capitalize. With Walsh, Zadvernyuk, Major, senior defenseman George Fegaras and sophomore defenseman Xavier Veilleux on the ice, strong puck movement was seen as the Red looked to break the game open. While Cornell looked strong on the advantage, it could not convert, and after five minutes the score remained tied.
With less than five minutes on the clock, the already physical game continued as sophomore defenseman Luke McCrady received a two-minute penalty for elbowing, initiating another power play for Waterloo. During this period, three attempted shots on goal were made by Waterloo forwards, although sophomore goaltender and transfer Mathis Rousseau remained strong in his stance.
Following the end of this power play, an additional penalty was handed to the Red for having too many players on the ice. With the start of that power play, the Red's offense attacked, attempting another two shots on goal, yet no points came from the endeavor.
“We had a mental error on one of the penalties,” Jones said. “Then we had a lot of stick penalties. That's not even hard penalties.”
In a physical first period that saw 21 total penalty minutes assessed, it was Cornell left on the kill heading to the locker room.
With a fresh start, the second period began with several aggressive shots. Defined by remarkable goaltending, Rousseau was tested by dangerous opportunities early in the period. During this strong period of Waterloo’s offensive capabilities, Rousseau did not fold.
Following in the first period's path, the new members of the squad continued to shine on the ice.
Just over the midway point in the second, Cornell went back on the advantage. This time it capitalized. After chances coming from the top unit, the second unit hopped over the boards and converted. With 20 seconds remaining on the power play, freshman forward Brad Gardiner scored his first Cornell goal, capitalizing on a booming rebound stemming from a shot from junior defenseman Luke Ashton. Freshman defenseman Ryland Randle picked up his first collegiate point on the play.
“It's the first goal and a rebound from Gardner, with multiple guys down by the net. And it kind of started from there.” Jones said. “It kind of gave us a little bit of juice.”
The goals kept coming for the Red, as with less than five minutes on the clock, junior forward Parker Murray mopped up a loose rebound from sophomore forward Aiden Long and extended the Red lead to two,enlivening the raucous student section.
The students' jubilation was short-lived as under two minutes later, a Waterloo forward was left unguarded in the slot and rifled a shot past Rousseau.
“I thought our goaltender was good,” Jones said. “We wanted to get him settled in behind us there.”
It was the Red who had momentum at the end of the period with 47 seconds remaining on a power play carrying over into the third.
Less than a minute into the third period, Walsh dangled low and found a wide-open Major who slammed home a goal, regaining the two-score lead for the Red.
Triggered by a penalty on junior defenseman Michael Fisher for holding, Waterloo received a two-minute power play. Regardless of being a man down, the Red’s penalty killing unit continued to push.
A Walsh power-play goal with 3:42 left in the game capped off the scoring in a competitive 4-1 Cornell victory.
“I saw without the puck we got involved, and we were hitting,” Jones said. “I didn't think we were near hard enough to play against.”
The Red will open its season at home against Sacred Heart University at 7 p.m. on Oct. 30 and Oct 31. Both games will be streamed on ESPN +.
Madison Young contributed reporting.
Tyler Goldberg is a member of the Class of 2028 in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He is a Sun Senior Writer and can be reached at tgoldberg@cornellsun.com.
Nora Kenzi is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is a Sun Staff Writer and can be reached at nmk55@cornell.edu.
