Cornell’s related coach, Casey Jones, who was beforehand skilled at Clarkson for 13 seasons, raises the Whitelaw Cup on Saturday on the 1980 Herb Brooks Enviornment in Olympic Heart. Cornell gamers, along with the top coach Mike Schafer, are additionally illustrated. (Picture offered – Lou Reter)
Lake Pacad – Males Cornell, Mike Schafer hockey coach was able to retire final yr.
However when considered one of his assistants, who hoped he would take the rudder, went to the Princeton coach’s hockey workforce, felt he could not depart but.
“I knew I had one other yr in me,” Schafer mentioned.
And to this point, it appears to have made the correct alternative.
At some point after eliminating Quinnipiac Bobcats with prime seeds, the Large Purple Sixth Schafer defeated Clarkson Golden Knights, the second seed, Three-1 to say his second title of ECAC hockey and 14th.
Hoyt Stanley from Cornell left, and Ayrton Martino from Clarkson, whereas preventing for Puck throughout the ECAC hockey championship sport. (Picture offered – Lou Reter
Half of these championships had been underneath Schafer, who will formally name it the top of this season. His first two titles got here in his first two seasons, nearly 30 years in the past.
“And now I’ve received my final two, with many s ***,” he joked.
When Schafer lifted the Whitelaw Cup, he returned and handed over to his good friend and coach for a very long time, Casey Jones, who will take over this system subsequent season.
For Jones, successful the Ecac crown was bitter-sweet. Final season earlier than this yr, Jones was the top coach at Clarkson. Nevertheless, final June, he gave up returning to Alma Mater to be able to take over the rulers in 2025-26.
“It was actually troublesome for him,” Schafer mentioned. “He put his coronary heart and soul within the 13 -year -old Clarkson College and, clearly, he was actually troublesome to depart and are available to Cornell, as a result of he’s a coach who places the whole lot in him. They’ve an awesome workforce and I’m right here not solely as a result of they’ve an awesome coach personnel, however I’m right here due to Casey and the opposite coaches who got here earlier than them.”
Shawn O’Donnell de la Clarkson, left, combat for Puck with Ian Shane (30) by Cornell, Kyler Kovich (18) and Ben Robertson (21) throughout Saturday Saturday’s hockey championship. (Picture offered – Lou Reter
Jones was proud to see Clarkson within the championship, however he acknowledged that it was exhausting to present a few of his former hugs within the post-game handshake.
“It’s a troublesome loss if you lose within the championship, however there are various good relationships,” he mentioned. “There are quite a lot of gamers that I actually care about as folks, however they’re in a very good place (with their new coach).”
Whereas Schafer’s time as a head coach of Cornell will reside at the least another sport, Jones mentioned it is going to be a troublesome act to comply with the steps subsequent yr.
“He left an inheritance he constructed exterior the hockey,” Jones mentioned. “Individuals solely see the winnings, however what he does locally, what he does for fundraising, what he does for the neighborhood service. I can not think about another person within the nation with a greater CV. It was unbelievable for what he did with Ithca and Hockey Cornell.”
Ondrej Psenicka from Cornell scored a objective and attended the opposite two, whereas teammate Nick Desantis had a objective and assistant. Ryan Walsh has made a objective within the final minutes of the third interval. Jonathan Castagna has taken two assistants for Large Purple, which offered the automated Dana on the NCAA match.
Cornell’s goalkeeper, Ian Shane, who was named probably the most exceptional participant of the match, has recorded 30 financial savings in victory.
“Clarkson is an excellent workforce and I knew they’d come out robust, however I trusted my boys would do their job within the offensive space,” Shane mentioned. “Let me have just a little confidence and settle down on the finish of my finish. I do know that if I decelerate issues, it should give my boys the possibility to breathe and I hope to take Puck again.”
Large Purple has linked to 2 of his first three strokes within the first interval, Psenicka making a passage from Castagna, earlier than Psenicka lit a break of two to 1 that ended with Desantis discovering the again of the online to present Cornell a bonus of 2-Zero.
Clarkson received the rating 2-1 within the second interval, when Eric Bargholtz threw a free return that diverted Shane’s glove within the internet. However the golden knights couldn’t sustain with the nice pink protection.
The golden knights closed their first yr underneath JF Houle with a report of 24-12-Three. They defeated Dartmouth on Friday Four-1 within the semifinal.
Clarkson’s assistant captain, Kaelan Taylor, a graduate pupil, was considered one of many who ended their profession with the College on Saturday.
Taylor, who had a household who grew up in Bloomingdale – from his father – retained feelings throughout his press convention. On the bottom flooring had been round 15 of his members of the family, ready to see him.
For Taylor, who grew up in California, seeing these supporters after a sport in Lake Placid is one factor that may miss probably the most to play for Clarkson.
“By rising in California, I by no means thought this may be attainable,” he mentioned. “Then, when the day got here, I spotted that I can truly go right here, the quantity of assist I had and what it means to be a golden knight. I might not change these 5 years.”
Subsequent, Cornell (18-10-6) will compete within the opening spherical of the NCAA match towards Michigan State Spartans at 5:30 pm on Thursday, Toledo, Ohio. Qunnipiac will take Ukonn Huskies within the first spherical at 5:00 pm on Friday, in Allentown, Pennsylvania.