Tonight on NBCSN: No. 8 Yale visits No. 18 Cornell in Ivy League mashup

By Joe YerdonJan 25, 2013, 8:30 AM EDT

Legendary Lynah Rink in Ithaca, NY sets the scene for this Ivy League clash.

No. 18 Cornell Big Red (8-7-2) vs. No. 8 Yale Bulldogs (11-4-3) — 7:30 p.m. ET

Every season sees the Cornell Big Red have high hopes for a national championship attached to them. It comes with consistently being at the top of the ECAC. This season has been a bit more of a struggle for them, however, and facing off against a Yale team that’s on a roll makes tough times a little harder.

The Big Red have lost four of their last five games (1-4-0) and now they’ll head into tonight’s tilt without stud sophomore and Team USA World Junior gold medalist Cole Bardreau. Bardreau fractured his neck last week against Rensselaer. In case you were wondering if he was a real hockey player, he finished the game (!!!).

At the very least, coach Mike Schafer is happy to be back into league action after his misadventures in Denver. One thing he has to make sure his team does is stay out of the box. Cornell is leading the NCAA in penalty minutes.

Meanwhile, Yale is on a tear having won four in a row including a 4-0 steamrolling of Harvard last week on NBCSN. Yale’s hot streak has gotten them into the top ten in both polls and to fifth place in the all-important Pairwise Rankings (the system used to pick teams for the NCAA tournament). Coach Keith Allain has the team rolling and looking like tournament teams of the recent past.

NHL prospects to watch

Cornell boasts a roster with eight different NHL draft picks. The tops of them is Kings prospect Joel Lowry (SO – F) who’s second on the team in points. Bruins prospect Brian Ferlin (SO – F) has picked up his game as well. Nick D’Agostino (SR – D – Pittsburgh) is their most rock-solid blue liner.

Others to watch: Joakim Ryan (SO – D – San Jose), John McCarron (SO – F – Edmonton), Braden Birch (SR – D – Chicago), Reece Wilcox (FR – D – Philadelphia), Kirill Gotovets (JR – D – Tampa Bay).

For Yale, the big one to keep an eye on is the team’s leading scorer, junior forward Kenny Agostino (pictured). The Penguins prospect has 9 goals and 14 assists on the year and he’s tied in points with undrafted senior Antoine Laganiere. You’ll also senior forward Andrew Miller having a big game last week against Harvard.

Others to watch: Gus Young (JR – D – Colorado), Rob O’Gara (FR – D – Boston)

(Photo: David Silverman via ECAC)

Tonight on NBCSN: Ivy League rival showdown — No. 10 Cornell vs. Harvard

By Joe YerdonNov 16, 2012, 11:21 AM EDT

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Tonight kicks off the bulk of NBCSN’s college hockey broadcast schedule and getting things started is a classic Ivy League rivalry from a legendary college hockey arena, Lynah Rink.

7:30 p.m. ET – No. 10 Cornell Big Red (3-2-1) vs. Harvard Crimson (3-2-0)

Cornell and Harvard are no strangers to each other in any sport. When it comes to hockey, the hate seems to burn a little hotter and run a little deeper though.

With the ECAC season virtually just getting started, the Big Red come into tonight’s game stumbling a bit, winless in their last three games including two losses in a row to Princeton and Quinnipiac. Harvard split their weekend series last week losing to Union but beating RPI. They too are a bit off losing two of their last three, but it’s early. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

Players of NHL interest

Cornell: Sharks prospect Joakim Ryan is off to a hot start with six assists to lead the team in scoring. Meanwhile, Kings prospect Joel Lowry (pictured) is one of three Big Red players with three goals and an assist (undrafted John Esposito and Greg Miller are the others). Sophomore Brian Ferlin (Boston) is off to a slow start (just two assists), but he’s someone the Bruins are really high on.

Others to watch: Nick D’Agostino (Pittsburgh), John McCarron (Edmonton), Reece Wilcox (Philly)

Harvard: Freshman forward Jimmy Vesey (Nashville) is off to a torrid start with five goals and two assists while senior Alex Fallstrom (Boston) is there hooking up his teammates with a goal and three assists. Carolina defensive prospect Danny Biega (pictured) has just two assists to start the season, but he’s the guy to keep your eye on here.

Others to watch: Brian Hart (Tampa Bay), Colin Blackwell (San Jose), Patrick McNally (Vancouver), Max Everson (Toronto), Petr Placek (Philly)

(Photo: Rich Barnes/Icon SMI)

Tonight on NBCSN: Cornell and RPI slug it out in ECAC’s sneakiest rivalry

By Joe YerdonFeb 3, 2012, 6:00 AM EDT

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You may not be aware, but the rivalry between Cornell and Rensselaer is one of the more angst-filled match-ups in college hockey. The teams don’t like each other, the coaches aren’t enamored with each other, and the fans get under each other’s skin rather easily.

The two teams also combine to produce some dramatic hockey and when they meet up tonight in Troy (7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN), you can expect more of the same as both teams are seeing things go differently in the second half of the year. Three of the last four meetings between these two teams at RPI have ended in one-goal games, all Cornell victories.

Cornell comes in ranked 14^th in both the USCHO.com and USA Today polls and are coming off a weekend that saw them swept by their travel partners from Colgate. After starting off the year on fire, the Big Red has cooled off a bit and has shown a nasty tendency to meltdown in the third period.

In three of Cornell’s last five games, they’ve blown leads in the third period. They’ve been fortunate to earn ties in two of those, but after giving up three third period goals to Princeton to get a 3-3 tie and four to Colgate in a 5-3 loss last Saturday, closing strong has been a problem of late.

Cornell coach Mike Schafer won’t stand for that and he’ll ask for more from goalie Andy Iles as well as junior defenseman Nick D’Agostino (Pittsburgh) and senior forward Sean Collins (Columbus). Freshman Brian Ferlin (Boston – pictured) may be the guy to keep the closest eye on as his offensive touch and physical play show why he was a Bruins draft pick in 2011.

For Rensselaer, their second half has been polar opposite of their first. They’re getting great goaltending from junior Bryce Merriam, stellar defensive play from guys like junior Nick Bailen and freshman Curtis Leonard while getting the offensive lift they’ve needed all season long from freshmen forwards Ryan Haggerty, Jacob Laliberte, and Zack Schroeder.

If there’s two guys coach Seth Appert will look to play big for RPI tonight it’ll be defensemen Mike Bergin (Dallas) and Patrick Koudys (Washington – pictured). Being strong defensively against Cornell is a must for the Engineers to have a shot to win.

(Brian Ferlin photo: ECAC Hockey)