The seniors who have yet to complete No. 4 of the 161 things to do before graduation are in luck, because Ivy League rival Harvard is coming to town tonight to play No. 9 Cornell in a two –– possibly three –– game series. With this season marking the 100th anniversary of their first meeting, the Cornell/Harvard hockey game has always been one of the most anticipated games of the year. 

“We couldn’t have picked a better team to play … we are pretty excited about it and I am sure it will be a great series,” said junior forward Riley Nash.

Playing in the ECAC quarterfinals, the Red (16-8-3, 13-5-2 ECAC) is coming off its bye weekend, where it used the time to go back to hockey fundamentals and really focus on correcting minor details in the team’s systems. In addition, head coach Mike Schafer ’86 wanted to keep the players fresh and maintain their endurance by having some up-tempo practices to simulate game situations.  

“We are fresh, so that is an advantage for us. We need to put them on their heels early and set the tone for the whole 120 minutes,” Nash said.  Give my regards to Davy: Senior forward Blake Gallagher (27) and junior forward Riley Nash (14) will look to crack the 100-point plateau this weekend in the ECAC playoffs. - By: Matt Hintsa

Harvard (9-19-3, 7-12-3 ECAC), on the other hand, survived last weekend’s do-or-die series against Princeton, during which it swept the Tigers 4-2 on Friday and 3-0 on Saturday. Louis Leblanc leads the Crimson’s offense with 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points. The main goalkeeper, Kyle Richter, posts a .911 save percentage and a 3.25 goals-against average. 

So far this season, Cornell has won both games against Harvard –– winning 6-3 at home in November, before posting a 3-0 shutout in February in Cambridge. Harvard is no surprise to Cornell in postseason matchups, with Cornell holding a 12-7-1 advantage over Harvard in postseason play. In order for the Red to advance to the ECAC semifinals, Cornell will have to break a new record –– beat Harvard four times in a single season, something that it has never done before. 

The team still has even more records to break despite ending its regular season. After senior captain Colin Greening reached his 100-point mark earlier this season, senior forward Blake Gallagher (97 points) and junior forward Riley Nash (94) are on the verge of earning 100 career points, too. This accomplishment would mark the first time since the 1975-76 season that three Cornell players reached this triumph in the same season. 

“This is a new year, a new team … we are looking to rewrite a lot of history here and it starts with this weekend,” Nash said.

In order to accomplish this feat, the Red needs to establish its offensive firepower early in the game and continue to wear down the Crimson. An advantage of the best-of-three series is that the Red has the incentive to tire out its opponent early on tonight in hopes of staggering the Crimson’s efforts tomorrow. Because there are no secrets between these two teams’ playing abilities, practices are more focused on countering this specific opponent’s style of play, rather than the Red’s average task of preparing for multiple opponents each weekend.

“It turns into 120, maybe 180 minutes, where you are going against the same team, same guys. You start to establish dominance early on, and carry it on for the whole series, especially in the first game, first period,” Nash said.  Give my regards to Davy: Senior forward Blake Gallagher (27) and junior forward Riley Nash (14) will look to crack the 100-point plateau this weekend in the ECAC playoffs. - By: Matt Hintsa

The Red’s power play unit has been working hard throughout the week in order to hopefully score as many goals against the Crimson as possible with the extra attacker. Harvard is the most penalized team in the league, compared to the Red, which is the least penalized and has continued to play with more discipline over the years. In addition, Cornell has been working on maintaining poise while applying consistent pressure throughout the game, so as to play to its strength –– physicality.

“We need to play well in the neutral zone, forecheck hard and not give them rushes. We can really break down their offense,” said junior defender Mike Devin.

With playoffs in full swing, the faces of the players are getting shaggier, as the team follows its tradition of growing beards during the playoff season to display the Red’s focus and unity towards its goal of coming out on top this season.

“Everything is magnified in the playoffs, but if we just keep playing our game, it should all work out,” said freshman defender Nick D’Agostino.