By Brandon Thomas
Cornell Athletic Communications

ITHACA, N.Y. –  While it's more common place for the Ivy League's other five men's hockey programs to either scrimmage against each other or play full-blown exhibitions in preparation for the teams' delayed start to the season, Cornell dipped its toe into those waters with Princeton's visit last Saturday. But – like so many things in the COVID-19 world – it wasn't exactly supposed to go down that way.
 
When the finishing touches on scheduling were done on in the spring and early summer, Cornell originally had one of its traditional Canadian university opponents scheduled for its first exhibition – Ottawa. But as the Delta variant started to accelerate precautions again, it became increasingly concerning that Ottawa might not be able to cross the border for the game in Ithaca. So that plan was scrapped, and Cornell and Princeton arranged Saturday's festivities.
 
While the Big Red ultimately won comfortably, 5-0, the game provided an invaluable return to competition against a team that is largely in the same proverbial boat. And while Canadian universities have occasionally represented quality opponents over the years, the majority have not. Since 2015, Cornell is 8-0-1 against Canadian teams with the average margin of victory standing at a robust 4.33. The opponents typically don't approach the game with the same voracity defensively and, worse yet, sometimes resort to taking more interest in trying to throw the biggest hits they possibly can.
 
Although it should be pointed out the Ottawa was in fact the lone tie in that stretch, it's also worth mentioning that the exhibition against the Big Red – originally scheduled for 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 17 – would have also been Ottawa's third in less than 72 hours. The Gee-Gees were supposed to start the weekend with exhibitions Friday at Dartmouth and Saturday at Harvard, before those also got nixed.
 
"It just doesn't do us any good to come into a game and throw up 49 shots against a team," said Mike Schafer '86, the Jay R. Bloom '77 Head Coach of Men's Hockey. "That game wouldn't help us a whole lot. So there were some good things that we got accomplished (in this game). … I thought the scrimmage was much more helpful in terms of learning."
 
It was also more helpful in terms of flexibility, too. Since neither team had other exhibitions scheduled for the weekend, they took the opportunity to schedule a pair of 30-minute on-ice sessions to work specifically on their respective power plays and penalty kills. The teams got even more practice in the game itself, which produced 13 total power plays.
 
"There was obviously a lack of discipline here and there and some other stuff we'll have to iron out before the season starts, but I think it was a good first showing," forward Brenden Locke said. "But for now, it's just keep our heads down and learn from that game."

Added Schafer: "They were probably rusty and we were rusty, but I was happy with the intensity and the effort and intensity we came out with in our rink. It was really great to play again. Even though there were only 1,500 fans, our guys were fired up there were people in the stands again." 

Alumni Update

•  Defenseman Yanni Kaldis '20 scored his first goal at the American Hockey League level on Saturday, helping the Bakersfield Condors rally for a 5-3 victory against the Abbotsford Canucks. Now in his final year of the two-year contract he signed with the Condors after graduating from Cornell, Kaldis is looking at making more of an impact after some of the departures that have taken place on the team's blue line after they won a division title in 2020-21.
 
In the same interview, a member of the media asked Kaldis about what it was like to play on a defensive unit where he's a lot smaller than his teammates.
 
"Honestly, I'm pretty used to it," he said. "If you look at Cornell and the 'D' corps there, I think I was the only one under 6-2 there, too. So I'm pretty used to it by now."
 
•  Forward Morgan Barron '20 has been recalled to the NHL by the New York Rangers in advance of their game against the Nashville Predators at 8 p.m. tonight.
 
Among the final two cuts the Rangers made to finalize their Opening Night roster, Barron dutifully reported to AHL Hartford – a team he led in scoring last year – and scored a couple goals in a couple games. Now he's back with the Rangers after an injury moved Kaapo Kakko to injured reserve.
 
Of particular interest is the Rangers' need for a center, which could be a spot in which Barron slots in. While he was very rarely used in that role at Cornell, it's an option that both the Big Red and the Rangers have often expressed confidence in over the years.

Around The League

•  Now the head coach at Colorado College, former Cornell volunteer assistant coach Kris Mayotte returned to his alma mater last weekend for a pair of games at Union. Mayotte spent the 2011-12 season with the Big Red before ascending the ranks through St. Lawrence, Providence, Michigan and the World Junior team for USA Hockey.
 
•  Katie Guay became the first woman to referee a professional men's game on Saturday when she worked the Lehigh Valley Phantoms game against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Guay is familiar to the Cornell men's hockey program through several league games over the years, including the Frozen Apple game in 2016 against New Hampshire.
 
"I had never really had my eye set on men's pro hockey – the Olympics had always sort of been my goal, and it was an eight-year journey through IIHF working various World Championships," she said as part of ECAC Hockey's new weekly YouTube show, The Breakout. "When I reached my goal in Pyeongchang in 2018, I thought that was sort of the pinnacle of my career. But then I had an opportunity to attend the NHL officiating combine, and that certainly opened my eyes to men's pro hockey,"
 
Guay — a Brown graduate — may have been the first female referee in the men's pro ranks, but she won't be the last. The AHL has hired 10 women to officiate in the league this year.

Off The Crossbar is a weekly-ish notebook about the Cornell men's hockey team written by assistant director of athletic communications Brandon Thomas, who is in his 11th year as his office's primary contact for the team following a stint of a few years as the team's beat writer at The Ithaca Journal and a few years as an observer from Section D. He can be reached at brandon@cornell.edu. Follow him on Twitter at @BT_unassisted.