Trafic has been slow on the list and this seemed like some people might be
intersted so here is a news release:
Seven Recruits to Join Big Red Men's Hockey Team
ITHACA, N.Y. (May 16) - Cornell head men's hockey coach Mike
Schafer has announced that seven freshmen will be joining the Big Red, when
they enroll at the University in the fall. The group is broken down amongst
five forwards and two defensemen.
"We're pleased with the outstanding group of freshmen who will get
the opportunity to don the Big Red jersey in the fall," Schafer said. "The
class has both size and talent and they are the kind of people we want to
represent our program."
Forwards Kelly Hughes (Calgary, Alb.) and Jason Kuczmanski
(Cheektowaga, N.Y.) lead the incoming freshmen after the two scored 78 and
77 points, respectively with their junior teams last year.
Hughes played for Victoria Salsa (BCHL) last year and recorded 28
goals and 50 assists in 60 games. He was his team's most improved player in
1998-99 and served as the team's captain this past season. The Salsa
finished the 1999-2000 season on top of the Island Division of the Coastal
Conference with a 36-20 regular-season record. At 6-3, 210, Kelly is a big
power forward with soft hands. He is the oldest member of the incoming
freshmen (DOB: 10-9-79) and will provide maturity in a relatively young
class. He has a lot of character on the ice and, according toSchafer, plays
the physical style that has become a Big Red trademark.
Kuczmanski (5-11, 185) led the Buffalo Lightning (OPJHL) in scoring
this past year with 32 goals and 45 assists in 49 games. He was an OPJHL
all-star selection and was voted his team's most valuable player. Jason is
a skilled player who competes hard and is strong on his skates. Coach
Schafer expects him to add depth to the Big Red's power-play unit.
Greg Hornby (Nanaimo, B.C.), Ryan Vesce (Lloyd Harbor, N.Y.) and
Scott Krahn (Kelowna, B.C.) are three other forwards that are expected to
make an impact with the Big Red.
Hornby (5-11, 200) may have led the Nanaimo Clippers (BCHL) in
penalty minutes (154), but he was also one of the team's leading scorers
with 51 points on 27 goals and 24 assists. A highly sought after recruit,
six of his goals came on the power play, one was short-handed and four were
game winners. He is a very physical player who possesses some good
offensive talent. His team finished third in the Island Division but made a
run in the postseason, defeating Kelly Hughes' team in the first round of
the playoffs. The Clippers then went on to face the Chilliwack Chiefs
(former team of current Big Red forward Shane Palahicky) and fell 3-2 in a
hard-fought series. A hard worker, Hornby was selected to the BCHL all-star
team at the end of the season.
Vesce led the New York Apple Core (former team of current Big Red
defenseman Doug Murray) in scoring with 59 points on 28 goals and 31
assists in 38 games. He was ninth overall in scoring in the Eastern Junior
Hockey League and was a league all-star. Vesce was also the captain of the
of the U.S. Select-17 team that competed in Prague in 1999. He is a quick
player with tremendous skills. For a player of his stature (5-8, 160), he
plays a physical game and will go head-to-head with his opponents.
A highly skilled player who will add speed to the Big Red lineup,
Krahn (5-8, 165) had 63 points (21 goals, 42 assists) for the Vernon Vipers
(BCHL) this past season. Since joining the Vipers three seasons ago, Scott
has increased his point production and was one of his team's leading
scorers this year. His team won the Canadian National Junior Championships
last year and lost in the provincial finals this season. Scott was also a
member of the 1997 BC Select-16 team.
The Big Red's new defensemen are Ben Wallace (London, Ont.) and
David Hughes (Great Neck, N.Y.).
Ben was one of the London Nationals' (WOJHL) (former team of
current Big Red goalie Ian Burt) anchors on defense this past year, playing
in nearly every game. In 50 games, he had four goals and 12 assists with
just 25 penalty minutes. At 6-2, 190, he is a big, physical defenseman with
good mobility. The youngest member of the incoming class (DOB: 6-6-82), the
coaching staff looks for him to hit the weight room and get stronger before
the start of the season.
David Hughes (5-10, 200) is familiar with the Big Red, as his
father, John, was the captain of Cornell's 1970 undefeated and untied
national championship team. David played for both the Rochester Americans
(NAHL) and the Capital District (EJHL) teams last year and had four goals
and four assists. He is a hard worker and needs to continue developing his
skills as he makes the transition to Division I college hockey.
The Big Red returns 21 veterans in 2000-01 and will look to make
another run at the ECAC title. Cornell finished the 1999-2000 season with a
16-14-2 overall record and a fourth-place finish in the ECAC (10-9-1). The
Big Red defeated Harvard in the best-of-three first round of the ECAC
playoffs and then defeated Clarkson in the preliminary game in the
championships at Lake Placid. The Big Red then lost to eventual champion
St. Lawrence in overtime in the quarterfinals and fell to Colgate in the
consolation game to finish fourth in the tournament.
Statistically, the Big Red was ranked among the nation's leaders in
three team categories this past year. The Big Red's offense finished the
year 20th in the nation with its 3.25 goals per game, while the defense
held opponents to 2.69 goals per game, which was 17th nationally. The team
was also ranked 17th in scoring margin with 0.56 goals per game more than
its opponents.
In his five years at the helm of the men's ice hockey program at
Cornell, Schafer has coached his alma mater to an 85-63-17 record and two
ECAC tournament championships.
Steven Rockey
Director of the Mathematics Library
420 Malott Hall
Cornell University
Office: 255-5268
Home: 272-8925 or 273-3807
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
http://www.math.cornell.edu:/~library/
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