Entering the season, was expected to be strong defensive team, as it usually was under Mike Schafer. However, after his health scare in January '22, it remained to be seen if he was still physically able to do the job.[1] While that was being sorted, the team itself was mostly set. Many of the key offensive players from the previous season were returning. Ian Shane was the incumbent starting goaltender, having won the job in the second half of '22 while co-captainsSam Malinski and Travis Mitchell were leading the defense.
Despite all of the returning brain trust, Cornell was slow off the mark and got swept by Minnesota Duluth to open their season. Their performance was a little better over the following two weeks but the Big Red were still a bit off, only able to earn splits. It wasn't until min-November that the team was able to sort itself out and consistently put forth a solid effort. Over a 2-month span, the Big Red went 8–1–1 to recover their position in the polls, losing only against arch-rival Harvard. During that run, the Big Red returned to their stifling defensive style and severely limiting chances against Shane. Over the course of the season, Cornell averaged under 21 shots against per game, one of the best marks in the nation, and allowed less than 2 goals against per game.
Cornell continued to play strong in the second half, winning its way into the top 10 by taking down then #1 Quinnipiac. The Big Red handed the Bobcats just their second loss on the season and put themselves into a solid position for an at-large bid. A slight slip up at the end of the season pushed the Big Red into the bubble but, as they still had the conference tournament, there was no need to panic. Cornell won its 25th Ivy League title after defeating Yale in its final game of the regular season.[2] They were able to do this despite being swept by, and having a worse record than, Harvard because two of the Crimson's victories came in overtime while the Big Red received full points for all 8 of their wins.
The postseason began with Cornell sitting at home and awaiting their opponent as the Big Red received a bye into the quarterfinals. Because of their spot in the NCAA bubble, the Big Red needed to win the first round matchup. Unfortunately, they ended up drawing Clarkson, who had already defeated them twice during the regular season. Luckily, Cornell was able to overcome recent history and the team played lock-down defense stop the Golden Knights from generating much in the way of offense. Clarkson ended up getting just 36 shots on goal in two games while the Cornell power play lifted them to consecutive wins and a trip to the semifinals. While the wins did little improve Cornell's PairWise ranking, several other teams vying for the postseason had lost in their tournaments and all bug guaranteed the Big Red a spot in the tournament.
The semifinal pitted Cornell against Harvard and the two long-time rivals fought a furious battle of contrasting styles. As stout as Cornell's defense was, Harvard had a high-powered offense and forced the Big Red to defend hard all game. While they were able to hold off the Crimson attack, that meant limiting their own chances. After 60 minutes neither team was able to score and the match headed into overtime. Harvard continued to press, forcing the Big Red to defend the entire time. In four and a half minutes, Harvard got 5 shots on goal to Cornell's 0 with the final being the game-winner. The loss was disappointing but, once all the tournaments were sorted out, Cornell was above the cut line and returned to the NCAA field for the first time in 4 years.
Cornell received a 4-seed, but got the best possible draw by being set opposite to Denver. The Pioneers' offense had faltered in their own postseason run and that continued into the match with the Big Red. Jack O'Leary opened the scoring less than 3 minutes into the game and that was all Cornell needed. While Ben Berard added a second marker several minutes later, Ian Shane stopped all 27 shots to produce just the second shutout victory in program history and the first since Ken Dryden in 1967.[3] The region final saw the Big Red set against another old rival in Boston University and the match was a defensive struggle from the start. combined the two team were able to get just 35 shots on goal but it was the Terriers who managed to score first. Cornell's lack of star power up front prevented them from making a strong comeback and when BU got a 2–0 lead in the third the outcome seemed bleak. With Shane on the bench for an extra attacker, Dalton Bancroft cut the lead in half with 28 seconds left in regulation. Unfortunately, the team was unable to find the tying goal in the waning moments and saw their season come to an end.[4]
