Deerfield Academy (Mass.) alumnus Trevor Yates has emerged as one of the biggest reasons for Cornell’s torrid start to the season. Yates leads the Big Red (10-2 overall, 5-1 ECAC Hockey) in scoring with eight goals and five assists. For the second year in a row, he leads Cornell in power-play goals. Yates’ ascent to a top offensive player for a top-five team in the nation has been swift. The forward from Quebec drew his share of healthy scratches as a freshman when he appeared in just 17 games and tallied four points. He started to carve out a more consistent role as a sophomore, before experiencing a breakout season last year, when his eight power-play goals marked the highest total for a Cornell player since the 2009-10 season.
Yates is one of just two Cornell seniors to receive regular ice time, and still, the Big Red entered the break as the fourth-ranked team in the Pair-Wise. "Every year, my role has gotten bigger and bigger," Yates said. "I’ve developed a better understanding of the team and the system. As one of the seniors, I think my biggest role is getting the freshmen acclimated."
Yates can certainly share something with Cornell’s 10 freshmen about the acclimation process. He vividly remembers the growing pains he encountered making the jump directly from Deerfield Academy to Cornell in 2014, and he’s helped this year’s impressive freshman class make a smoother transition. "It was definitely a big jump for me," Yates said. "Every player’s different, but a year of juniors might have helped me have more success as a freshman. The biggest adjustment is that the players are bigger and faster, and it’s more system-oriented in college hockey. At Deerfield, we never really did video, so I can help the younger guys through that process and help them play more consistently."
THE NOTEBOOK
Princeton freshman Ryan Ferland (Franklin, Mass.) has helped Tigers coach Ron Fogarty continue his rebuild of the program with a solid start to his college career. Ferland has led Princeton to a 6-5-1 record in his first 12 starts with a 2.86 GAA and .915 save percentage. …
Some bad news for a New England native: Cornell senior defenseman Ryan Bliss (Chelmsford, Mass.) is unlikely to return to the ice this season due to continued pain in his back. The former U.S. National Team Development Program product missed all of his junior season due to back pain.
Cornell coach Mike Schafer met Bliss’s mother, Kelly (Clark) Bliss, when both were student-athletes at Cornell in the late 1980s. Schafer was a senior hockey player for the Big Red when Clark was a freshman lacrosse and field hockey player. Bliss committed to Cornell at the age of 15. …
Dartmouth earned one of the program’s biggest wins in recent years with a 5-4 victory against No. 2-ranked University of Denver on Dec. 16. The Big Green rallied from a 3-0 first-period deficit, with freshman Collin Rutherford netting the game-winner late in the third and Devin Buffalo making 38 saves.
At the break, Sheldon Rempal of Clarkson led the conference in scoring with 25 points on 16 goals and nine assists. Union’s Brett Supinski (6-16-22) and Clarkson’s Devin Brosseau (4-17-21) were next.
Clarkson netminder Jake Kielly set the pace with a 1.42 goals-against average and .947 save percentage, with Colton Point of Colgate second at 1.90 and .938
Among defensemen, Clarkson players Terrance Amorosa and Kelly Summers — set the pace with 15 points apiece, while Chase Priskie of Quinnipiac was tops in goals from the blue line with five.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Sam Tucker, Yale
The Wilton, Conn., native has earned the lead goaltender position after splitting time the past two seasons as a freshman and sophomore. This season, he has a 4-5-0 record with 2.79 GAA and .902 save percentage. He won his last two starts (Union, Sacred Heart) before the holiday break.
Charlie Corcoran, Brown
The New Canaan, Conn., native is tied for the team lead in points with three goals and five assists. The senior forward and Berkshire School alumnus has been an integral part of Brown’s surprising start. The Bears entered the holiday break in fifth place in ECAC Hockey.
Ryan Scarfo, Union
The North Chelmsford, Mass., native averaged just under a point per game in the first semester, tallying 10 goals and eight assists in 19 games. Scarfo has helped Union survive the loss of Mike Vecchione (Saugus, Mass.) and led the Dutchmen to a secondplace start in ECAC Hockey.
