Hello, everyone from beautifully renovated Madison Square Garden in New York City. I'm Steve Lepore. You might remember me from such hockey websites as SB Nation's NHL headquarters and Puck the Media. Tonight, I'm going to be helping out the fine folks at WCH Blog with coverage of what's being called 'The Frozen Apple' as Michigan meets Cornell at The World's Most Famous Arena.
Please, feel free to chat along with me throughout the game in the comments section. I'm hardly as knowledgeable as the rest of the writers here (and most likely all of you who might be commenting) but I'm here to give it my best shot. We'll keep up on any scoring, injuries and anything else that strikes me as noteworthy through all three periods. Please stick with me in this story stream and follow me on Twitter (@stevelepore) for all the up to date information.
Chris did a fantastic preview of the game, which you can see above, but here are some basic notes for anyone who might not be a big follower of college hockey that's tuning in tonight:
- As most of you know, these two teams met in the NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional in Green Bay last March, with Cornell getting a 3-2 win on an overtime goal by Rodger Craig. All time, the Big Red and the Wolverines are even at three wins and three losses apiece, with one tie. The last regular season meeting between the two schools was in 1997 at Ann Arbor.
- This is the fourth time Cornell has hosted a game at Madison Square Garden since 2007. Unfortunately, they've yet to win, with a loss, an overtime loss and a draw in their first three games.
- The Big Red (who, just if you're keeping score at home, are the home team tonight) enter the game with 3-3-2 so far in 2012-13, with a 1-3-2 record in the ECAC. They are ranked No. 13 in USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine's most recent national poll, as well as in USCHO.com's Division I Men's Poll. They are led in scoring by sophomore defenseman Joakim Ryan, with six assists. Senior forwards Greg Miller and John Esposito lead the team in goals with three.
- Michigan enters today's game with a 5-6-1 record, going 3-5-1-1 in their final season as members of the CCHA. They're coming off a 3-1 win against Bowling Green on Wednesday, which snapped a three-game winless streak. The Wolverines are ranked No. 19 in the most recent USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll. They are led in scoring by senior AJ Treais with nine goals and 14 points.