Cornell University Men's Ice Hockey

Schafer is Cornell Hockeys second-longest tenured coach, while his 391-233-84 record has him as the winningest coach in Cornell mens hockey history. He picked up his 231st career victory on Jan. 27, 2007, a 2-1 victory against Colgate at Lynah Rink, to become the programs all-time wins leader. Schafer reached the 300-win milestone, a mark previously reached by only 45 coaches in all of college hockey, with the Big Red's 4-3 victory against Colgate on Nov. 27, 2010, at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Coming hand-in-hand with Cornell's success on the national scene, the Big Red has been one of the top programs in ECAC Hockey during Schafer's tenure. Cornell has claimed five ECAC Hockey tournament titles, the most all-time in league history, and staking a claim to three regular-season crowns. He has a career 255-144-63 record in ECAC Hockey regular-season play and a 55-27-2 mark in the ECAC Hockey playoffs. His peers have taken notice of his accomplishments, awarding him the ECAC Hockey Coach of the Year award three times during his career. He is also a three-time finalist for the Spencer T. Penrose Award, presented to the national coach of the year. He has also regularly had the Big Red ranked among the nation's elite over the past decade, including reaching as high as third in both the USCHO.com and the USA Today/USA Hockey polls in 2008-09 and fourth in both polls in 2012-13. Cornell has also held the top spot in the polls during the 2002-03 and 2004-05 seasons. Schafer guided the Big Red to the ECAC Hockey tournament title in 1995-96 and 1996-97, becoming the first Cornell coach to win ECAC Hockey tournament titles in his first two seasons. His five tournament titles surpassed the legendary Ned Harkness for the most in program history. In 2002-03, he led the Big Red to the NCAA Frozen Four, setting a school record with 30 wins, going one better than the undefeated, untied 29-0-0 national championship squad of 1969-70. Cornell's 2002-03 ECAC Hockey mark of 19-2-1 was Cornell's best mark since the 1969-70 team went 21-0 in league play. Schafer has a .612 career winning percentage following the 2015-16 season. Additionally, his 391 career victories ranks in the Top 10 among active Division I coaches, while his eight NCAA tournament victories is tied for 12th. Most recently, the Big Red has advanced to the ECAC Hockey Championship semifinals a league-best eight times over the last 12 seasons. The Big Red has finished the season ranked in the USCHO.com poll in six of the last eight seasons. Over his career, Schafer has coached 53 All-ECAC Hockey selections and 20 ECAC Hockey All-Rookie team picks. In 2015, the Big Red placed two players on the postseason teams, defenseman Joakim Ryan (First Team) and forward Cole Bardreau (Third Team). Both signed NHL contracts following the season. In 2012, Brian Ferlin earned ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Year honors, the first since Riley Nash in 2007 and David McKee in 2004.   Widely regarded as one of the top defensive masterminds in college hockey, Schafer's emphasis on defense has helped countless players earn league and national recognition. Goaltender David LeNeveu broke a 45-year-old record with a 1.20 goals-against average in 2003, earning a spot among the Hat Trick Finalists for the Hobey Baker Award. Two years later, it was fellow netminder David McKee earning a spot in the Hat Trick after recording the third-best goals-against average in NCAA history. In 2010, Ben Scrivens posted the third-longest shutout streak in NCAA history, recording three straight shutouts in the ECAC Hockey tournament in leading the Big Red to its 13th all-time title. Andy Iles broke the program's all-time saves record during the 2013-14, surpassing Scrivens with 2,988 career stops. During Schafer's tenure, Cornell players have earned numerous ECAC Hockey awards, including a pair of Player of the Year honors, four Ken Dryden Awards for the league's top goaltender, four Defenseman of the Year awards, six Defensive Forwards of the Year and four Rookies of the Year. Additionally, three players have earned ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America honors a total of four times. Schafer, who played his collegiate hockey at Cornell under Lou Reycroft, was a defenseman during his playing days, and he has brought that same emphasis to the defensive end to his coaching career. His squads have consistently ranked among the nations best defensive teams. In 2004-05, the Big Red set a post-Depression era record, allowing just 1.29 goals per game, besting the 1.36 mark set by the 2001-02 Michigan State team and tied by the Big Red in 2002-03.   In 1990, Schafer became an assistant at Western Michigan of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and he was promoted to associate coach in 1994. At Western, he was recruiting coordinator, handled team administrative responsibilities and had on-ice duties working with the defensemen. Six of his recruits were named to the CCHA All-Rookie team, including the first two Rookie of the Year winners in Broncos history. In 1993-94, Western received an NCAA bid for the first time since 1986. A 1986 graduate of Cornells College of Agriculture and Life Sciences with a degree in business management and marketing, Schafer was a four-year letterman for the Big Red and a two-year captain. He capped his collegiate career by leading the team to the ECAC Hockey championship and a No. 5 national ranking as a senior. After graduation, Schafer was named a Big Red assistant coach in September 1986. He was instrumental in recruiting 14 players who were NHL draft choices, two of whom became All-Americans. He also handled the Cornell junior varsity skaters from 1986 to 1988. During Schafers initial coaching tenure with the Big Red, the skaters had ECAC Hockey Final Four appearances in 1989 and 1990. During his playing career at Cornell, the Big Red won a share of the Ivy League crown for three straight seasons. Schafer appeared in 107 games for the Big Red, scoring 70 points on 10 goals and 60 assists. In 1985-86, Schafer received ECAC Hockey honorable mention and All-Ivy second-team honors for the second consecutive season. He was the recipient of the teams Ironman Award for two seasons, and he was the winner of the Cornell Hockey Boosters Award as a sophomore. Schafer served as president of the Red Key Athletic Honor Society and was the recipient of the ECAC Medallion for academic excellence and athletic prowess. A native of Durham, Ont., Schafer played junior hockey with the Guelph Jr. A Holody Platers, finalists in the Centennial Cup for the national championship in 1982. Schafer and his wife, Diane, have two sons, Luke and John, and a daughter, Michelle.Mike SchaferMike SchaferMike Schafer, Year-by-Year

Syer Associate Head Coach Ben Syer has completed five seasons with the Cornell men's hockey team, including four seasons as the associate head coach. Syer joined the program in June 2011 as an assistant coach, taking over the lead role in recruiting as well as coaching the defense. He helped guide the Big Red to a 19-9-7 record and an appearance in the NCAA regional finals in his first season on East Hill, with the team ranking 11th in the country with a 2.26 goals-against average. After the season, he was promoted to Associate Head Coach. In the five years Syer has been with the Big Red, the team has finished in the top 20 nationally in team defense four times as high as seventh in 2014-15. Syer previously served as Associate Head Coach during his 12 seasons at Quinnipiac under head coach Rand Pecknold. During that run, the Bobcats posted a 242-168-46 record with one NCAA tournament appearance (2002) and nine 20-win seasons. Quinnipiac won the 2005 Atlantic Hockey regular season title and the 1999 MAAC regular season and 2002 MAAC tournament championship crowns during his tenure. Quinnipiac reached the MAAC tournament semifinals in each of the first four years of Syers tenure, including three straight MAAC finals appearances. Included in that span were the 2002 MAAC tournament title and the first NCAA appearance in program history. The Bobcats also won the MAAC regular-season title in Syers first year at Quinnipiac. A native of Kitchener, Ontario, Syer arrived at Quinnipiac after serving one season as an assistant coach at Ohio University. At Ohio, Syer assisted with practice and game preparation as well as recruiting. A 1998 graduate of Western Ontario, Syer earned a bachelors degree in urban development. He also has prior coaching experience with the North Middlesex Stars, a junior development team based in Parkhill, Ontario. He earned his master's degree in physical education with a concentration in athletic administation in 2000.