Boston University–Cornell men's ice hockey rivalry

Boston University–Cornell men's ice hockey rivalry
	Boston University Terriers Cornell Big Red
Sport	Ice hockey
First meeting	10 January 1925; Boston University 7–2
Latest meeting	29 March 2025; Boston University 3–2 OT
Next meeting	29 November 2025
Statistics
Meetings total	53
All-time series	Cornell, 27–23–3
Largest victory	Cornell, 9–0 (13 December 1972)
Longest win streak	Boston University: 6 (23 January 1974–4 January 1978); Cornell: 9 (11 March 1968–23 January 1971);
Longest unbeaten streak	Cornell: 11 (11 March 1966–23 January 1971)
Current win streak	Boston University: 1 (29 March 2025–present)

110km
68miles

Boston University

Cornell

🌍

Locations of Cornell and Harvard

The Boston University–Cornell men's ice hockey rivalry is a ice hockey sports rivalry between the programs at Boston University and Cornell University.

Due to playing in separate conferences, the two teams no longer play an annual series, however, they have continued the rivalry by meeting at Madison Square Garden every other year around Thanksgiving.^[2]

History

Cornell is one of the few teams to hold a winning record against Boston University in ice hockey.^[3] Of those teams, no squad had faced the Terriers more than the Big Red.

Early years

Cornell played its first ice hockey games as far back as the late-19th century. Boston University was a relative newcomer, playing its first match during the final year of World War I.^[4] Despite being two of the oldest programs in the country, they only met twice until the mid-1960s. This happened due to several factors, with the main being that Cornell only played a few games each year until building the Lynah Rink in 1957. However, even after becoming conference rivals when ECAC Hockey was formed in 1961, the two squads never got around to scheduling one another until 1968.

Championship eras

During the 1966–67 season, the two sides met in the Boston Arena Christmas Tournament championship. At the time, the two were ranked as the top two clubs in the nation with only a single loss between them. They batted to an even 3–3 draw after two overtimes and, though they could have continued the match, both coaches agreed to call the game a draw. They later met in the ECAC Hockey tournament final, still ranked #1 and #2. This time, Cornell was able to come out on top with 4–3 victory. Just one week later, they had their third meeting of the season in the NCAA tournament finale. This was the first time in almost 20 years that two eastern teams met in the championship game and Cornell was able to ride an outstanding performance from Ken Dryden to the program first national championship.^[5] Cornell would dominate the meeting for the next several years as they remained one of the best programs in college hockey.

By 1971, however, the Terriers were able to reverse the trend and defeated Cornell in the league's third place game to earn an improbable bid to the NCAA tournament, eventually capturing their first championship in 1971. The next year, the two met again in the NCAA tournament championship. BU was able to get even thanks to a shutout from Tim Regan for their second consecutive title. The 1970s proved to be much more favorable for the Terriers as they won every meeting over an almost 4-year span but, just as they had at the beginning of the decade, Cornell was able to catch up by the end of the 1970s and put another 6-game winning streak together.

Separate conferences

In 1984, ECAC Hockey was plait in twain with Cornell remaining in the original league wile BU became a founding member of Hockey East. The two played sparingly over the next two decades, however, in 2007 they decided to renew their rivalry. Beginning in November of that year, they initiated a biannual meeting that would take place at Madison Square Garden and named the series "Red Hot Hockey", referencing the main colors of the two universities (scarlet and carnelian).

Aside from the Red Hot Hockey series, the two sides have also met three times in the NCAA tournament since 2018 with Boston University winning all three meeting by a narrow margin.

Game results

Full game results for the rivalry, with rankings beginning in the 1998–99 season.^[6]

Boston University victories	Cornell victories	Tie games

No.	Date	Location	Winning team		Losing team		Notes
1	10 January 1925	Beebe Lake; Ithaca, NY	Boston University	7	Cornell	2
2	23 January 1926	Beebe Lake; Ithaca, NY	Boston University	1	Cornell	0
3	11 March 1966	Boston Arena; Boston, MA	Cornell	8	Boston University	1	ECAC Tournament Semifinal
4	30 December 1966	Boston Arena; Boston, MA	Tie	3	Tie	3	(2OT); Boston Arena Christmas Tournament Championship
5	11 March 1967	Boston Arena; Boston, MA	Cornell	4	Boston University	3	ECAC Tournament Championship
6	18 March 1967	Onondaga County War Memorial; Syracuse, NY	Cornell	4	Boston University	1	NCAA Tournament Championship
7	23 January 1968	Boston Arena; Boston, MA	Cornell	3	Boston University	2
8	8 March 1968	Boston Arena; Boston, MA	Cornell	7	Boston University	2	ECAC Tournament Semifinal
9	18 February 1969	Lynah Rink; Ithaca, NY	Cornell	2	Boston University	1
10	7 March 1969	Boston Arena; Boston, MA	Cornell	3	Boston University	2	(OT) ECAC Tournament Semifinal
11	9 December 1969	Boston Arena; Boston, MA	Cornell	5	Boston University	3
12	2 January 1970	Onondaga County War Memorial; Syracuse, NY	Cornell	4	Boston University	1	Syracuse Invitational Semifinal
13	23 January 1971	Lynah Rink; Ithaca, NY	Cornell	5	Boston University	1
14	13 March 1971	Boston Arena; Boston, MA	Boston University	6	Cornell	5	ECAC Tournament Third-Place Game
15	30 December 1971	Onondaga County War Memorial; Syracuse, NY	Cornell	3	Boston University	2	Syracuse Invitational Championship
16	1 March 1972	Walter Brown Arena; Boston, MA	Cornell	3	Boston University	2
17	11 March 1972	Walter Brown Arena; Boston, MA	Boston University	4	Cornell	1	ECAC Tournament Championship
18	18 March 1972	Walter Brown Arena; Boston, MA	Boston University	4	Cornell	0	NCAA Tournament Championship
19	13 December 1972	Lynah Rink; Ithaca, NY	Cornell	9	Boston University	0
20	23 January 1974	Walter Brown Arena; Boston, MA	Boston University	7	Cornell	2
21	8 March 1974	Walter Brown Arena; Boston, MA	Boston University	7	Cornell	3	ECAC Tournament Semifinal
22	26 February 1975	Lynah Rink; Ithaca, NY	Boston University	6	Cornell	4
23	2 March 1976	Walter Brown Arena; Boston, MA	Boston University	9	Cornell	4
24	8 January 1977	Lynah Rink; Ithaca, NY	Boston University	7	Cornell	6	(OT)
25	4 January 1978	Walter Brown Arena; Boston, MA	Boston University	6	Cornell	5
26	6 January 1979	Lynah Rink; Ithaca, NY	Cornell	5	Boston University	1
27	10 March 1979	Walter Brown Arena; Boston, MA	Cornell	7	Boston University	4	ECAC Tournament Third-Place Game
28	8 March 1980	Walter Brown Arena; Boston, MA	Cornell	6	Boston University	5	(OT)
29	6 December 1980	Lynah Rink; Ithaca, NY	Cornell	6	Boston University	2
30	5 December 1981	Walter Brown Arena; Boston, MA	Cornell	7	Boston University	2
31	4 December 1982	Lynah Rink; Ithaca, NY	Cornell	5	Boston University	3
32	3 December 1983	Walter Brown Arena; Boston, MA	Boston University	4	Cornell	2
33	10 December 1988	Walter Brown Arena; Boston, MA	Cornell	8	Boston University	2
34	29 December 1988	Onondaga County War Memorial; Syracuse, NY	Boston University	4	Cornell	2	Syracuse Invitational Championship
35	23 November 1993	Lynah Rink; Ithaca, NY	Boston University	4	Cornell	3
36	21 November 1995	Walter Brown Arena; Boston, MA	Boston University	7	Cornell	1
37	24 November 2001	Walter Brown Arena; Boston, MA	No. 5 Boston University	5	No. 11 Cornell	3
38	25 November 2001	Walter Brown Arena; Boston, MA	No. 11 Cornell	4	No. 5 Boston University	2
39	30 November 2002	Lynah Rink; Ithaca, NY	No. 7 Cornell	4	No. 12 Boston University	1
40	1 December 2002	Lynah Rink; Ithaca, NY	No. 7 Cornell	5	No. 12 Boston University	1
41	24 November 2007	Madison Square Garden; Manhattan, NY	Boston University	6	Cornell	3	Red Hot Hockey
42	28 November 2009	Madison Square Garden; Manhattan, NY	Tie	3	Tie	3	(OT); Red Hot Hockey
43	26 November 2011	Madison Square Garden; Manhattan, NY	No. 15 Boston University	2	No. 17 Cornell	1	(OT); Red Hot Hockey
44	30 November 2013	Madison Square Garden; Manhattan, NY	Boston University	3	No. 14 Cornell	2	Red Hot Hockey
45	28 November 2015	Madison Square Garden; Manhattan, NY	Tie	3	Tie	3	(OT); Red Hot Hockey
46	25 November 2017	Madison Square Garden; Manhattan, NY	No. 7 Cornell	4	No. 19 Boston University	3	(OT); Red Hot Hockey
47	24 March 2018	DCU Center; Worcester, MA	No. 13 Boston University	3	No. 4 Cornell	1	NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinal
48	30 November 2019	Madison Square Garden; Manhattan, NY	No. 2 Cornell	2	Boston University	0	Red Hot Hockey
49	27 November 2021	Madison Square Garden; Manhattan, NY	No. 10 Cornell	6	Boston University	4	Red Hot Hockey
50	14 January 2023	Agganis Arena; Boston, MA	No. 7 Boston University	2	No. 15 Cornell	1
51	25 March 2023	SNHU Arena; Manchester, NH	No. 5 Boston University	2	No. 12 Cornell	1	NCAA Tournament Regional Final
52	25 November 2023	Madison Square Garden; Manhattan, NY	No. 16 Cornell	2	No. 5 Boston University	1	Red Hot Hockey
53	29 March 2023	Huntington Center; Toledo, OH	No. 8 Boston University	3	No. 16 Cornell	2	(OT); NCAA Tournament Regional Final
Series: Cornell leads 27–23–3

Series facts

Statistic	Boston University	Cornell
Games played	53
Wins	23	27
Home wins	10	8
Road wins	5	12
Neutral site wins	8	7
Goals scored	170	194
Most goals scored in a game by one team	9 (2 March 1976)	9 (13 December 1972)
Most goals in a game by both teams	13 (2 March 1976 – Boston University 9, Cornell 4)
Fewest goals in a game by both teams	1 (23 January 1926)
Fewest goals scored in a game by one team in a win	1 (23 January 1926)	2 (18 February 1969, 30 November 2019, 25 November 2023)
Most goals scored in a game by one team in a loss	4 (7 times)	6 (1966, 1976)
Largest margin of victory	9 (18 December 1967)	9 (13 December 1972)
Longest winning streak	6 (11 March 1968–23 January 1971)	9 (11 March 1968–23 January 1971)
Longest unbeaten streak	6 (11 March 1968–23 January 1971)	11 (11 March 1966–23 January 1971)

References

^ ^a ^b "Men's Ice Hockey All-Time Records". Cornell Big Red. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
^ "Red Hot Hockey: Cornell vs. Boston University". Madison Square Garden. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
^ "Boston University vs. opponents" (PDF). Boston University Terriers. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
^ "Boston University men's ice hockey 2023–24 Record Book" (PDF). Boston University Terriers. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
^ "NCAA Division 1 Tournament". College Hockey Historical Archives. Archived from the original on 2014-02-02. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
^ "Cornell Men's Hockey Media Guide Pages 59-88 (History and Records)" (PDF). Cornell Big Red. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 27, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2018.

External links

[Corn-1] "Men's Ice Hockey All-Time Records". Cornell Big Red. Retrieved August 13, 2025.

[2] "Red Hot Hockey: Cornell vs. Boston University". Madison Square Garden. Retrieved August 13, 2025.

[3] "Boston University vs. opponents" (PDF). Boston University Terriers. Retrieved August 13, 2025.

[BU-4] "Boston University men's ice hockey 2023–24 Record Book" (PDF). Boston University Terriers. Retrieved August 13, 2025.

[5] "NCAA Division 1 Tournament". College Hockey Historical Archives. Archived from the original on 2014-02-02. Retrieved 2013-06-19.

[history-6] "Cornell Men's Hockey Media Guide Pages 59-88 (History and Records)" (PDF). Cornell Big Red. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 27, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2018.

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Boston University Terriers men's ice hockey
Playing venues	Boston Arena (1918–1971) Walter Brown Arena (1971–2005) Agganis Arena (2005–present)
Head coaches	Edgar Burkhardt (1917–1918) Harold Stuart (1919–1920) John J. O'Hare (1922–1924) Chippy Gaw (1924–1928) Wayland Vaughan (1928–1940) Syd Borofsky (1940–1941) Wayland Vaughan (1941–1943) Harry Cleverly (1945–1962) Jack Kelley (1962–1972) Leon Abbott (1972–1973) Jack Parker (1973–2013) David Quinn (2013–2018) Albie O'Connell (2018–2022) Jay Pandolfo (2022–present)
Seasons	1917–18 1919–20 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Conference affiliations	New England Intercollegiate Hockey League (1936–54) ECAC Hockey (1961–1984) Hockey East (1984–Present)
Rivalries	Boston College Eagles (Green Line Rivalry) Beanpot Maine Black Bears Cornell Big Red
All-time leaders	Statistical leaders John Cullen (241 Points) Chris Drury (113 Goals) Sean Fields (62 Wins)
National championships	1971 1972 1978 1995 2009
Frozen Four appearances	1950 1951 1953 1960 1966 1967 1971 1972 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1990 1991 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 2009 2015 2023 2024
NCAA Tournament appearances	1950 1951 1953 1960 1966 1967 1971 1972 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1984 1986 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 2000 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2009 2012 2015 2016 2017 2018 2021 2023 2024
Conference Tournament titles	NEIHL: 1951 1952 ECAC Hockey: 1972 1974 1975 1976 1977 Hockey East: 1986 1991 1994 1995 1997 2006 2009 2015 2018 2023
Hobey Baker winners	Chris Drury (1998) Matt Gilroy (2009) Jack Eichel (2015) Macklin Celebrini (2024)
Boston University Boston, MA

Cornell Big Red men's ice hockey
Playing venues	Beebe Lake (1906–1948) Lynah Rink (1957–present)
Head coaches	G.A. Smith (1900–1901) Talbot Hunter (1909–1912, 1914–1916) Edmund Magner (1912–1913) E.J. Sawyer (1913–1914) Nick Bawlf (1920–1947) Arthur Boeringer (1947–1948) Paul Patten (1957–1963) Ned Harkness (1963–1970) Dick Bertrand (1970–1982) Lou Reycroft (1982–1987) Brian McCutcheon (1987–1995) Mike Schafer (1995–2025) Casey Jones (2025–present)
Seasons	1899–1900 1900–01 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 ~~2020–21~~ 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25 2025–26
Conference affiliations	Intercollegiate Hockey Association (1909–1913) ECAC Hockey (1961–present)
Rivalries	Harvard
Culture & lore	Florida College Hockey Classic
All-time leaders	Lance Nethery (271 Points) Brock Tredway (113 Goals) Ken Dryden (76 Wins)
Retired numbers	Ken Dryden (1) Joe Nieuwendyk (25)
National championships	1967 1970
Frozen Four appearances	1967 1968 1969 1970 1972 1973 1980 2003
NCAA Tournament appearances	1967 1968 1969 1970 1972 1973 1980 1981 1986 1991 1996 1997 2002 2003 2005 2006 2009 2010 2012 2017 2018 2019 2023 2024 2025
Conference Tournament titles	ECAC: 1967 1968 1969 1970 1973 1980 1986 1996 1997 2003 2005 2010 2024 2025
Cornell University Ithaca, NY