Yale Athletics

The Yale Men’s hockey team (1–2–1, 1–0–1 ECAC) bounced back from a hard-fought first loss against a top-ranked Denver team (10–0–0) with two big road victories over Cornell (3–0–1, 1–0–1 ECAC) and Colgate (4–5–1, 1–1–0 ECAC). 

After giving up the opening goal on both nights, the Bulldogs clawed their way back, showing their grit and determination.

“Although we are still forming the identity of this team, I thought the group showed great fortitude, mental toughness fighting back after falling behind,” said head coach Keith Allain referring to the team’s comebacks in the two games. “We need to build on this and continue to develop those traits.” 

Cornell, ranked sixth nationally, came out of the gate hot on Friday night, with junior forward Dalton Bancroft breaking the game open eight seconds after the puck drop. However, the Elis settled in and were able to quiet the home crowd with a powerplay goal midway through the first frame when Donovan Frias ’28 slid backdoor and tipped in a beautiful pass from linemate Zach Wagnon ’28. The two first-years then connected on a nearly identical power-play goal in the second period, putting Yale up 2–1.

After the Big Red tied things up a few minutes later, the game remained scoreless through the third period and overtime. In the shootout, Yale’s Hughie Hooker ’28 scored the lone goal, and Jack Stark ’27 made three consecutive saves to secure the extra point, and the win, for the Bulldogs.

With his two regulation goals against Cornell’s stud netminder Ian Shane, Frias certainly showed that he can be a big offensive contributor to the team even in his rookie season. 

“Donny [Frias] had an exceptionally good weekend,” Allian told the News. “I think the key to his success has been his ability to work collectively with his linemates in generating offense. He is a smart player with very good habits who plays hard each and every shift. If he continues to bring that to the rink every day, he will grow into the best version of himself as a player.”

The following night, Allain and his squad traveled to Hamilton, NY, to square off against another ECAC opponent, the Colgate Raiders. 

Once again, Yale fell behind early, but this time it was sophomore Will Richter ’27 who leveled the score as he flew in front of the net to capitalize on a rebound left in front by Colgate tender Nick Haas.   

Later in the first, Yale took the lead with another goal on the man advantage. Ronan O’Donnell ’28 fired a seeing-eye shot from the goal line that snuck behind Haas. After the Raiders tallied two goals to go up 3–2, Frias potted his third of the weekend to bring the Bulldogs back level. 

Finally, Richter helped the Bulldogs clinch the lead when he found Wagnon in front for a one-time goal. Stark shut the door in net and the game finished 4–3, marking the first regulation win of the ’24-25 season for the Elis.

So far this year, the first-year class has been a major highlight of the opening two weekends, as the entire crop has made a big impact on the ice. This weekend, Frias, Wagnon and O’Donnell led the way and earned high praise from their coach.

“Those three freshmen have all been able to find the scoresheet early which has been great for the team,” Allain said. “We expected them to be offensive contributors during the recruiting process. The great thing is they are all very different players and the type of offense they create will certainly add to our versatility.”

While the first years have certainly stepped up when their numbers have been called, they also have the coaching staff to thank for helping them transition smoothly to the college game. 

“Coach Allain and the staff have made it pretty smooth to adjust to the college game,” Frias told the News. “They all preach the details of the game and how good things start to come when you can get those down. It’s been nice to be trusted by the coaches to get some big opportunities early on and I’m just trying to build off of that.”

For both Frias and Wagnon, their older teammates have also been vital in helping them both prepare for a faster collegiate game and life as a student-athlete.  

Frias, when asked about his favorite parts of Yale so far, said he enjoyed two big wins this past weekend, as it’s “always fun to win.”

The Bulldogs will be back in action this weekend at Ingalls Rink at home. They will face Princeton on Friday and cross-town rival Quinnipiac on Saturday.