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Mike Schafer

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Mike Schafer
Schafer at the NCAA East Regional in 2019
Current position
TitleHead Coach
TeamCornell
ConferenceECAC Hockey
Biographical details
BornDurham, Ontario, Canada
Alma materCornell University
Playing career
1982–1986Cornell
Position(s)Defenseman
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1986–1990Cornell (assistant)
1990–1995Western Michigan (assistant)
1995–presentCornell
Head coaching record
Overall542–289–111 (.634)
Tournaments10–13 (.435)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
  • ECAC regular season champion (2002, 2003, 2005, 2018, 2019, 2020)
  • ECAC Tournament Champion (1996, 1997, 2003, 2005, 2010, 2024)
Awards

Mike Schafer is the men's ice hockey coach at Cornell University. He graduated from Cornell in 1986 with a degree in business management after leading the team to its first conference tournament championship in six years.[2] Schafer retired as a player after his senior season and immediately became an assistant with the Big Red. Schafer left his alma mater after the 1989–90 season, taking a similar position with the Western Michigan Broncos of the WCHA. Five years later, after a downturn in the program that saw three consecutive losing seasons (including back-to-back single digit-win years) Cornell replaced Brian McCutcheon with Schafer as head coach. Schafer quickly returned the Big Red to prominence, winning the ECAC Hockey conference tournament his first two seasons back in Ithaca. Schafer has remained with Cornell ever since, becoming the longest tenured and the winningest coach in team history.[3]

On June 13, 2024 Schafer announced that he would retire at the conclusion of the 2024-2025 hockey season.[4]

Career

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Schafer has been credited as one of college hockey's premier defensive coaches as his teams consistently produce among the lowest goals allowed annually. Two of Schafer's goaltenders (David LeNeveu in 2003 and David McKee in 2005) hold the second and third lowest goals against averages in NCAA history for one season[5] with the former backstopping the Big Red to their first frozen four since 1980 and first overall seed in 2003 (a rarity for ECAC programs). Schafer has made more appearances in the ECAC tournament championship game than any other head coach with 12 and has the record for most victories at six. Schafer's 2003 team is thus far the only one to reach 30 wins in Cornell's history (though the 1970 undefeated and untied championship team only played 29 games, finishing 29-0-0).

Schafer was named co-winner of the 2020 Spencer Penrose Award as Division I Coach of the Year with Brad Berry of University of North Dakota. The Big Red went 23-2-4 (18-2-2 ECAC) before the season was cut short by the coronavirus pandemic.[6]

Head coaching record

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Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Cornell Big Red (ECAC Hockey) (1995–present)
1995–96 Cornell 21–9–4 14–4–4 4th NCAA Regional Quarterfinals
1996–97 Cornell 21–9–5 14–6–2 2nd NCAA Regional Semifinals
1997–98 Cornell 15–16–2 9–12–1 8th ECAC Four vs. Five
1998–99 Cornell 12–15–4 9–10–3 7th ECAC Quarterfinals
1999-00 Cornell 16–14–2 10–9–1 t–4th ECAC Third Place (Loss)
2000–01 Cornell 16–12–5 11–8–3 4th ECAC Runner-Up
2001–02 Cornell 25–8–2 17–3–2 1st NCAA Regional Semifinals
2002–03 Cornell 30–5–1 19–2–1 1st NCAA Frozen Four
2003–04 Cornell 16–10–6 13–6–3 2nd ECAC Quarterfinals
2004–05 Cornell 27–5–3 18–2–2 1st NCAA West Regional Finals
2005–06 Cornell 22–9–4 13–6–3 3rd NCAA Midwest Regional Finals
2006–07 Cornell 14–13–4 10–8–4 t–4th ECAC Quarterfinals
2007–08 Cornell 19–14–3 12–9–1 t–4th ECAC Third Place (Win)
2008–09 Cornell 22–10–4 13–6–3 2nd NCAA Midwest Regional Finals
2009–10 Cornell 21–9–4 14–5–3 2nd NCAA East Regional Semifinals
2010–11 Cornell 16–15–3 11–9–2 t–4th ECAC Runner-Up
2011–12 Cornell 19–9–7 12–4–6 2nd NCAA Midwest Regional Finals
2012–13 Cornell 15–16–3 8–11–3 t–9th ECAC Quarterfinals
2013–14 Cornell 17–10–5 11–7–4 4th ECAC Semifinals
2014–15 Cornell 11–14–6 9–9–4 7th ECAC First Round
2015–16 Cornell 16–11–7 8–8–6 t-7th ECAC Quarterfinals
2016–17 Cornell 21–9–5 13–4–5 3rd NCAA Northeast Regional Semifinals
2017–18 Cornell 25–6–2 17–3–2 1st NCAA Northeast Regional Semifinals
2018–19 Cornell 21–11–4 13–5–4 T–1st NCAA East Regional Finals
2019–20 Cornell 23–2–4 18–2–2 1st Tournament Cancelled
2021–22 Cornell 18–10–4 12–6–4 4th ECAC Quarterfinals
2022–23 Cornell 21–11–2 15–6–1 3rd NCAA East Regional Final
2023–24 Cornell 22–7–6 12–6–4 2nd NCAA Northeast Regional Final
Cornell: 542–289–111 (.634) 337–174–83 (.637)
Total: 542–289–111 (.634)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Schafer Named ECAC Men’s Hockey Coach of the Year for 5th Time By Christina Bulkeley for The Cornell Daily Sun March 19, 2020
  2. ^ "ECAC Tournament". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved 2013-06-17.
  3. ^ "Cornell Men's Ice Hockey Coaching Staff". Cornell Big Red. Retrieved 2013-06-17.
  4. ^ "Mike Schafer '86 to retire as hockey coach after next season | Cornell Chronicle".
  5. ^ http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_icehockey_rb/2009/MIH%20DI%202009.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  6. ^ "North Dakota's Berry, Cornell's Schafer named co-winners of 2020 Spencer Penrose Award as men's D-I coach of the year". 7 April 2020.
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Awards and achievements
Preceded by Tim Taylor Award
2001–02 / 2002–03
2004–05
2017–18
2019–20
Succeeded by
Preceded by Spencer Penrose Award
2019–20 (with Brad Berry)
Succeeded by