Mike Schafer
Schafer at the NCAA East Regional in 2019
Current position
TitleHead Coach
TeamCornell
ConferenceECAC Hockey
Record526–286–108 (.630)
Biographical details
BornDurham, Ontario
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
Overall526–286–108 (.630)
Tournaments9–12 (.429)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
  • 6× ECAC regular season champion (2002, 2003, 2005, 2018, 2019, 2020)
  • 5× ECAC Tournament Champion (1996, 1997, 2003, 2005, 2010)
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]

Career

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[4] 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 11 and is tied (with Joe Marsh) for the most victories at 5. 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.[5]

Head coaching record

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Cornell Big Red (ECAC Hockey) (1995–present)
1995–96 Cornell 21–9–414–4–44thNCAA Regional Quarterfinals
1996–97 Cornell 21–9–514–6–22ndNCAA Regional Semifinals
1997–98 Cornell 15–16–29–12–18thECAC Four vs. Five
1998–99 Cornell 12–15–49–10–37thECAC Quarterfinals
1999-00 Cornell 16–14–210–9–1t–4thECAC Third Place (Loss)
2000–01 Cornell 16–12–511–8–34thECAC Runner-Up
2001–02 Cornell 25–8–217–3–21stNCAA Regional Semifinals
2002–03 Cornell 30–5–119–2–11stNCAA Frozen Four
2003–04 Cornell 16–10–613–6–32ndECAC Quarterfinals
2004–05 Cornell 27–5–318–2–21stNCAA West Regional Finals
2005–06 Cornell 22–9–413–6–33rdNCAA Midwest Regional Finals
2006–07 Cornell 14–13–410–8–4t–4thECAC Quarterfinals
2007–08 Cornell 19–14–312–9–1t–4thECAC Third Place (Win)
2008–09 Cornell 22–10–413–6–32ndNCAA Midwest Regional Finals
2009–10 Cornell 21–9–414–5–32ndNCAA East Regional Semifinals
2010–11 Cornell 16–15–311–9–2t–4thECAC Runner-Up
2011–12 Cornell 19–9–712–4–62ndNCAA Midwest Regional Finals
2012–13 Cornell 15–16–38–11–3t–9thECAC Quarterfinals
2013–14 Cornell 17–10–511–7–44thECAC Semifinals
2014–15 Cornell 11–14–69–9–47thECAC First Round
2015–16 Cornell 16–11–78–8–6t-7thECAC Quarterfinals
2016–17 Cornell 21–9–513–4–53rdNCAA Northeast Regional Semifinals
2017–18 Cornell 25–6–217–3–21stNCAA Northeast Regional Semifinals
2018–19 Cornell 21–11–413–5–4T–1stNCAA East Regional Finals
2019–20 Cornell 23–2–418–2–21stTournament Cancelled
2021–22 Cornell 18–10–412–6–44thECAC Quarterfinals
2022–23 Cornell 21–11–215–6–13rdNCAA East Regional Final
2023–24 Cornell 6–4–33–4–1
Cornell: 526–286–108 (.630)328–172–80 (.634)
Total:526–286–108 (.630)

      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

References

  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. ↑ http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_icehockey_rb/2009/MIH%20DI%202009.pdf
  5. ↑ "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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