ITHACA, N.Y. — Freshman Matthew Galajda has become the first freshman to capture ECAC Hockey Ken Dryden Goalie of the Year honors, the league announced Wednesday afternoon.
Galajda has wasted little time establishing himself as one of the nation’s top goaltenders, backstopping Cornell to its first Cleary Cup since 2005. While he remains the national leader in goals against average and shutouts, his numbers within ECAC Hockey play this year were even better. His 1.34 goals against average in league play was the lowest since Cornell’s own David McKee in 2004-05 (1.17). It’s also the lowest goals against average by a freshman in league play since those statistics became available in the 1978-79 season.
Seven of Galajda’s nine shutouts so far this season came within his 20 starts in ECAC Hockey play. His nine shutouts have blown away the previous Cornell record for most clean sheets by a freshman, and his shutout streak of 227 minutes, 11 seconds back in January was the second-longest such streak in Big Red program history and 13th all-time on the NCAA Division I list.
Galajda’s haul of postseason honors now include Ivy League Player of the Year, Ivy League Rookie of the Year, ECAC Rookie of the Year, first-team selections to both the All-Ivy League and All-ECAC Hockey teams and a spot on the All-ECAC Hockey Rookie Team. He has also been tabbed a semifinalist for the 2018 Mike Richter Award — given annually to the nation’s most outstanding goaltender — and he is the only freshman among the 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, which goes to college hockey’s top overall player.
This marks the fifth time Cornell has captured the league’s top goaltending award since the honor’s inception in 1996, and the first since recent Olympian Ben Scrivens captured the accolade after his senior season in 2010.
Other finalists for the ECAC Hockey Ken Dryden Goalie of the Year Award were Clarkson’s Jake Kielly, Union’s Jake Kupsky and Colgate’s Colton Point.
The Big Red has descended on 1980 Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid to prepare for a 4:05 p.m. Friday semifinal against Princeton in the ECAC Hockey Championships.
