ITHACA, N.Y. — After posting back-to-back shutouts last weekend against Colgate, Cornell freshman Matthew Galajda has been named both the ECAC Hockey Goaltender of the Week and the NCAA Men’s Hockey First Star of the Week.
In the first game of the home-and-home series between ECAC Hockey travel partners, Galajda made 23 saves to blank then-No. 19 Colgate while junior forward Anthony Angello struck for both goals in a 2-0 victory. Saturday’s rematch was largely a more even contest, with Galajda making several key stops as the game remained scoreless for more than 36 minutes. Perhaps his biggest save came on a clear breakaway opportunity from Colgate’s Mike Panowyk midway through the second period, which Galajda kicked away with his right skate. Cam Donaldson scored later in the frame, then Kyle Betts potted an insurance goal in the third to give the Big Red another 2-0 win.
The consecutive shutouts were the fourth for Big Red in the last 13 seasons, and the first for a freshman over that span. Mitch Gillam ’17 was the last to post matching clean sheets in a single weekend, quashing the attack from Yale and Brown on a Nov. 20-21, 2015 road trip. Though his first at the collegiate level, Galajda had back-to-back shutouts as recently as Nov. 4-5, 2016 with the Victoria Grizzlies of the British Columbia Hockey League.
Having now yielded just one goal in his last three starts, Galajda has helped No. 2/4 Cornell move into first place nationally in team defense (1.53 goals against per game). His five shutouts this season are not only tied for second in the nation, they tie a program record for freshman shutouts originally set by David McKee during the 2003-04 campaign. The national leader in victories by a freshman (12), Galajda ranks second overall nationally in goals against average (1.66) and fifth in save percentage (.930).
While this is Galajda’s first NCAA Star of the Week honor – and the first for the Big Red this season – Galajda has previously appeared on the NCAA Top 5 Plays of the Week after a highlight-reel glove save on a two-man disadvantage Oct. 27 against Alabama-Huntsville. This is his second ECAC Hockey weekly goaltending award, with the other coming Nov. 14 after a home weekend sweep. The opponents that weekend mirror that of the Big Red’s next game action, Friday at Harvard and Saturday at Dartmouth.
