Cornell head coach Mike Schafer has signed a long-term contract extension to remain at the university. Terms of the contract have not been disclosed.
“Mike Schafer is an outstanding coach,” said J. Andrew Noel Jr., director of athletics and physical education. “He is a skilled teacher, a principled leader, a fierce competitor and a great Cornellian. He is an important part of our storied Cornell hockey tradition, and I am ecstatic he will coach hockey at Cornell for many years to come.”
“I am very excited about this contract extension,” said Schafer. “Cornell has established itself as one of the top programs in the country. With the support of the university administration, the athletic department, the alumni, my assistant coaches and fans, I feel that we have developed a community that is united in maintaining a program of excellence, and I believe we will ultimately reach our goal of winning a national championship.”
Schafer, a 1986 Cornell graduate, is coming off a 2004-05 campaign in which he led his team to a 27-5-3 overall record and reached the NCAA tournament for the fifth time in his 10-year career. The team won its third ECACHL regular season title in four years with an 18-2-2 record, earning a first-round bye in the league’s tournament, where it went 4-0-0 to clinch Schafer’s fourth ECACHL tournament championship. The tournament title also extended the Big Red’s record league tournament championship total to 11. With an 8-2-0 record in Ivy League play, the team also captured its fourth straight Ivy League title and Schafer’s sixth overall.
The second-winningest coach in Cornell hockey history, Schafer enters the 2005-06 season with a career record of 199-103-34. His .643 winning percentage is sixth among active NCAA Division I coaches.
