By: ECAC Hockey

ALBANY, N.Y. -- ECAC Hockey (@ecachockeyMWD1) today, Sunday, March 11, announced that Matthew Galajda, Cornell, has been named the 2017-‘18 Men’s Rookie of the Year Award winner as selected by the league’s 12 league coaches.

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. He posted a 15-2-2 league record and 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. He only allowed 26 goals, while making 471 saves in conference action, boasting a .948 save percentage.

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.
 
Earlier this week, he was named a semifinalist for the 2018 Mike Richter Award and a finalist for the ECAC Hockey Ken Dryden/Goaltender of the Year award.

Galajda leads Cornell into Lake Placid, N.Y. this weekend when they face off against Princeton in game one of Friday’s ECAC Hockey Men’s Championship. These two teams will face off at 4:05 p.m., while game two, also in the Olympic Center, is slated for 7:35 p.m.

The championship game is scheduled for Saturday, at 7:35 p.m. and the winner of this tournament receives an automatic bid into the 2018 NCAA Championship Tournament.

Tickets for the three games are on sale now through Tickets.Com or through the Olympic Center box office, 2634 Main St., Lake Placid, Phone: 518-523-3330.

All media interested in attending and covering the tournament are required to complete a media credential application. The ECAC Hockey Men’s Championship media credential application is available HERE. Completed applications are due no later than tomorrow, March 12, 2018.

-- ORDA --

Established in 1982, the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) was created by the State of New York to manage the facilities used during the 1980 Olympic Winter Games at Lake Placid. ORDA operates Whiteface, Belleayre and Gore Mountain ski areas; the Olympic Sports Complex at Mt. Van Hoevenberg; the Olympic speed skating oval, Olympic jumping complex and Olympic arena. As host to international and national championships, the Authority has brought millions of athletes, spectator and participants to the region, resulting in significant economic development.