Cornell Senior Seger Bringing Everything to the Table
by Joshua Seguin/Staff Writer (@JoshSeguin24)
Although the transfer portal is all the talk in college sports these days, Cornell, like the other Ivy League schools, largely cannot participate in the fun.
But when Cornell dipped in last season, bringing in Gabriel Seger from Union, it found a piece that has been a cornerstone of this season’s team, and one that provides critical experience that it would have lacked. Seger also provides faceoff expertise that few in the ECAC can touch.
“He has really become a big piece of our team,” Cornell coach Mike Schafer said. “He has gotten much better defensively and he is a leader on our team as one of our only seniors. He does a little bit of everything, he scores goals, he takes big faceoffs and he kills penalties. He has matured a lot this season into a much better player. We are going to need him to continue to step up, as we are a young hockey team.”
At 6-foot-4, Seger is a prototypical Cornell forward. Although tall, Seger still provides good speed, which is important within the Big Red offense. The combination of speed, skill and size has made Seger one of the better forwards in the ECAC.
His six goals this season in nine games, leads the Big Red, as does his 10 points. In his first year with Cornell, Seger scored just seven goals, but led the team in points with 30.
Like other forwards on the Big Red, Seger is expected to play well in both ends. It is here that Seger’s game has stepped up.
Along with the improved defensive game, he is among the best at faceoffs in the country. On Saturday, in Cornell’s huge 2-1 win over Boston University, Seger took 30 of his team’s 58 faceoffs, winning 20 of them. Seger and the Big Red won 17 of 21 faceoffs against one of the best players in the country, Macklin Celebrini, largely shutting down the talented freshman in the game.
“(Faceoffs) are definitely something I take pride in but it is something that I always need to keep working at,” Seger said. “There are a lot of 50-50 battles out there, so I have to give a lot of credit to the guys on the ice with me. It is a big part of the game.”
Faceoffs are an important skill, which is largely a mixture of mental acumen and strength. Seger is among the leaders in faceoff wins per game, averaging nearly…
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