‘It’s where I always wanted to go’

Charlie Major fondly remembers attending his first Cornell men’s hockey game as a fan when he was 10 years old.

Major, a Skaneateles native, frequently watched Big Red hockey games at Lynah Rink. He would attend the annual rivalry game against Harvard, especially when the Cornell student section executed the traditional throwing of frozen fish on the ice during the Crimson’s starting lineup announcements.

“There wasn’t an empty seat in the whole building,” Major said of the rivalry game.

Almost a decade later, Major is choosing Cornell to continue his hockey playing career at the center position next season.

After playing for the Skaneateles varsity boys ice hockey team up until his sophomore year, Major spent one season at Bishop Kearney Prep in Rochester. He currently competes with the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League (USHL).

Major is joining a Big Red program that has found success in the Ivy League and Division I ice hockey in their 100-plus-year history. Cornell has won two national titles, reached the Frozen Four seven times and has punched its ticket 23 times to the NCAA Tournament.

“They’re good every year,” Major said. “They’re always fighting for a spot in the tournament. The coaching staff is awesome. They take their time and make sure guys are right for their team.”

Major knew he always wanted to play for the Big Red. His uncle, Mark Major, played center for Cornell in the mid-1980s.

“My uncle definitely wanted me to go (to Cornell),” said Charlie Major, whose uncle is a Skaneateles graduate. “He always gave me little hints, telling me how good it is. He always told me how much fun he had there and how big the schooling is later in life.”

Major had offers from other Division I hockey programs, but his heart was set on Cornell. His uncle gave him the extra boost to confirm his next destination.

“I knew if I ever got an offer from there, it’s where I always wanted to go,” Major said.

When the coaches at Cornell reached out to Major to see if he would be interested in joining the team, the realization of playing Division I hockey sunk in.

“It was always the goal in high school, but I wasn’t old enough to know if it would happen or not,” Charlie Major said. “I’ve grown a good relationship with the coaches.”

Between the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons with the Lakers, Major scored 27 goals and had 73 assists. Major has competed in two seasons for the Steel, racking up 19 goals and 22 assists in 76…