( Photo Credit: Darl Zehr / Cornell Athletics )

By: Neil Simmons | Follow me on Twitter / X: @NSimmz

There are two things Ryan Walsh wants before his time at Cornell is over: a national championship and a diploma. The Bruins prospect has been working towards both over his first three seasons in Ithaca and enters his senior year, his second as team captain, intent on finishing the job before moving on to the pro ranks.

This year especially, Walsh’s leadership role carries extra weight, and it’s a responsibility that he’s well prepared to carry. As soon as he takes the ice on opening night, he’ll be the 20th multi-year captain in Cornell’s 127-year program history, and just the seventh to serve as a solo captain multiple times. 

Head Coach Casey Jones has described Walsh as the team’s identity and culture setter, and that “He embodies what it means to be a Cornell hockey player.” Walsh’s first season wearing the “C” coincided with a significant transition within the Big Red program, with the retirement of longtime head coach Mike Schafer after 29 seasons, and an influx of 14 new players under his watch.

On the ice, leading the charge wasn’t anything new for Walsh. As a sophomore, Walsh led all Cornell skaters in goals, points, and faceoff wins (17-14-31, 419 (55.9%)), earning the Nicky Bawlf Award as Team MVP. His postseason heroics helped the Big Red win the ECAC Tournament as a six-seed, then upset top-seed Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament. With the captaincy, Walsh set a new career high in scoring with 10-23-33, was named to the US Collegiate Selects Team at the Spengler Cup in Switzerland, and earned a midseason nomination for the Hobey Baker Award.

However, for all the accolades he has racked up, postseason glory continues to elude him and the Big Red. Walsh has made the NCAA Tournament in all three seasons of his college career, but has been unable to break through the program’s first Frozen Four since 2003. Cornell reached the regional final in each of his first two seasons, but fell to Denver and Boston University in tight, one-goal contests. A first-round rematch with the Pioneers this past spring ended in a lopsided 5-0 loss to the eventual national champs.

Now knowing exactly where Cornell stands relative to the top dogs, Walsh is using that loss as motivation for his final year in Ithaca. “I’m looking forward to building on what we accomplished this year and competing for a championship with this team and program,” Walsh told Cornell Athletics. 

That same drive extends off the ice and into the classroom for Walsh’s other outstanding goal, his degree. Education and preparing for life after hockey were significant factors in his commitment to Cornell. “You always say you don’t want a backup plan, but an Ivy League degree is a good backup plan,” he told Jane McNally of the Cornell Sun. A finance major, Walsh’s coursework is the one piece of unfinished business entirely within his control.

Winning a national championship is much less predictable. It takes talent, experience, and the kind of puck luck that’s eluded Walsh to this point in the NCAA tournament. But championships are also won by teams that know exactly who they are, and Cornell knows exactly where their identity starts.