Yale ready for Cornell, Colgate

Made it over to Ingalls Rink this afternoon. It was 16 degrees outside, and felt a good 10 degree colder in the rink. Yale had a quick skate before boarding the bus to Ithaca, where it faces No. 18 Cornell and Colgate this weekend. A few quick notes.

• The Bulldogs are healthy. No major injuries.
• Josh Balch has only three points this season, but he's emerged as one of the most valuable members of the team due to his defensive approach and relentless effort. "He's a true team guy," Keith Allain said. "He understands the value of that role for us to be a championship team." Quick on his skates, he's also the strongest pound-for-pound guy on the team, according to a team poll. Colin Dueck verified it. "He's like a tank," goalie Nick Maricic said. Look for more on Balch in the Register.
• Stu Wilson has been equally valuable in a Balch-type role, though his four goals includes a power-play, the team's lone short-hander (at Denver) and a pair of ECAC rookie of the week awards. Allain said Balch has been a valuable mentor to Wilson, but while both are expected to contribute some offense, expectations are high for Wilson, the son of RIT coach Wayne Wilson. "He's definitely a thinker," Allain said. "But you talk about roles, (Wilson) is a guy who wasn't a prolific scorer in Juniors. But we think in time here, he'll develop that side of the game. We've got him on the power play. We expect both he and Josh to produce offense for us."
• The Cornell game will be televised live on NBC Sports Network. Yale also announced that next Saturday's game with Quinnipiac at Ingalls Rink will be broadcast live on CPTV Sports.
•