Cole Bardreau has become the second player to join the Big Red after a stint with the prestigious U.S. National Team Development Program's Under-18 team. And just like the previous one — goalie Andy Iles — Bardreau is a native of upstate New York, hailing from the Rochester suburb of Fairport. He had the unique distinction of playing at Lynah Rink as a member of the opposition last season during an exhibition between the Big Red and U.S. Under-18 team. Currently centering a line with Locke Jillson and Dustin Mowrey on the wings, Bardreau notched his first collegiate goal on Nov. 11 against rival Harvard.

Q: Since you're originally from suburban Rochester, did you make it to any Cornell games when you were younger?
A: In the past three years, I've come to six games during my recruiting, and I actually got to come to two Harvard games. So that was a good experience.

Q: Harvard is an especially festive game. What were your first impressions?
A: Harvard was actually my first-ever college hockey game. That was the first one I'd ever seen, and I walked in right by the band. The atmosphere was unreal.

Q: What has it been like playing for the U.S. National Team Development program for the last two years?
A: It's definitely an unbelievable experience. First, I think it prepared me well here, off-ice and on-ice with the weight-lifting and becoming stronger. And it definitely prepared me to balance my schedule more often. We missed so much school last year, so time
management was really big. So I had to focus on that, and that's obviously a huge part here, too. Representing my country was a great experience, too. International play and going to Worlds — it was great to throw on the USA sweater every time.

Q: And how about that gold medal you won at the U18 World Championships in Germany? What was that like?
A: I don't even know how to explain it. We were down, 3-1 with about three minutes left, and we came back. It was a full rink and an unbelievable experience.

Q: You played against the Big Red in an exhibition game last year. What was it like to play against a team you were committed to?
A: I was definitely nervous obviously playing against my future teammates and with such a big crowd there. We also got worked (Cornell won, 6-0), so it was pretty tough. But it was a great experience to get a first feeling for the future environment and what I was going to be playing in.

Q: Why choose Cornell?
A: Well I knew that I wanted to go to an Ivy League so it came down to Cornell, Yale and Harvard. Then there's the great atmosphere. And also, I live right in Rochester, so it's a good distance away. It was just the perfect combination.

Q: How's the adjustment going in these first couple of months as a freshman?
A: It was a pretty big jump back. Last year, I didn't have that part of the schedule (with a lot of classes). So jumping back into classes, it's a lot harder for Cornell and sports than high school sports and school. But I think I'm settling in pretty nicely.

Q: What are you looking forward to most this season?
A: Definitely playing in front of the crowd again. The atmosphere is unbelievable, and I think we have a really strong team that can go pretty far this year. So I'm looking forward to the future success.