Topher Scott

Classroom

Scott carries a 2.90 cumulative grade point average following the fall 2007 semester, including a 3.26 GPA during that grading period. A sociology major, he is enrolled in one of the most challenging majors at Cornell University.

Character

Scott is always willing to take time out to handle numerous media requests, regardless of time commitments or the team’s performance on the ice. Always personable with an upbeat personality, Scott is well respected by his coaches, teammates, administrators and others in the community. He is the type of person who will drop everything he is doing to help someone else in need. He was elected by his teammates as a co-captain this season after being elected to serve as the team’s lone alternate captain as a junior. Scott is also a two-time winner of the team’s Bill Doran Sportsmanship Award, presented annually to the player combining all of the best attributes that mean sportsmanship, both on and off the ice, as well as being an excellent, competitive player.

Community

Prior to the 2006-07 season, Scott created a community service project to raise money for several area non-profit organizations in memory of a deceased season ticket holder who had devoted much of his life to helping those same organizations. Scott single-handedly conceived the idea to hold a teddy bear toss onto the ice, with the bears being collected and donated to the Ithaca Cops, Kids and Toys Campaign. The funds raised from the sale of bears benefitted two organizations, the Cancer Resource Center of the Finger Lakes and the Franziska Racker Centers, which provides opportunities for low-income families. He re-instituted the program this season, with the goal of raising $10,000 and 1,000 bears for the three programs. In addition, he is also a member of Cornell’s Red Key Athletic Honorary Society, which honors undergraduate contributors for tremendous leadership, integrity and responsibility within their varsity program, a commitment to academics, and involvement in the Cornell and/or Ithaca communities. Scott also serves as the men’s hockey team’s representative on the Student-Athlete Advisory Council.

Competition

Despite being the smallest player on the ice in nearly every game (Scott stands just 5’6”), no player on the ice shows more heart and passion for the game of hockey. Scott has played in every game for Cornell since arriving on campus three and a half years ago, and was the team’s leading scorer a year ago after tying for the second-highest point total as a sophomore. A consummate team player, Scott has 63 assists in his career in 109 games (as of Nov. 29). His unselfish nature even shows on the ice, as he often makes the extra pass to set up a teammate rather than take the glory for himself. Last season, he was presented with the team’s Dilibero-Tsapis Award, which is given to the player who most nearly exemplifies the skilled efficiency, unselfish dedication and hard-nosed competitiveness that distinguishes himself as representative of the uniqueness of Joe Delibero and Stan Tsapis, two former greats. Because of his “team-first” mentality, he is often overlooked for individual post-season league honors, but there is no player more valuable to the Cornell hockey team than Scott.