'He's a beast': Nova Scotian leads U.S. college team to unbeaten start

Only two U.S. college men's hockey teams remain unbeaten this season and Halifax's Morgan Barron is one of the big reasons why Cornell University is one of them.

In his third year playing for the Ivy League school out of Ithaca, N.Y., Barron has charged out of the gate to start the season with 12 points in just six games. He had three goals and an assist in a game against Yale last week.

"I've found the back of the net a few times so far so it's been going good," said Barron, a six-foot-four, 225-pound draft pick of the New York Rangers.

"We had a lot of time to prep this year, and we were really focused from the start and we've just come out of the gate hot."

Without a loss, Cornell is now the second-ranked team in the NCAA, behind Minnesota State. The only other unbeaten team this season is Harvard.

Barron was named one of Cornell's captains before the season started.

"He's a beast to try and control," said Cornell head coach Mike Schafer. "This year he's been playing with more poise and he's got a little more step in his game."

Barron led the Big Red in scoring last season in goals (15) and points (34). He was also a league finalist for best defensive forward.

Halifax has become a pipeline of hockey talent at Cornell. Barron is joined by freshman forward Matthew Stienburg (a Colorado Avalanche draft pick) and fourth-year forward Noah Bauld. Canadian national women's team member Jill Saulnier was also a star for Cornell's women's team.

"It's fun to have those guys around and the three of us are really happy to be here," said Barron. "I think it's been great for all of our careers and the path we've decided to take. It's good to have some East Coast blood down here."

While the 20-year-old Barron continues to track toward a career in the NHL, he isn't the only one in his family that has a shot at playing professionally.

Younger brother Justin, who turned 18 last week, is a highly regarded defenceman with the Halifax Mooseheads. He's projected to be selected in the first round of the 2020 NHL draft in June.

"I've never really played with or against Justin, but turning pro is the ultimate goal for both of us, so I think we're both on a pretty good track," said Morgan Barron.

While Morgan Barron admits it would be amazing for both he and his brother to play in the NHL, he said it's really too early to be talking about it.

Nova Scotia has produced lots of star players including Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Brad Marchand and hall-of-famer Al MacInnis, but a pair of brothers from the province have never made it to the NHL.