The drumline was in the middle of a competition performance when the beat got thrown off. Everyone froze, unsure of what to do until Brent Cornelius was able to calm the situation down, start the count over and get the whole line back in beat.

When Cornelius puts down the drumsticks and picks up a hockey stick, the same instincts stay with him on the ice.

Cornelius, who is now in his final season with the Cyclones, was named captain after his sophomore year, and has continued to grow in his leadership abilities — and both players and coaches are taking notice.

“He’s an outstanding athlete and an outstanding student,” said coach Al Murdoch. “I felt that he was showing good leadership on the ice after his freshman year. He had had an excellent career in the [United States Hockey League] and we knew that that’s the kind of leadership we wanted on the team.”

At six-foot and 180 pounds, Cornelius isn’t the most physically menacing player on the ice and he won’t overpower anyone, but his leadership ability comes from having to deal with adverse situations.

Cornelius grew up in Alaska and now calls Fairbanks his hometown. When Cornelius returned home for the holiday break, temperatures dropped to -40 degrees, but in the summer, temperatures can reach up to 90.

“I lived in Anchorage when I was growing up as a kid and it’s just like a mini-Seattle,” Cornelius said. “The temperatures are pretty extreme and there is a lot of seasonal depression because you have to deal with almost 24-hour darkness in the winter and almost 24-hour sunlight in the summer, which lasts at least a month.”

Cornelius credits the harsh weather conditions in helping him stay mentally tough and push through tough situations. 

Alaska also helped Cornelius develop his skills on the ice as there were plenty of places to practice.

“There’s definitely a lot of ponds for people to play on,” Cornelius said. “There’s a lot of outdoor rinks. Fairbanks is around the same size as Ames and Fairbanks has six hockey rinks and that’s not including the outdoor rinks, and there’s probably around 15 of those.”

Cornelius has accumulated his fair share of nicknames over the years that include “Corndog,” which is the one his teammates always refer to him as; “Brentley,” and “Cornbread,” but the one that means the most to him is the “C” that’s on the front of his jersey that stands for captain.

“It’s been a good four years here and I’ve had the “C” for three years,” Cornelius said. “I feel like I’ve earned it over the past two years. It’s definitely a privilege and an honor to have the coaches name me that.”

Being named captain so early in his Iowa State career has definitely helped Cornelius learn some valuable lessons about both hockey and life away from the game such as keeping up with his classes and getting good grades as an electrical engineering major.

Even still, there are some things that are more important than the letter and the captain status.

“I’d give up the letter for a national championship any day,” Cornelius said. “I think that having a player with a “C” on their jersey for multiple years in any sport is pretty big.”

Being the leader of the team is something Cornelius has grown into and can see the affects it has on the team and how they carry themselves on and off the ice. Cornelius has earned respect from his teammates and has become the guy players can go to to talk about anything.

Being in this position is something that Cornelius considers his favorite part of being the captain but also the hardest.

“It’s really a great feeling to be that guy that everyone goes to, but at the same time, it’s kind of like being the president,” Cornelius said.

“You can’t do everything for everyone. It’s not as easy as it looks. When people ask you questions, you have to be on top of your game and that’s one of the things that helps me become a better person.”

Cornelius also doesn’t feel like he’s alone in the leadership role.

He is quick to credit the whole senior class as being great leaders and realizes that a player doesn’t have to wear a letter to be considered a leader.

One player who has benefitted from Cornelius’s leadership is freshman forward David Kurbatsky.

“He’s helped me out a lot,” Kurbatsky said. “We play on the same line so there will sometimes be an adjustment or an assignment that I’m not sure about and I can ask him. He’s a really talented hockey player that I’ve learned a lot from already.”

One of the main rules Cornelius has learned to live by is that “with great power comes great responsibility,” and he will use the same mentality when the Cyclones head on the road to take on Ohio this weekend.

He will continue to make sure his team never misses a beat.