The Cornell women's hockey team opens the 2010-11 season with an exhibition contest on Friday night against Etobicoke Dolphins at 7 p.m. at Lynah Rink. Here is a look at what to expect for the Big Red after last year's ECAC Hockey championship and run to the national championship game.

ITHACA, N.Y. -- In 2009-10, the Cornell women's hockey team experienced a dream season, taking a squad that was picked to finish seventh in ECAC Hockey all the way to the national championship game before falling in triple overtime. While the Big Red lost an outstanding senior class from that campaign, the talent level of the squad in 2010-11 and the experience gained from last season's post-season run should set Cornell up for another chance at the title this year.

The Big Red returns 14 players from last season's roster, plus regains the services of Rebecca Johnston, who sat out the 2009-10 campaign while playing for the Canadian Olympic Team, winning a gold medal at the Vancouver Olympics in February. Additionally, Cornell adds six talented freshman as it seeks to take the final step and become the first Eastern team to win an NCAA women's ice hockey championship.

“It's tough to beat experience,” said fifth-year head coach Doug Derraugh of the lessons learned from last year's run that saw the program win its first ECAC Hockey title and NCAA tournament berth. “Until you've experienced a playoff run, until you've experienced the national championship, you can talk about it all you want and try to prepare the players for it, but I think the key for us is that now we've got players who have been through it. They've been to an ECAC Hockey championship, they've been to an NCAA championship, they've won an Olympic gold medal… they've been in pressure situations in the past and have handled it well, so now they know going into those situations how to handle them and deal with them.”

GOALTENDERS
Senior Katie Wilson and freshman Lauren Slebodnick will vie for time as Mazzotta's backstop, giving Cornell three quality netminders, a luxury few teams in women's collegiate hockey have. Wilson has appeared in six games over the course of her Cornell career, recording a 3.86 goals-against average and a .845 save percentage. Slebodnick, meanwhile, was named to the Warren Strelow National Team camp for the top goaltenders in the United States eligible for international duty.

“Amanda stepped up her game last year, and we obviously feel she's very capable – she played great for us through the playoffs and the NCAA championship,” Derraugh said. “Katie has stepped in when needed and done a very good job for us, and we feel very confident if she were to start as well. Lauren is a big, strong goaltender, a big-game player who has done very well in the games we've seen her play, and we expect her to step in right away and compete.”

DEFENSEMEN
Few teams around the country can boast the amount of talent and depth the Big Red has on its blue line. The Big Red returns four players from last year, including a pair of All-Americans, while still adding in another pair of defensemen to help round out what was one of the stingiest defenses in all of college hockey a year ago.

While Cornell possesses an immense amount of talent on defense, even more amazing is the fact that not one of the six blueliners on the roster is a senior. The group's most experienced players are juniors Amanda Young and Jenna Paulson. Both players saw valuable time last year, with Young also being selected to represent ECAC Hockey in an all-star game against the U.S. Olympic Team in early January. Young finished the year playing in every game, recording two goals and five assists for seven points, while Paulson made 32 appearances on the season.

“Amanda is one of the best skating defensemen in our league, and is very strong both offensively and defensively,” Derraugh said. “She's quick to get up in the rush and help create some offense for us. Jenna is a big, strong defenseman who has a very hard shot and is very strong defensively as well.”

Also back are the Big Red's second and third All-Americans in program history in sophomores Laura Fortino and Lauriane Rougeau. Fortino earned first-team honors – the first Cornell player to ever be named to the nation's top six – with Rougeau taking second-team accolades, and both players being named to the all-tournament team of the NCAA tournament. Rougeau finished the season with 10 goals and 22 assists for 32 points in 33 games, while Fortino recorded 34 points in 33 games on 13 goals and 21 assists. Fortino finished the year second in scoring among defensemen nationally, with Rougeau right behind in third among blueliners.

“Both Fortino and Rougeau stepped in right away and made a big impact for us, and should take an added leadership role for us this year,” Derraugh said of his All-American duo.

Joining the defensive unit are a pair of freshmen, Alyssa Gagliardi and Hayleigh Cudmore. Gagliardi spent four years at Shattuck-St. Mary's in Minnesota, winning a USA Hockey national championship in 2009 and finishing as the runner-up in 2010. Cudmore, meanwhile, played with the Oakville Ice and was a member of the Canadian U18 National Team that won a gold medal at the world championships.

“Alyssa is a strong skating defenseman, very technically sound and contributes on both ends of the ice,” Derraugh said. “Hayleigh was invited to the Canadian U22 camp this summer and is a very solid, heads-up defenseman. She does a great job of making a good first pass and moving the puck well. We'll look for both of them to contribute immediately and have a big impact on our team this season.”

FORWARDS
Up front, Cornell's roster reads like a who's who of top international talent, as evidenced by the five members of the Canadian U22 National Team among the 11 forwards on the roster. Still, the Big Red offensive unit is more than just the headliners, with every member of the forward unit capable of putting the puck in the net on a regular basis.

The group isn't just all about scoring, however. Three seniors provide valuable leadership, and a number of players are quality two-way forwards, giving the Big Red plenty of options when it comes to killing off penalties, a task the Big Red led the nation in a year ago.

“Even though we have a very small roster, I think we have a lot of depth,” said Derraugh.

The forwards begin with seniors Amber and Karlee Overguard and Hayley Hughes. Amber Overguard will serve as team captain this year after a junior season that saw her stay healthy for the entire year. Overguard provides a mental and physical toughness to the lineup, overcoming a number of injuries in her first two seasons to take on a key role for the Big Red last season. Her twin sister, Karlee, who will serve as an alternate captain, showed a knack for scoring the clutch goal for the Big Red as a junior in scoring 22 points on 13 goals and nine assists. Joining the twins is Hayley Hughes, who has been one of the top two-way players in the league over the course of her career.

“Amber is very hard-working, very competitive, and very strong-willed,” Derraugh said of his captain. “She's someone who just competes day in and day out, and someone who knows what it takes, especially in those big games. Karlee has very good skills, a very hard wrist shot and skates very well, and like her sister, is a very tough competitor. Hayley has been a constant contributor for us at both ends of the ice and chips in big goals when we need them. Her defensive play has been exceptional, and she's somebody we feel comfortable putting out in any role.”

The junior class features the league's reigning player of the year in Catherine White, while also boasting Johnston, an Olympic gold medalist last season with Team Canada. Both are members of Canada's U22 National Team, along with classmate Chelsea Karpenko, while fellow junior Kendice Ogilvie rounds out the class of forwards.

White garnered second-team All-America honors a year ago after leading the Big Red with 42 points in 33 games, scoring 13 goals and adding 29 assists. She led ECAC Hockey in assists with 24 in 22 league games, while scoring at least one point in all but six games last year. White's biggest goal of the season, however, came when she scored the overtime game-winner in the national semifinals against Mercyhurst.

Johnston returns after sitting out the 2009-10 season to play with Team Canada in the Olympics. As a sophomore in 2008-09, she became the first Big Red player to earn All-American status when she garnered second-team honors after finishing as a finalist for the Patty Kazmier Award. Through two seasons with the Big Red, Johnston has 77 points in 52 career games. She will share alternate captain duties with Karlee Overguard this season.

Karpenko was one of two Big Red players to be selected to the ECAC Hockey all-star team that faced the U.S. Olympic Team in January, and was named second-team All-Ivy League for her play last season. She finished the year fourth on the team in scoring with 31 points on 17 goals and 14 assists, with the 17 goals leading the team. Ogilvie, meanwhile, was the team's second option at the faceoff dot, winning nearly 52 percent of the draws she took on the year. An outstanding two-way player, she was named the Most Outstanding Player of the ECAC Hockey tournament after scoring the overtime game-winner in the championship game against Clarkson. She finished her sophomore season with 16 points on six goals – with four of those being game-winners – and 10 assists.

“Rebecca would have been a senior this year, and obviously winning a gold medal with the Canadian Olympic Team was a tremendous accomplishment, and we'll be looking for her to come in and take a leadership role as well,” Derraugh said. “Catherine was one of our top offensive players last year, but she's really committed to the defensive side as well. It's something she's worked very hard at and is now a real threat on both ends of the ice.

“Karpenko our top goal scorer from last year, is somebody who, when we needed a big goal, came up with it,” he continued. “She was very strong in the biggest games for us and is somebody who is very difficult to take off the puck, a solid all-around hockey player. Kendice is along the same lines, she came up with some really big goals for us last year. She goes to the net hard and is also very responsible on the defensive end.”

Just one sophomore forward graces the roster in Xandra Hompe, a two-sport player who joined the roster after the end of the 2009 soccer season. Hompe saw limited time as a freshman, but will look to take on a bigger role in her second season with the Big Red.

“Xandra is somebody who I really admire, in that she works really hard and has improved a lot,” Derraugh said. “She's somebody who, when we needed her, stepped up and played very solidly for us.”

Cornell has also added a trio of freshmen to the roster to help bolster the attack. Brianne Jenner, Jessica Campbell and Olivia Cook will each look to have an impact on the lineup this season. Jenner was centralized with the Canadian Olympic Team last season before being one of the final cuts prior to the Olympics. Jenner originally committed to the Big Red prior to the 2009-10 season but deferred her enrollment in her attempt to make the Canadian Olympic Team. Campbell was the captain of the Canadian U18 National Team that won the world championships, while Cook was a standout with the Nepean Wildcats last season, scoring 26 points on 11 goals and 15 assists.

“Brianne is a big, strong forward with very good hands and a good shot. She's very dangerous offensively and should make a big impact right away,” Derraugh said. “Campbell is a tremendous, powerful skater and someone who creates a lot because of her speed. Cook is a real competitor, someone who gets in on the forecheck and creates a lot of turnovers. We think she's someone who fill fit our style very well since we are very aggressive in that regard.”

THE SCHEDULE
With the annual ECAC Hockey schedule providing numerous stiff tests for the Big Red, the non-league slate also provides additional challenges for a squad that has its eyes set on a national title. Cornell will face its opponent in last year's national semifinal, Mercyhurst, in a home-and-home series, while also facing Robert Morris and Niagara in a pair of home series. The non-league slate also includes a game at Syracuse. Cornell will look to improve on last year's non-conference mark that saw the Big Red go just 1-6 outside of ECAC Hockey play during the regular season.

“Mercyhurst was pretty much ranked number one all year long and is a very tough, strong and talented team, so I'm glad that we have them on the slate again and we're playing them again early on in the year,” Derraugh said. “ We've also got some games against Robert Morris early on, a very strong disciplined defensive team, and a team that beat us the last time we faced them. They've got great goaltending and play a very strong team game, and I think that's going to be a very good series for us, especially going into the start of our season when we play two teams (Princeton and Quinnipiac) that are also coached very well, by coaches who have been known to play very strong defensive games.

“Syracuse and Niagara both beat us last season, so those should be excellent tests as well,” Derraugh continued. “The nice thing about women's hockey right now is that if your team decides they're going to take a night off, they're going to lose, no matter what team they are. College hockey is just very strong from top to bottom now, and it's a good sign for the future of women's ice hockey, and it makes it interesting going into this season.”