ITHACA, N.Y. – The Big Red women's hockey team has named its captains for the 2012-13 season, and all three are on the defensive side of the ice.

Serving as the team's captain will be senior defenseman Lauriane Rougeau. While her most recent on-ice success – a game-winning goal in triple overtime of the NCAA Quarterfinals last season – came from a forward's mindset, Rougeau has been one of the best pure defensemen in the  country during her first three years in Ithaca.

A three-time Second-Team All-America player, Rougeau has been named to ECAC Hockey's first team three times as well. Last year she was voted the conference's Best Defensive Defenseman. She also earned nominations for the Patty Kazmaier Award in each of her three seasons at Cornell.

The Big Red will also be represented by two alternate captains in senior Laura Fortino and junior Alyssa Gagliardi.

Fortino has been Rougeau's teammate on the blue line since they were freshman together, and her list of accolades is just as long. Coming off her third consecutive First Team All-America season, Fortino was also named to the ECAC Hockey and Ivy League first teams all three years of college. The Hamilton, Ontario, native was named a Patty Kazmaier Top 10 Finalist the last two seasons and was also nominated for the award as a freshman. She finished the 2011-12 campaign with 30 assists and was Cornell's top scoring defenseman.

Rounding out the Big Red's captains this season will be Gagliardi, a very talented defenseman in her own right. An ECAC Hockey All-Rookie Team member in 2011, she has stepped up to play top-line defense multiple times in her Cornell career and is one of the most reliable members of the squad. She finished the 2011-12 season with five goals and 16 assists. Her final goal of the year was the Big Red's only score in the NCAA Frozen Four against eventual national champion Minnesota.

The No. 2 Big Red begins its season on Friday with an exhibition against Brampton of the Canadian Women's Hockey League at 7 p.m. in Lynah Rink. The women's team will join the men again this year for the Red/White game at 7 p.m. on Saturday, and the women will round out their preseason against Montreal of the CWHL on Sunday at 3 p.m.

Cornell's regular season begins on the road with what promises to be a thrilling rematch of last season's NCAA Quarterfinal against Boston University. The Terriers, No. 3 in the country, will play the Big Red at 7 p.m. on Oct. 20 and at 2 p.m. on Oct.  21 in Boston.