Box Score (PDF)

ITHACA, N.Y. — Brianna Veerman, Kaitlin Doering and Pippy Gerace scored goals in a span of 1 minute, 49 seconds to power the women's hockey team to a 3-2 victory over Western Ontario in a season-opening exhibition victory Friday night at Lynah Rink.

The Big Red dominated terriorially and outshot the Mustangs by a 19-2 margin in the first period, but it had nothing to show for it thanks to the goaltending of Western Ontario's Kelly Campbell. But Cornell made a point of generating more traffic in front of the net, which helped fuel the barrage against the defending Canadian Interuniversity Sport national champions.

The scoring started after a Western clear was flagged down by Sydney Smith in the neutral zone and turned cross ice to Veerman. She eluded a pair of defenders on her way down the wing before skating around the net and slipping a shot inside the near post to Campbell's stick side. Doering doubled the lead by jamming in a puck from the crease after Erin O'Connor and Lenka Serdar worked it out of the corner. Cornell's lead ballooned to three goals just 12 seconds later, when Caroline DeBruin's long shot from the left wing missed the net to the short side, only to bounce hard off the end wall to onto the stick of Gerace for a tap-in.

Cornell used a different goaltender in each period. Paula Voorheis was required to make just two saves in the opening frame, then Stefannie Moak earned the victory six saves in the second. The only shot to elude her came in the waning moments of the period after a turnover behind the Big Red net left the home side defenseless. Some quality saves were required of Marlene Boissonnault in the third period, with those five stops proving to be the difference in the game after Kendra Broad's short-handed breakaway goal in the final minute cutting the Big Red's lead to one.

After playing in the Red-White Game on Saturday, the Big Red kicks off its regular season with a two-game series against #2/2 Boston College next weekend. The first game is at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, followed by a rematch at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24.