GAME INFORMATION
GAME #11: Cornell vs. Niagara
DATE: Saturday, Nov. 28, 2009
TIME: 7 pm
SITE: Ithaca, N.Y.- Lynah Rink

GAME #12: Cornell vs. Nigara
DATE: Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009
TIME: 2 pm
SITE: Ithaca, N.Y.- Lynah Rink

2009-10 RECORDS: Cornell – 6-3-1 (6-1-1 ECAC Hockey); Niagara – 5-5-4 (2-2-2 College Hockey America)
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads, 12-7-1
LAST MEETING: Cornell won, 5-3, on Nov. 30, 2008, in Ithaca, N.Y.
LIVE VIDEO: http://www.cornellbigred.com/showcase/
LIVE STATS: http://sidearmstats.com/cornell/whockey

The Cornell women's hockey team takes a break from ECAC Hockey play this weekend when it faces Niagara in a pair of non-conference contests at Lynah Rink. The Big Red and Purple Eagles will open the two-game set on Saturday at 7 p.m. before closing out the series on Sunday in a 2 p.m. matinee.

ABOUT THE BIG RED
Cornell, ranked sixth in both of this week's national college hockey polls, was just 40 seconds away from its third weekend sweep in league play, but Quinnipiac rallied for two goals in the closing seconds on Saturday to force a tie, as the Big Red settled for a three-point weekend, a weekend that opened up with a 1-0 victory over Princeton. The Big Red got a pair of goals from Catherine White on the weekend, while Chelsea Karpenko added a goal and an assist. Amanda Mazzotta got the shutout over Princeton and posted a weekend goals-against average of 1.44 with a .900 save percentage. For the year, White leads the team in scoring with 12 points on a team-best five goals and seven assists. Mazzotta has seen every minute in goal for the Big Red, posting a 1.70 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage. The Cornell power play has converted on 8-of-40 chances (20.0 percent) while the Big Red penalty killing unit has successfully ended 33-of-34 power plays against (97.1 percent).

HEAD COACH DOUG DERRAUGH
In his fifth season behind the Big Red bench, Doug Derraugh has turned the Cornell women's hockey program into one of women's college hockey's top young programs. Derraugh has a career record of 43-75-10, but has taken the Big Red to a back-to-back double-digit wins in each of the last two seasons, the first time the Big Red has done that since the 1999-2000 and 2000-01 seasons. He has also led Cornell to the ECAC Hockey playoffs in each of the last two years. Derraugh is assisted by Danielle Biloudeau, in her fourth season, and Edith Zimmering, in her first year with the Big Red.
 
ABOUT NIAGARA
The Purple Eagles have gone 2-1-2 over their last five games, including earning a home tie against top-ranked Merchyhurst on Nov. 20 before losing to the Lakers the following day. Niagara has a 2-1-1 record against ECAC Hockey foes this season, sweeping Quinnipiac but falling and tying Rensselaer. Jennifer MacLean leads the Purple Eagles in scoring with four goals and a team-best seven assists, while Jenna Hendrikx has a team-best seven goals on the year. In goal, Jenni Bauer has played every minute, posting a 2.16 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. The Purple Eagles have converted on 10-of-70 power play chances (14.3 percent) while killing off 62-of-72 penalties against (86.1 percent).

THE SERIES WITH NIAGARA
Cornell leads the all-time series between the two schools, 12-7-1, dating back to the 1998-99 season. The two teams have split their meetings in both of the last two seasons, with Niagara winning the first game and the Big Red getting the second game both times. Last year, Cornell scored a 5-3 victory on Nov. 30 at Lynah Rink after dropping a 3-2 contest the previous night.

PULLING RANK
The amazing season continues for the Big Red, which not only entered the national top-10 in both the USCHO and the USA Today polls for the first time ever. The Big Red is at a program-best sixth in both polls this week after knocking off No. 10 Princeton last weekend.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
One thing hidden in the Big Red's 6-3-1 start through the first 10 games of the season is the fact that six of those contests have been played against teams ranked in the top 10 of the national polls. Cornell has gone 4-2 in those six games, dropping only a pair of games against top-ranked Mercyhurst to open the season. Cornell's four wins over ranked teams have all come during league play.

BEHAVE YOURSELF
The Cornell women's team leads the nation in fewest penalty minutes per game, averaging just 7.2 per contest through the first 10 games. Cornell has had just four games with more than 10 minutes in penalties, and no games with more than 14 minutes.

LEADING THE WAY
Through eight ECAC Hockey games this season, the Big Red has led for 332:09, or an astonishing 68.5 percent of the time. The Big Red has only trailed for a total of 8:56 (or 1.8 percent of the time) in its eight league games. Cornell trailed for just 45 seconds against Harvard on Oct. 31 and for another 5:21 against St. Lawrence on Nov. 14. Cornell has yet to trail in a road game this season. For the season, Cornell has led 54.9 percent of the time, while trailing just 16.1 percent.

NATURAL BORN KILLERS
Allowing just one power play goal in 34 opportunities, Cornell has maintained its status as the number one penalty killing unit in the nation. Cornell has a 97.1 percent success rate on the penalty kill, well ahead of second-place Mercyhurst's 92.5 percent. The special teams unit has also gotten a boost from the power play, which has gotten eight goals from seven different players in 40 power play opportunities (20 percent), good for sixth in the nation..

EVEN FLOW
Despite the loss of last year's leading scorer and Patty Kazmier Award nominee Rebecca Johnston, the Big Red has shown the ability to record points by utilizing a well-balanced attack; 14 players on the 16-skater roster have contributed to the team's 61 points. The only skaters on the roster who have yet to find the scoring column are sophomore Jenna Paulson and freshman Xandra Hompe.

BRICK WALL
Borrowing a page from the men's hockey program, which has a history of producing outstanding goaltenders, sophomore Amanda Mazzotta has been outstanding in ECAC Hockey action this year. After allowing seven goals in the first two games of the season against Mercyhurst, Mazzotta now ranks eighth in the nation in goals-against average (1.70). In league play, she is allowing just 1.24 goals per game, ranking second in league games and earning ECAC Hockey Goaltender of the Week once so far this season for her play against Dartmouth and Harvard.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS-OUT
Amanda Mazzotta has played lights-out hockey on Fridays this season, as all four of the sophomore's shutouts have come on Fridays during league play. Three of those blankings have come at the hands of teams ranked in the top 10 of the nation when she posted shutouts against Dartmouth, Clarkson and Princeton. In five Friday games this season, Mazzotta has only allowed three goals, with Mercyhurst adding an empty net goal in the season opener.

TWO-WAY PLAYERS
Cornell's women's hockey team has a pair of players who give new meaning to the term two-way player, as senior Melanie Jue and freshman Xandra Hompe are dual-sport athletes. Jue is a goalie for the field hockey team, and finished the season ranked second in the nation in save percentage. Hompe, meanwhile, is a forward for the women's soccer team, and tallied a pair of assists this fall for the Big Red.

HALFWAY TO THE CENTURY MARK
With the assist on Chelsea Karpenko's goal in the third period of the Harvard game on Nov. 7, Catherine White scored her 50th career point. In just her second year with the Big Red, White has the highest point total of any player on the Cornell roster. Two others are nearing the 50 point mark, as junior Karlee Overguard has 47 points in 68 career games and senior Liz Zorn has 41 points in 93 career games.

UP NEXT
Cornell closes out the fall semester portion of the schedule next weekend when the Big Red plays host to Yale and Brown at Lynah Rink. The Big Red will battle the Bulldogs on Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. before facing Brown the following afternoon at 4 p.m.