GAME INFORMATION
GAME #5: Cornell vs. Union
DATE: Friday, Nov. 6, 2009
TIME: 3 pm
SITE: Schenectady, N.Y.- Messa Rink
2009-10 RECORDS: Cornell – 2-2-0 (2-0-0 ECAC Hockey); Union – 2-6-0 (0-2-0 ECAC Hockey)
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads, 11-1-0
LAST MEETING: Cornell won, 8-0, on Feb. 21, 2009, in Schenectady, N.Y.
LIVE VIDEO: http://unionathletics.com/showcase
LIVE STATS: http://sidearmstats.com/union/whockey

GAME #6: Cornell vs. Rensselaer
DATE: Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009
TIME: 2:30 pm
SITE: Troy, N.Y.- Houston Field House
2009-10 RECORDS: Cornell – 2-2-0 (2-0-0 ECAC Hockey); Rensselaer – 2-5-3 (0-1-1ECAC Hockey)
SERIES RECORD: Rensselaer leads, 4-2-0
LAST MEETING: Rensselaer won, 3-1, on Feb. 20, 2009, in Troy, N.Y.
LIVE VIDEO: https://www.b2livetv.com/login.asp
LIVE AUDIO: http://www.wrpi.org/listen
LIVE STATS: http://sidearmstats.com/rpi/whockey

This Friday, the 10th-ranked Big Red begins its away schedule in Schenectady with the Union Dutchwomen at 3 p.m. and then head east to Troy for a Saturday game against the Rensselaer Engineers, starting at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. Live stats will be available for both games, while live video is available on a subscription basis from both schools. Additionally, live audio will be available free of charge for Saturday's game against Rensselaer.

ABOUT THE BIG RED
The Big Red had a historic weekend last weekend, opening league play with a sweep over Dartmouth and Harvard for the first time in program history. Opening the conference season against sixth-ranked Dartmouth, the Big Red blanked Dartmouth behind Amanda Mazzotta's 22-save shutout, the second of her career. The Big Red scored once in each period, as Kendice Ogilvie, Lauriane Rougeau and Laura Fortino each scored a goal against the Big Green. Cornell followed that stunning victory up with an even bigger shock, picking up a 4-3 victory over ninth-ranked Harvard, behind a pair of goals from both Melanie Jue and Chelsea Karpenko, with Catherine White chipping in three assists on the game. White leads the Big Red offense with six points, all on assists, while Karpenko has a team-best three goals. Mazzotta has played every minute in the Cornell goal, posting a .884 save percentage and a 2.53 goals-against average on the season. Cornell's special teams have also played well, converting on 3-of-20 power play attempts (15.0 percent) while killing off 18-of-19 opponents' power plays (94.7 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 39-74-9, 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 UNION
Union enters this weekend's action having dropped three straight games, including falling in both of last week's league opener against Quinnipiac and Princeton. The Dutchwomen's two wins this season were both against Sacred Heart, knocking off the Pioneers by 6-0 and 3-1 scores on Oct. 16-17. Sophomore Lauren Hoffman leads the Dutchwomen in scoring with two goals and five assists for seven points, while Molly Kate Devin – the younger sister of the Cornell men's team's Joe and Mike Devin – is second on the team in scoring with one goal and three assists for four points. Freshman Alana Marcinko has played the majority of time in goal for Union, posting a 3.09 goals-against average and a .898 save percentage. Union has struggled on the power play, converting on just two of 26 chances (7.7 percent) while allowing seven power play goals in 38 chances (an 81.6 penalty killing rate.).

THE SERIES WITH UNION
Cornell has dominated the all-time series with Union, winning 11 of the 12 meetings, including each of the last 10. Most recently, the Big Red claimed an 8-0 victory against the Dutchwomen on Feb. 21, 2009, an 8-0 victory that marked the first career shutout for Cornell goaltender Amanda Mazzotta. Union's only win in the series came on Feb. 28, 2004, in Schenectady, a 3-1 victory.

ABOUT RENSSELAER
Rensselaer, which will play Colgate on Friday before facing the Big Red on Saturday, enters the weekend winless in its last seven games. Included in that span are back-to-back losses to both top-ranked Mercyhurst and in-state rival Syracuse, while earning ties against Niagara and Princeton. Senior Laura Gersten leads the Engineer offense with six points on one goal and five assists, while four different players have chipped in three goals this season to share the team lead in that category. In goal, Sonja van der Bliek has played the majority of time in net for Rensselaer, posting a 2.42 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage. RPI has converted on 9-of-69 power play chances (13.0 percent) while killing off penalties at an 85.9 percent rate (55-of-64).

THE SERIES WITH RENSSELAER
The Engineers lead the all-time series against Cornell by a narrow 4-2 margin. The two teams split last year's games, with Cornell winning 3-2 at Lynah Rink and Rensselaer coming away with the second game 3-1 in Troy.

TAKING NOTICE
Last weekend's sweep against Dartmouth and Harvard helped knock those two programs out of the USCHO Division I poll, while simultaneously placing Cornell in the #10 spot. This is the first time the Big Red has been ranked since being tabbed third in the American Hockey Magazine poll on Nov. 26, 1997. Cornell also received 16 votes in this week's USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll, six votes shy of Harvard for the 10th and final spot in the rankings.

NATURAL BORN KILLERS
Cornell's special teams units have played well in the early going and are now gaining national recognition for their penalty kill. Allowing just one power play goal in 19 opportunities, Cornell is now ranked second in the nation behind only defending national champions Wisconsin (36-of-37). The special teams unit has also gotten a boost from the power play, which has already tallied 3 goals to date.

LUCKY NUMBER SEVEN
Freshman Lauriane Rougeau scored a short-handed goal on Friday against Dartmouth, making her the only defenseman in the nation to record a goal while on the penalty kill. With three points this season, she is currently ranked fifth in the nation in points per game among defenseman and is the highest-scoring rookie defenseman in the country.

TWO FOR JUE
Senior Mel Jue and sophomore Chelsea Karpenko put up the team's first multi-goal game of the season on Saturday with each scoring two goals against Harvard. Both of Jue's goals came at huge times during the game. Her first came just seconds after Harvard took the lead late in the second period, knotting the score at two heading into the third period, while her second goal turned out to be the game-winner with just under four minutes left to play in the game.

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 is ranked fourth in the nation in save percentage this season. Hompe, meanwhile, is a forward for the women's soccer team, tallying a pair of assists this fall for the Big Red.

CATHERINE THE GREAT
After putting up 4 points last weekend—all on assists— former ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Year Catherine White is now tied for first in the nation in assists per game. Her 1.50 average in 4 games puts her on par with Mercyhurst forward Jesse Scanzano, who has 9 assists in 6 games.

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.

UP NEXT
Cornell will return to Lynah Rink for a weekend series against nationally ranked opponents, Clarkson and St. Lawrence. Cornell will take on Clarkson on Friday at 7 p.m. before battling St. Lawrence at 4 p.m. the following day.