GAME INFORMATION
GAME #16: Cornell at Providence
DATE: Saturday, January 9, 2010
TIME: 2 p.m.
SITE: Schneider Arena - Providence, R.I.

GAME #17: Cornell at Providence
DATE: Sunday, January 10, 2010
TIME: 2 p.m.
SITE: Schneider Arena - Providence, R.I.

2009-10 RECORDS: Cornell - 8-5-2 (7-1-2 ECAC Hockey); Providence - 6-7-8 (4-3-4 Hockey East)
SERIES RECORD: Providence leads, 32-5-1
LAST MEETING: Cornell won, 4-1, on Jan. 5, 2009, in Ithaca, N.Y.
LIVE STATS: www.friars.com
LIVE AUDIO: www.friars.com
LIVE VIDEO (Saturday only): www.friars.com

The Cornell women's hockey team closes out the nonconference portion of the 2009-10 schedule this weekend when it heads to Providence, R.I., for a two-game set against the Friars at Schneider Arena. The series is scheduled for games on Saturday and Sunday, with both contests beginning at 2 p.m.

ABOUT THE BIG RED
Cornell returned from a month off for exams and the holidays with a heart-breaking 2-1 overtime loss to Syracuse on Tuesday at Lynah Rink. Karlee Overguard scored the lone goal for the Big Red in the game against the Orange, the first-ever meeting between the two schools. The Big Red played the game without three of its top five scorers and dressed just 13 skaters for the contest. Still, Cornell led until a fluke goal in the third period and lost on an overtime game-winner 1:49 into the extra session. Amanda Mazzotta stopped 16 shots in taking the loss. Cornell is ranked eighth in this week's USCHO.com and USA Today polls, sporting an 8-5-2 overall record and a 7-1-2 mark to sit in a tie atop ECAC Hockey. Mazzotta has been solid all season long, posting a .915 save percentage and a 1.59 goals-against average into the weekend to go along with five shutouts. Offensively, the Big Red is led by sophomores Catherine White and Chelsea Karpenko, with White scoring five goals and adding 10 assists for 15 points. Karpenko, meanwhile, has a team-best six goals to go along with six assists for 12 points. The pair are the only two in double figures in scoring on the season, as Cornell has had all but two skaters record at least one point and all but three tallying at least two. Cornell enters the weekend with the nation's top-ranked penalty-killing unit, successfully killing off 47-of-48 (97.9 percent) opponents' power plays, while also converting on 11-of-58 power plays on the season (19.0 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 45-77-11, 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 PROVIDENCE
The Friars returned from break with a win and a tie at the Easton Holiday Showcase in St. Cloud, Minn., tying St. Cloud State and defeating Minnesota State. Providence is unbeaten in its last four games, going 2-0-2 over that span. Ashley Cottrell leads the Friars in scoring with team-highs in goals (10) and assists (13) for 23 points, one of six players in double-figures but the only one averaging better than a point per game. In goal, Genevieve Lacasse has seen all but five minutes for the Friars, posting a 2.15 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage with a pair of shutouts. Providence is converting on 18.9 percent of its power play chances (21-of-111) while killing off 85.9 percent of opponents' man-advantage opportunities (79-of-92).

THE SERIES WITH PROVIDENCE
The Friars lead the all-time series between the two schools, 32-5-1, though Cornell and Providence split last season's two meetings at Lynah Rink. Cornell dropped the opener, 4-3, on Jan. 4, 2009, before rebounding the next day for a 4-1 victory.

MLP CUP
The Cornell bench will be rather empty this weekend, as the Big Red will be playing without three key players who are competing with the Canadian U22 team at the MLP Cup in Ravensburg, Germany. Leading scorer Catherine White and freshmen defensemen Laura Fortino and Lauriane Rougeau missed Tuesday's game against Syracuse and will also be out this weekend as they try to help Canada claim gold in Germany. Canada is 3-0 in the tournament and will play for the gold medal on Saturday against either Switzerland or Russia. White has two goals and two penalty minutes for Team Canada, while Rougeau has an assist to go along with a pair of penalty minutes. Cornell joins the nation's top-ranked team, Mercyhurst, as the only two programs who lost three players to Team Canada for the MLP Cup.

NON-LEAGUE NOT FRIENDLY
This weekend's games will mark the only games for Cornell against a Hockey East foe, as Cornell has played all five of its non-conference contests this season against teams from College Hockey America. The Big Red is 1-4 in those games, with the lone win coming against Niagara on Nov. 28. All five of those games have been played at Lynah Rink.

LEADING THE WAY
Through 10 ECAC Hockey games this season, the Big Red has led for 374:21, or an astonishing 61.4 percent of the time. The Big Red has only trailed for a total of 37:55 (or 6.2 percent of the time) in its 10 league games. Cornell has yet to trail in a road game this season. For the season, Cornell has led 47.9 percent of the time, while trailing just 19.2 percent.

NATURAL BORN KILLERS
Cornell has been exceptional at avoiding spending time on the penalty kill this season, averaging 6.8 minutes per game, fewest in Division I. When they do get sent to the box, Cornell's players have been exceptional at killing off those penalties. The Big Red leads the nation in penalty killing percentage, successfully ending 47-of-48 penalties against for an astounding 97.9 percent success rate.

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 87 points. This widespread scoring gives the Big Red a versatile offense that has shown an ability to score not only at even strength but also in special teams situations. 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 (1.57). In league play, she is allowing just 1.19 goals per game, ranking third in league games and earning ECAC Hockey Goaltender of the Week once so far this season for her play against Dartmouth and Harvard. Mazzotta has five shutouts so far this season, one behind Kathryn LoPresti in 1988-89 for the most in a single season.

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.

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 and is leading scoring this season with 15 points. Two others are nearing the 50 point mark, as junior Karlee Overguard has 49 points in 75 career games and senior Liz Zorn has 46 points in 100 career games.

UP NEXT
Cornell returns to league play to begin the final stretch of the season, traveling to Harvard and Dartmouth for a pair of critical ECAC Hockey matches next weekend. The Big Red will face the Crimson on Friday, Jan. 15, at 7 p.m., before taking on the Big Green the following afternoon at 4 p.m.