ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Cornell women's hockey team will try to improve upon its non-conference record this weekend when Cornell battles in-state rival Niagara in a two-game series this weekend at Lynah Rink. The Big Red will take on the Purple Eagles at 7 p.m. on Friday before the two teams square off again on Saturday in a 2 p.m. start. Fans can follow the action with live streaming video through the Cornell Redcast subscription service, while live stats will also be provided to follow on computers and mobile devices.

HEAD COACH DOUG DERRAUGH

Now in his sixth season as head coach of the Cornell women's hockey team, Doug Derraugh has turned the program into a contender for the national championship. With a 66-82-15 overall record, Derraugh guided the Big Red to a 21-9-6 record last season and a berth in the national championship game. He led Cornell to its first-ever ECAC Hockey regular season and tournament championships and first appearance in the NCAA tournament, defeating traditional powers Harvard and Mercyhurst on the way to the national title game. He has led the Big Red to double-digit win totals in each of the past three seasons and set a program record for wins in a season with 21 last year. Derraugh took over the program prior to the 2005-06 season after a 13-year professional playing career in Europe and has transformed the Big Red into one of the top young programs in the country. He is assisted by fifth-year assistant coach Danielle Bilodeau, a former Cornell player and 2001 graduate, Edith Zimering, in her second season with the Big Red, and volunteer assistant coach Meredith Roth, in her first year with Cornell.

ABOUT THE BIG RED

Cornell remained unbeaten in ECAC Hockey action this season when it picked up a pair of shutout victories against Princeton and Quinnipiac on Nov. 19 and 20 at Lynah Rink. On Friday, Amanda Mazzotta stopped 15 shots and Brianne Jenner scored a power-play tally as the Big Red recorded a 1-0 victory over the Tigers. Cornell then followed that up on Saturday with a 4-0 victory over Quinnipiac, with Mazzotta's 18 saves protecting a four-goal outburst in the first period. On the year, Jenner leads the team with 12 points in seven games, while fellow freshman Jessica Campbell has a team-best seven goals in nine games. Cornell has benefitted from a balanced offensive attack this season, as six different players are averaging better than a point per game on the year. Mazzotta has been stellar in goal, playing every minute this season and posting a 1.11 goals-against average to go along with her .944 save percentage with three shutouts. Cornell's special teams units have also been strong, converting on 12-of-42 power-play opportunities (28.6 percent, first in the nation) and killing off 27-of-29 opponents' man-advantage situations (90.9 percent, second nationally).

ABOUT NIAGARA

The Purple Eagles enter the weekend having picked up a pair of ties last weekend at Rensselaer, skating a a 1-1 draw both days. The Purple Eagles have played seven games against ECAC Hockey foes, going 1-4-2 against the league so far this season. Niagara's offense has been paced by Kristen Richards, who has a team-best four goals to go along with her team-leading six points through 14 games. Niagara has struggled to score goals this season, posting just 18 tallies in 14 contests. In goal, Jenni Bauer has played most of the time, recording a .929 save percentage and a 1.97 goals-against average. Niagara has struggled on the power play, scoring just three times on 59 chances (5.1 percent, 34th nationally), but has killed off 52-of-60 power-play chances (86.7 percent, 14th nationally).

THE SERIES WITH NIAGARA

The Purple Eagles lead the all-time series, 13-8-1, with the two programs splitting the two meetings last season at Lynah Rink. Cornell claimed the opener on Nov. 28, 2-1, before Niagara won the following day by the same score. The two teams have met twice a year since the 2003-04 season with Niagara holding a 9-4-1 edge over that span. Cornell has not beaten Niagara twice in the same weekend since the first two games of the series in 1998.

REACHING A MILESTONE

Cornell's win on Nov. 19 against Princeton was the 400th victory in the history of the Cornell women's hockey program. Cornell now has 401 victories, the ninth-highest total among NCAA Division I programs. New Hampshire leads all programs with 695 victories.

ONE MORE

Cornell's next victory will mark the 100th win for the program since the NCAA began recognizing women's ice hockey as a championship sport prior to the 2000-01 season. The Big Red holds a 99-182-25 mark since women's ice hockey gained NCAA status.

ANOTHER ONE FOR MAZZOTTA

Cornell has played only four weekends this season, but after three of them, Amanda Mazzotta has earned the ECAC Hockey Goaltender of the Week award. Most recently, she picked up the honor after posting a pair of shutouts against Princeton and Quinnipiac at Lynah Rink, stopping 33 shots in the two games combined. Mazzotta previously earned the honor after leading the Big Red to wins at Quinnipiac and Princeton on Oct. 29-30 and again after going 2-1 from Nov. 2 through Nov. 6, scoring wins over Harvard and Dartmouth in the process.

GOING STREAKING AGAIN

Amanda Mazzotta is currently working on a shutout streak of 139:05, dating back to the third period of the Big Red's game against Dartmouth on Nov. 6. Mazzotta went the final 19:05 without allowing a goal in that contest and recorded back-to-back shutouts on Nov. 19 and 20 against Princeton and Quinnipiac. As impressive as that streak is, it's still a far cry from her personal and ECAC Hockey record of 286:54, set last season. That mark stands as the fourth-longest streak in NCAA history.

ON THE BREAK

Cornell's players had a rare week off on Nov. 12-13 due to a quirk in the league schedule. Rather than play a non-conference series that weekend, the Big Red elected to take the weekend off to evaluate the team's progress in the early part of the season. Cornell has not had a similar break in the schedule since taking off the weekend of Nov. 23-24, 2007.

WHILE YOU WERE GONE...

Two Cornell players weren't entirely off during the team's break on Nov. 12-13, as Rebecca Johnston and Brianne Jenner took part in the 4 Nations Cup in St. John's, Newfoundland. Competing with the Canadian National Team, the pair came home with the tournament's gold medal, defeating the United States in the championship game, 3-2, in overtime. Johnston was especially strong in that championship game, scoring a pair of goals including the overtime game-winner. Johnston finished with seven points on four goals and three assists, ranking her tied for third among all scorers in the tournament. The pair missed Cornell's weekend series against Harvard and Dartmouth on Nov. 5-6, but the Big Red still posted a pair of victories in their absence.

WHAT A WEEKEND

With Rebecca Johnston and Brianne Jenner on international duty with the Canadian National Team at the 4 Nations Cup on Nov. 5-6, senior Hayley Hughes stepped up with the best weekend of her career. Hughes potted a pair of goals and assisted on the third in Cornell's 3-0 victory against Harvard on Friday night, then tallied three assists in the 6-1 win against Dartmouth the following day. Hughes' six-point weekend equaled one-quarter of her career point total entering the 2010-11 season and earned her ECAC Hockey Player of the Week honors for the first time in her career. This season, Hughes has 10 points on five goals and five assists, just two points shy of her career best for a season of 12, set as a freshman in 2007-08.

FIRING BLANKS

Amanda Mazzotta became Cornell's all-time career leader in shutouts when she blanked Harvard, 3-0, on Nov. 5. With three shutouts this season, Mazzotta now has 15 shutouts in her Cornell career, surpassing the mark of 12 set by Kathryn LoPresti from 1985 through 1989. Mazzotta's 15 shutouts rank her tied for 14th all-time in NCAA history.

ONE BANNER YEAR

Cornell officially put the cap on the historic 2009-10 season on Nov. 6 against Dartmouth when the Big Red added three banners to the Lynah Rink rafters. Last year's four seniors – Laura Danforth, Melanie Jue, Kelly McGinty and Liz Zorn – were on hand for the unveiling of banners commemorating the program's ECAC Hockey championship, the Ivy League championship and national runner-up finish.

FOUR SQUARE

Cornell's wins on Oct. 29-30 at Quinnipiac and Princeton gave the Big Red victories in each of its first four games in a season for the first time since the 1978-79 season. That year, Cornell began the season with five straight wins on its way to a 13-5-1 overall record.

100 AND COUNTING

Senior Karlee Overguard's appeared in her 100th career game on Nov. 5 against Harvard, the most games of any player on the roster.  Overguard is on pace to become the school's career leader in games played, a mark that is currently held by 2010 graduate Laura Danforth. Danforth appeared in 124 games during her four-year career spanning 2006 through 2010. Two of Danforth's classmates, Liz Zorn (121) and Kelly McGinty (116), stand second and tied for third, respectively, in games played at Cornell. Overguard stands at 103 career games played.

LEAGUE OPENERS

Cornell won its ECAC Hockey opener for the second straight season with a 5-1 win at Quinnipiac on Oct. 29, and opened up 2-0 in league play for the second time in a row when it downed Princeton the following day by the same score. Last season, Cornell won its first five league games before falling to St. Lawrence. Prior to last season, the last time that Cornell won twice to begin the league campaign came during the 1998-98 season. Entering this weekend at 4-0 in league play, the Big Red will try to match its best start in league play in program history, set last season when Cornell won five straight games to begin the league campaign.

FRONTRUNNERS

Cornell has spent 71.9 percent of the total minutes of games this season with a lead, while trailing for just a total of 1:36, or 0.3 percent of the time. Cornell has been tied for 150:23 through seven games, or 27.8 percent of the total minutes played.

TEAMMATES, ENEMIES

The Nov. 2 game against Mercyhurst featured a number of players who are teammates on the Canadian National Team that won the gold medal at the 4 Nations Cup from Nov. 9-13 in St. John's, Newfoundland. Cornell players Rebecca Johnston and Brianne Jenner skated against Mercyhurst's Meghan Agosta and Vicki Bendus at Lynah Rink before taking off to become teammates for Canada. Agosta and Johnston were teammates last year on the Canadian team that captured the Olympic gold medal at the Vancouver Olympics. Additionally, Bendus was a teammate of the eight Cornell players at the Canadian U22 National Team camp in mid-August.

BALANCING ACT

Through the first nine games, despite the Big Red having scored 39 goals, only Rebecca Johnston has collected at least one point in every game that she has appeared in. Johnston has 10 points this season on three goals and seven assists, with two multi-point games on the year. Johnston picked up an assist in both the Nov. 19 win over Princeton and the Nov. 20 victory against Quinnipiac to continue that streak.

AND THE WINNER IS...

Freshman Jessica Campbell scored four goals for the Big Red in a 9-1 victory against Robert Morris on Oct. 23, enough to earn her the ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Week award in her first weekend. Campbell scored once in both the first and second periods and finished off her four-goal performance with a pair of markers in the third period. Campbell's four-goal outburst was the first for a Big Red player since Colette Bredin scored five against Colby on Feb. 28, 1998, in a 9-3 Cornell victory.

ANOTHER QUICK START

Brianne Jenner added her first career ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Week award on Nov. 2 after her play in the league-opening weekend on Oct. 29-30. Jenner scored six points in the two games on two goals and four assists, scoring three assists against Quinnipiac and tallying two goals and an assist at Princeton.

EVERYONE IN THE ACT

Cornell's 9-1 victory against Robert Morris on Oct. 23 came as a total team effort. Of the 15 skaters to dress for that contest, 14 of them recorded at least one point, with only freshman defenseman Alyssa Gagliardi not picking up a point. Gagliardi didn't finish the weekend empty-handed, however, as she picked up an assist in the season opener on Oct. 22.

GOOD GIRLS

Cornell leads the nation in fewest penalty minutes per game, averaging just 6.4 minutes in the box per contest. Cornell has been called for just 29 penalties in the nine games this season.

ON THE BOARD

When junior Jenna Paulson recorded an assist on Oct. 23 against Robert Morris, it marked the first career point for the Toronto native. Paulson had played in 56 games through her first two seasons with the Big Red before collecting her first career point.

FROM THE START

The five skaters in Cornell's six-player freshman class each made their collegiate debut against Robert Morris on Oct. 22-23, with all five of them recording their first career points. Jessica Campbell picked up four goals on the weekend and leads the team in scoring, while Brianne Jenner tallied a goal and an assist and Hayley Cudmore picked up a pair of assists. The other two newcomers, Olivia Cook and Alyssa Gagliardi, both recorded one assist on the weekend. 

OH CANADA!

Of the 20 members of the Cornell roster in 2010-11, nine were selected to participate in the Canadian U22 National Team Selection Camp in early August, and eight of those players were named to the select team that faced the United States in a three-game series later that month. The eight included goaltender Amanda Mazzotta, defensemen Laura Fortino and Lauriane Rougeau, and forwards Jessica Campbell, Brianne Jenner, Rebecca Johnston, Chelsea Karpenko and Catherine White. Also invited to the camp but not named to the select team was defenseman Hayleigh Cudmore. The nine players invited to the camp far surpassed any other collegiate program, with Boston University placing four players in the initial camp and Mercyhurst placing three.

EARLY PICKS

When the ECAC Hockey preseason coaches poll was released, it was no surprise to see the Big Red standing as the favorite among league coaches to repeat as champions. Cornell received all 11 possible first-place votes with Clarkson gaining the final vote, with coaches unable to vote for their own teams. 

THE FIRST SIX

Along with the preseason coaches poll, the ECAC Hockey bench bosses selected the preseason all-league team, with four Big Red players named among the six spots. The Big Red placed defensemen Laura Fortino and Lauriane Rougeau and forwards Rebecca Johnston and Catherine White among the top six, with Quinnipiac goaltender Victoria Vigilanti and Harvard forward Kate Buesser rounding out the league's preseason selections.

EVERYBODY'S ALL-AMERICAN

Cornell returns four players who have previously earned AHCA All-America honors during their career, including the program's first First-Team selection in sophomore defenseman Laura Fortino, who was selected to the nation's top six in her freshman season. Joining in that group are 2010 second-team selections Catherine White and Lauriane Rougeau and 2009 second-team pick Rebecca Johnston. 

GO FOR THE GOLD

Rebecca Johnston returns to the Big Red for her junior season after sitting out the 2009-10 campaign while centralized with the Canadian senior national team. Johnston was named to the Canadian team that captured the gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, playing in five of Canada's six games and scoring one goal with five assists and a +9 rating.

WORLD CHAMPIONS

Cornell's roster includes a pair of players who were a part of the Canadian team that won the IIHF U18 World Championship last spring. Freshmen Jessica Campbell and Hayleigh Cudmore were both members of that squad, with Campbell being named the most valuable player of the tournament for her play.

DRAWING A BLANK

Last season, opponents found it exceptionally hard to score on Cornell goaltender Amanda Mazzotta. The junior netminder set a Cornell record – men's and women's – by posting 11 shutouts last year, surpassing the total of 10 set by men's goaltender David McKee during the 2004-05 season. The previous best by a women's goaltender was six, set by Kathryn LoPresti in the 1988-89 season.

GOING STREAKING

Last season, Cornell goaltender Amanda Mazzotta recorded the fourth-longest shutout streak in NCAA history, recording four straight shutouts from Feb. 5 through Feb. 13. Her total time stretched for 286:54, the longest streak in ECAC Hockey history. Wisconsin alumna Jessie Vetter owns two of the three longest streaks in NCAA history, including the record of 448:39.

TREATY OF NEUTRALITY

Cornell's two games at the NCAA Frozen Four last season marked the 42nd and 43rd games the Big Red has played on neutral ice. Cornell holds a 23-17-3 record all-time when playing at a neutral venue. Prior to last season's national championship weekend, the Big Red's last neutral site game came on Jan. 21, 2001, when it lost to St. Lawrence, 4-1, at Lake Placid, N.Y. 

The Big Red is not scheduled to play any neutral site contests this season, but could potentially play as many as four, should Cornell advance in postseason play.

PENALTY KILLING? NO PROBLEM

Cornell was exceptional at staying out of the penalty box last season, ranking 33rd among the 35 teams in Division I in penalty minutes per game. Even when the Big Red found itself shorthanded, however, Cornell still played outstanding defense. The Big Red ranked first in the nation in penalty-killing percentage, allowing just 10 goals in 131 opponents' power plays (92.4 percent). Cornell's 2009-10 percentage ranked eighth all-time in NCAA history.

TWO-WAY PLAYER

Sophomore forward Xandra Hompe gives new meaning to that term, as the New Cannan, Conn., native is a dual-sport athlete. Hompe spends her fall season with the Cornell women's soccer team, where she finished tied for third on the team in scoring and tied for the team lead in assists with four. 

LYNAH LOCKDOWN

Cornell went 4-0 in postseason games at Lynah Rink last season. Prior to thiat, the Big Red had never won a postseason game, and had never played a postseason game at home.

UP NEXT

Cornell heads to the road to make its first-ever trip to Syracuse on Tuesday, Nov. 30, for a 7 p.m. meeting against the Orange. Cornell will be trying to avenge last season's 2-1 overtime defeat at the hands of the Orange.