ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Cornell women's hockey team continues its five-game road trip this weekend, traveling to New York's Capital District for a pair of contests against Rensselaer and Union. The Big Red will take on the Engineers on Friday in a 7 p.m. contest in Troy, N.Y., before heading to Schenectady on Saturday for a 4 p.m. matchup at Union. 

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 73-82-15 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 four seasons and set a program record for wins in a season with 21 in 2009-10. 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

The ECAC Hockey-leading Big Red has brushed aside nearly all challenges this season, including the challenge of being short-handed last weekend in a road sweep at Yale and Brown. The Big Red dressed just 12 skaters on Friday in a 5-0 win at Yale, then was down to just 11 skaters on Saturday, but still came away with a 3-0 win against the Bears. On Friday, Cornell was led by a hat trick by junior Rebecca Johnston, who reached the 100-career point mark with the three-goal performance on the night. Saturday's contest featured a balanced attack, as only senior Karlee Overguard recorded a multi-point game and six of the 11 skaters recorded a point. Cornell was also without starting goaltender Amanda Mazzotta, out due to injury, but freshman Lauren Slebodnick stepped in and picked up a pair of shutouts during the weekend, stopping all 23 shots she faced on Friday and all 15 on Saturday. For the season, the Big Red offense is led by Johnston, who has 24 points on 12 goals and 12 assists in 14 games, while freshman Brianne Jenner has 22 points in 14 games on 11 goals and 11 assists. In all, six different players are averaging a point per game or better. In goal, Mazzotta has been stellar, posting a 0.91 goals-against average and a .953 save percentage with four shutouts. Slebodnick has been outstanding as well in her limited action, stopping all 56 shots she has faced on the year in four appearances. Slebodnick has a pair of shutouts of her own, while Mazzotta and Slebodnick have combined for another pair of clean sheets this season. Cornell's special teams are outstanding, as the Big Red ranks second in the nation in power play percentage (16-of-65, 24.6 percent), while leading the country in penalty-killing percentage (48-of-50, 96.0 percent).

ABOUT RENSSELAER

Rensselaer has been on a roll of late, entering the weekend with an eight-game unbeaten streak, going 4-4 over that span. The Engineers claimed a sweep last weekend at home, knocking off Dartmouth, 5-2, before claiming a 2-1 win against Harvard. The Engineers haven't suffered a loss since dropping a 1-0 decision to Brown on Nov. 13. Rensselaer is led offensively by sophomore Taylor Horton, who has seven goals and eight assists for 15 points in 21 games. The Engineers have just three players scoring in double figures on the season in Horton, junior Alisa Harrison (4-8–12) and freshman Jordan Smelker (7-4–11). In goal, senior Sonja van der Bliek has played the majority of time this season, recording a .903 save percentage and a 2.34 goals-against average with an 8-7-3 record and one shutout. Rensselaer is 23rd in the nation on the power play (13.1 percent, 11-of-84) and 16th in the country in penalty-killing percentage (85.4, 76-of-89).

THE SERIES WITH RENSSELAER

Friday's meeting with the Engineers will be just the 10th matchup all time between the two programs, with Cornell holding a slim 5-4 lead in the series. Cornell carries a three-game winning streak against Rensselaer into Friday's matchup, winning all three meetings last season. Cornell won the opener, 3-1, on Nov. 7, 2009, in Troy, N.Y., before skating to a 2-1 win on Feb. 19, 2010, in Ithaca. The third matchup came in the ECAC Hockey semifinals on March 5 at Lynah Rink, a game won by the Big Red, 5-4.

ABOUT UNION

Union enters the weekend with a 1-18-3 overall record and a 0-8-2 mark in ECAC Hockey, having dropped each of its last five games. The Dutchwomen have not won since downing Sacred Heart, 3-0, on Oct. 15, and last claimed a tie on Dec. 10 at Maine. The Dutchwomen are led offensively by junior Lauren Hoffman and junior Lauren Cromartie, who have eight points apiece in 22 games. Union's offense is ranked next-to-last in Division I, averaging just 1.18 goals per game. In goal, junior Kate Gallagher has played the majority of time, posting a 2.44 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage with the team's only victory of the season. Union's power-play is ranked 35th in the country, converting on just 5.8 percent of its chances (5-of-86), while the penalty-killing unit is ranked 28th in the country (76-of-82, 82.6 percent).

THE SERIES WITH UNION

Cornell holds a 13-1 lead in the all-time series against the Dutchwomen, winning each of the last 12 meetings over the past six seasons. Cornell claimed the opener last season, 4-0, in Schenectady, before taking a 6-1 win in the second meeting of the year at Lynah Rink. Union's lone win in the series came on Feb.24, 2004, at Messa Rink in Schenectady.

ROAD WARRIORS

After playing 11 of the first 14 games of the season at home, the Big Red is in the midst of a stretch that finds Cornell playing six out of seven games away from Lynah Rink. Cornell opened the stretch last weekend at Yale and Brown, and will play single games at Mercyhurst on Jan. 18 and Colgate on Jan. 22, in addition to a home contest against the Raiders on Jan. 21.

ONE IMPRESSIVE STREAK

Dating back to last season, Cornell has won 26 of its last 28 games, with the two losses over that stretch both coming as overtime defeats. Cornell closed out the 2009-10 season with an 11-game winning streak before falling in the national title game to Minnesota-Duluth in triple overtime, then began the 2010-11 season with wins in its first four games before falling in overtime to Mercyhurst, 4-3, at Lynah Rink on Nov. 2. Since then, the Big Red has won 11 straight contests, and has allowed just three goals over that span.

COUNTING TO 100

Junior Rebecca Johnston joined teammate Catherine White in reaching the 100-point mark for their careers this season. White became the 13th player in Cornell history to score 100 points when she reached that mark on Nov. 26 against Niagara, while Johnston became the 14th player to reach that makr  with a hat trick on Jan. 7 at Yale. White took 74 games to reach 100 career points, while Johnston did so in her 65th career contest. Senior Karlee Overguard is the next closest player to 100 points, entering this weekend with 74 points in 110 games. 

SHORT-HANDED? NO PROBLEM

Cornell was without five players for the weekend series at Yale and Brown on Jan. 7 and 8 due to their participation with the Canadian U22 National Team at the MLP Cup, but the Big Red didn't miss a beat. Cornell still blanked Yale, 5-0, and Brown, 3-0, to stretch its winning streak to 11 games. Complicating matters, starting goaltender Amanda Mazzotta was out of action due to injury, and senior captain Amber Overguard missed the Jan. 8 contest against Brown after suffering an injury the previous night at Yale.

HELPING HANDS

Cornell got contributions from a number of players on Jan. 7 and 8 at Yale and Brown, as the Big Red remained unbeaten in league play. At Yale, six of the 12 skaters recorded at least one point, with four players having a multi-point game. Against Brown, six of the 11 skaters scored at least one point, led by junior Karlee Overguard's two-assist night. For the weekend, nine of the 12 skaters to dress for at least one game picked up at least one point.

WELCOME HOME

Sophomore Xandra Hompe had a welcome homecoming of sorts on Jan. 7 at Yale. Hompe, a native of New Canaan, Conn., located about an hour west of New Haven, Conn., took the opportunity of playing near her hometown to score her first career points, picking up two assists in the 5-0 win at Yale. Hompe then capped her weekend by scoring her first career goal the following night in a 3-0 win at Brown.

READY THE UNDERSTUDY

With starting goaltender Amanda Mazzotta sidelined due to injury on Jan. 7 and 8 at Yale and Brown, freshman Lauren Slebodnick stepped into the crease and picked up where Mazzotta left off, posting 23 saves in a shutout at Yale and another 15 stops the following night at Brown. Slebodnick has appeared in four games in her career for a total of 168:20 and has yet to allow a goal. If Mazzotta is not able to play this weekend at Rensselaer and Union, either Slebodnick or senior Katie Wilson will get the call in between the pipes.

A CAREER YEAR

Senior Hayley Hughes is enjoying her final season with the Big Red, as the Toronto, Ontario, native has posted a career best for points this season, with nearly half the team's games still to come. Hughes has eight goals and seven assists for 15 points, surpassing the 12 points she scored as a freshman for her career best. The eight goals are a career best for a season, while her seven assists are one point shy of her career best, set as a freshman.

PACKING THEM IN

Cornell's win over Clarkson on Dec. 4 came in front of the largest crowd to ever see the Big Red women's hockey team play at Lynah Rink. That contest was played in front of 2,326 fans, easily surpassing the old mark of 1,528, set on March 7, 2010, when Cornell defeated Clarkson, 4-3, in overtime of the ECAC Hockey championship game. Cornell is averaging 560 fans per game this season at home, the eighth-highest average attendance in the nation.

900 AND COUNTING

Cornell's 3-1 victory on Dec. 3 against St. Lawrence marked the 900th game all-time in the history of the Cornell women's hockey program. The Big Red has a 408-445-50 all-time record for a .480 winning percentage. 

NUMBER ONE

With Cornell's sweep over Niagara on Nov. 27-28 and Wisconsin splitting its series with Minnesota-Duluth that same weekend, the Big Red moved up to first in the nation both the USA Today/USA Hockey and USCHO.com polls. This marked the first time in program history that the Big Red has been ranked as the top team in the nation in either of the two polls. Cornell slipped down to second in both polls after Wisconsin defeated Mercyhurst on Jan. 2 in St. Cloud, Minn.

DRAWING A BLANK

While Cornell's offense provides the headlines, it the Big Red's defense that is suffocating opponents and turning into victories. The Big Red has allowed just 12 goals in 16 games and has surrendered just four goals in 10 league games. Cornell has allowed more than two goals just once this season, giving up four goals in a 4-3 loss to Mercyhurst on Nov. 2, the only blemish of the season on Cornell's record. The Big Red allowed just six goals during the entire month of November.

MS. CONSISTENCY

Rebecca Johnston has posted the incredible feat of having scored at least one point in each of the 14 games she has appeared in this season for the Big Red. Johnston has 24 points on 12 goals and 12 assists. She has five multi-point games on the year, including a high of five against Niagara on Nov. 27 and has a pair of hat tricks (Nov. 27 vs. Niagara, Jan. 7 at Yale).

GOING STREAKING

Junior goaltender Amanda Mazzotta saw the second-longest shutout streak of her career snapped on Nov. 30 at Syracuse. Mazzotta's streak, which spanned parts of six games, lasted 218:51 before Syracuse's Kelly Dimmen got the Orange on the scoreboard. As impressive as that mark is, it's still more than a full game shy of Mazzotta's personal best mark of 286:54, set in Feb. 2010, a mark that stands as the fourth-longest streak in NCAA history. The mark is also the second-longest in ECAC Hockey history, bested last week by Princeton's Rachel Weber, whose streak ended at 289:43.

GET IN THE GAME

Freshman Lauren Slebodnick saw her first career action on Nov. 26-27 against Niagara, coming on in relief of starter Amanda Mazzotta both nights. Slebodnick stopped all 18 shots she faced in the two games.

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 408 victories, the ninth-highest total among NCAA Division I programs. New Hampshire leads all programs with 696 victories.

COUNTING TO 100

Cornell's win on Nov. 26 against Niagara marked the 100th victory for the Big Red since the NCAA officially recognized women's hockey as a championship sport prior to the 2000-01 season. Cornell is now 105-182-25 since women's hockey gained official status.

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 as well, 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. 

FIRING BLANKS

Amanda Mazzotta became Cornell's all-time career leader in shutouts when she blanked Harvard, 3-0, on Nov. 5. With four shutouts this season, Mazzotta now has 16 shutouts in her Cornell career, surpassing the mark of 12 set by Kathryn LoPresti from 1985 through 1989. Mazzotta's 16 shutouts rank her tied for 13th 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 110 career games played, while fellow senior Hayley Hughes is seven games away from the 100-games played mark herself.

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. 

FRONTRUNNERS

Cornell has spent 73.3 percent of the total minutes of games this season with a lead, while trailing for just a total of 6:37, or 0.8 percent of the time. Cornell has been tied for 217:47 through 14 games, or 25.9 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.

HAT TRICK PLUS ONE

Freshman Jessica Campbell scored four goals for the Big Red in a 9-1 victory against Robert Morris on Oct. 23, just her second career game. 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.

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 finding her way onto the scoresheet. 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 is the least penalized team in the nation, averaging just 6.4 minutes in the penalty box per contest. Cornell has been called for just 51 penalties in 16 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, at the time, 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 travels to Mercyhurst for a matchup of top-five powers on Tuesday, Jan. 18, in Erie, Pa. The two teams met previously this season on Nov. 2 at Cornell's Lynah Rink, a classic that Mercyhurst won, 4-3, in overtime, despite not having held a lead in the contest until the overtime game-winner.