ITHACA, N.Y. – No. 2 Cornell enters Tuesday night on a hot streak to start the season after dispatching conference competition by a combined score of 18-0 over the weekend. The Big Red will look to stay undefeated and claim the all-time series lead in a budding rivalry against Syracuse at 7 p.m.

GAME INFORMATION
GAME #4: No. 2 Cornell vs. Syracuse
GAME TIME: Tuesday, Nov. 1, 7 p.m.
GAME SITE: Lynah Rink (Ithaca, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: Series tied 1-1
LAST MEETING: Cornell won 4-1 on Nov. 30, 2010
2011 RECORDS: Cornell (3-0, 3-0 ECAC Hockey); Syracuse (5-6, 0-0 College Hockey America)
LIVE STATS: http://www.sidearmstats.com/colgate/whockey/index.htm
LIVE VIDEO:  http://www.cornellbigred.com/showcase

ABOUT THE BIG RED
In the last two years, Cornell has evolved into one of the country's top teams. The 2010 season saw the Big Red advance to the NCAA championship game before losing in triple overtime to Minnesota-Duluth, and the team returned to the Frozen Four last year. With the core returning this season, hopes and expectations are again high for the Big Red. Last year's team went 31-3-1 and won its second consecutive ECAC Hockey tournament.
Early in this season, Cornell has won all three of its games by a combined 24-2 and has outshot opponents by a 178-38 margin.

HEAD COACH DOUG DERRAUGH
Now in his seventh season directing the Cornell women's hockey program, Doug Derraugh has quickly brought the Big Red women to their place among the nation's elite. Taking a program that won just four games in the season prior to his arrival, Derraugh guided the Big Red to the national title game in his fifth season and back-to-back NCAA Frozen Four appearances in 2010 and 2011, completely turning around the culture of the women's hockey program at Cornell. Derraugh, a 1991 graduate of Cornell, was the last Big Red men's hockey player to score 30 goals in a season.

ABOUT SYRACUSE
The Orange, based in Syracuse, come into Tuesday night's contest with a 5-6 record but on a three-game winning streak. In the last 10 days, the Orange has taken one win from ECAC Hockey's Union and then two wins from the University of Connecticut including one shutout.  Syracuse's offense has put up 25 goals in 11 games, good for 22nd in the country. Its defense is ranked even higher at 17th in the country. Allie Lacombe and Megan Skelly lead the team with seven points each.
The Orange is coached by Paul Flanagan, a 1980 St. Lawrence graduate, in his fourth year with the team.

THE SERIES WITH SYRACUSE
Cornell and Syracuse, despite being less than 90 minutes apart, have met just twice due to the Orange's program only existing for three full years. When the teams met last season, Cornell emerged with a 4-1 victory after falling behind early. In the teams' first meeting in 2009, Syracuse came away from Ithaca with a 2-1 overtime win.

A WIN AGAINST SYRACUSE WOULD…
…open the season at 4-0 for the second year in a row and only the fifth time ever…give the Big Red a 2-1 advantage all-time against the Orange…extend the Big Red's winning streak over Syracuse to two games…start out-of-conference play with a win for the second consecutive season…be the 93rd career victory for head coach Doug Derraugh.

NATIONAL POLLS
The Big Red opened the season ranked No. 3 in the USCHO.com national poll but have moved up to No. 2 in the nation this week and have received one first-place vote. The Big Red jumped ahead of new No. 3 Minnesota.

NATIONAL NUMBERS
Cornell's three lopsided opening victories have placed the team ahead of many in national statistics. Forwards Brianne Jenner and Jillian Saulnier are tied for the national lead in points per game (3.33) with forward Rebecca Johnston (3.00) in third. All told, the Big Red has eight players in the national top 20 in that category. Jenner and Johnston are tied for first in the country with 2.33 assists per game. Sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Slebodnick has the lowest goals-against average (0.00) and highest save percentage (1.000) in the country thanks to a shutout in her one appearance.

As a team, Cornell has the country's best offense (8.00 goals per game) and defense (0.67 goals allowed per game), the second-best power play (38.1 percent) and second-best penalty kill (94.1 percent).

OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAINS
Four players have been named captains for the 2011-12 women's hockey season. Seniors Rebecca Johnston, Catherine White, Chelsea Karpenko and Amanda Young will all be wearing 'C's on their uniforms this year.

NATIONAL TEAM CREDENTIALS
Four Cornell women's ice hockey players have been selected to the roster of Canada's National Women's Team for the upcoming 4 Nations Cup. Junior defensemen Laura Fortino and Lauriane Rougeau, sophomore forward Brianne Jenner and senior forward Rebecca Johnston will all make the trip to Nykoping, Sweden, for the six-day tournament from Nov. 9-14. Big Red head coach Doug Derraugh has also been named an assistant for the competition.

PRESEASON HONORS
Cornell was picked by the ECAC Hockey coaches to once again finish first in the league this season. The Big Red received 11 of the 12 first-place votes — coach Derraugh was not allowed to vote for his own team — for a total of 121 points.

ECAC Hockey also put out its Preseason All-League Team in September, and four Cornell student-athletes made the list. Jenner and Johnston join an all-Big Red blue line of Fortino and Rougeau on the All-League Team. Cornell's players are joined by Quinnipiac goalie Victoria Vigilanti and forward Kelly Babstock.

GREAT GOALIES
Calling senior Amanda Mazzotta and sophomore Lauren Slebodnick the best goaltending tandem in the country last season is not a stretch. They had the stats to back it up. Mazzotta, during her fantastic junior campaign, recorded the country's lowest goals against average of 1.12. Right behind her? Slebodnick, who rocketed onto the scene as a freshman with a 1.15 goals against average. Both are back this year, and Cornell should have a solid netminder every night.

Mazzotta started the season in net and had 10 saves against Colgate on Tuesday night. Slebodnick earned a shutout in her only start against Brown. Slebdonick and Mazzotta are first and third in the nation, respectively, in goals against average so far this season.

LAST TIME OUT
Cornell took nine minutes to get going against Ivy League and ECAC Hockey foe Brown on Saturday, but once the floodgates opened, they didn't close. The Big Red put up nine goals total, including four in the second period and a hat trick by Chelsea Karpenko, while silencing the Bears' offense. Lauren Slebodnick got her first start and first shutout of the season, and Brianne Jenner and Hayleigh Cudmore earned three assists each.

ALSO OVER THE WEEKEND
The Big Red also topped Yale 9-0 on Friday night with six different players scoring goals and 11 different players notching assists. Amanda Mazzotta earned the shutout after making 16 saves while Catherine White and Brianne Jenner each had two goals.

SOCIAL MEDIA
Cornell women's ice hockey is the best team on campus to follow on social media. With updates daily including pictures and direct responses to fan inquiries, you can get all your Cornell women's ice hockey information on Twitter @CornellWHockey. Or, find the team on Facebook by searching for Cornell University Women's Hockey.

CAREER NUMBERS WATCH
Over the weekend against Yale and Brown:
• Emily Fulton and Monika Leck got their first career goals.
• Alyssa Gagliardi notched her 20th career point.
• Brianne Jenner eclipsed 30 in her career assists and earned her 60th point.
• Rebecca Johnston earned her 500th shot and is now at 511.
• Amanda Mazzotta tallied her 60th start and 1,200th save.
• Kendice Ogilvie got her 20th assist.
• Jillian Saulnier earned career point No. 10.
• Catherine White played in her 100th game.

Players approaching career numbers:
• Chelsea Karpenko is one away from her 100th career game.
• Lauriane Rougeau needs one more game and point to reach 70 each.
• Rebecca Johnston needs one more goal to hit 70.
• Laura Fortino is two shots away from 200.


BRING IN THE YOUNG GUNS
The 2011 Cornell team features five new players including four freshmen and one transfer. Freshmen forwards Jillian Saulnier, Monika Leck and Emily Fulton are joined by goalkeeper Katelyn Pippy and senior transfer Erin Barley-Maloney. Barley-Maloney, also a forward, is a senior coming from the University of Vermont.

UP NEXT
The Big Red has nine full days between the Syracuse game and a Nov. 11 contest against nationally ranked Dartmouth. The team will play host to the Big Green for a 7 p.m. game and then face Harvard at 4 p.m. the next day.