ITHACA, N.Y. – No. 3 Cornell plays host to what could be its biggest home challenge of the year as No. 5/5 Boston University comes to Ithaca for a two-game weekend set. The Terriers are the highest-ranked team on Cornell's regular-season schedule. Admission for Friday night's game is only $1.

GAME INFORMATION
GAME #9: No. 3 Cornell at No. 5 Boston University
GAME TIME: Friday, Nov. 25, 7 p.m.
GAME SITE: Lynah Rink (Ithaca, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: Boston University leads 1-0-1
LAST MEETING: Boston University won 4-1 on March 18, 2011 in NCAA Semifinal
2011 RECORDS: Cornell (7-1, 6-1 ECAC Hockey); Boston University (9-4-1, 4-1 Hockey East)
LIVE STATS: http://livestats.internetconsult.com/cornell/whockey/index.htm
LIVE VIDEO:  cornellbigred.com/showcase

GAME #10: No. 3 Cornell at No. 5 Boston University
GAME TIME: Saturday, Nov. 26, 4 p.m.
GAME SITE: Lynah Rink (Ithaca, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: Boston University leads 1-0-1*
LAST MEETING: Boston University won 4-1 on March 18, 2011 in NCAA Semifinal*
2011 RECORDS: Cornell (7-1, 6-1 ECAC Hockey); Boston University (9-4-1, 4-1 Hockey East)*
LIVE STATS: http://livestats.internetconsult.com/cornell/whockey/index.htm
LIVE VIDEO:  cornellbigred.com/showcase
* Records before game on Nov. 25

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.

After starting the season 4-0, the Big Red now stand at 7-1 and has outscored its opponents 52-14 through those eight games. Those 52 goals are the most Cornell has scored in its first eight games of the season since 1977.

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 BOSTON UNIVERSITY
The Terriers, based in Boston, come into Ithaca ranked as the nation's No. 5 team, and it is on a three-game winning streak. The Terriers are 4-1 in Hockey East, with its only conference loss coming at the hands of No. 4/4 Boston College. Boston University is led by Jenn Wakefield, who has a balanced 10 goals and nine assists on the year. Teammates Isabel Menard and Kayla Tutino also have double-digit points.
The Terriers are coached by Brian Durocher, a graduate of BU himself, in his seventh year of leading his alma mater.

THE SERIES WITH BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Cornell and Boston University have only met twice in their history, but the teams' most recent contest was an important one. When No. 2 Cornell and No. 3 squared off last March, it was for a berth in the NCAA Championship Game. The Terriers came out ahead, 4-1, and eliminated the Big Red from the postseason. Karlee Overguard had the goal for Cornell, while Rebecca Johnston and Amanda Young assisted. The teams' other meeting came in 1982 and was a 2-2 tie.

TWO WINS AGAINST BOSTON UNIVERSITY WOULD…
…keep Cornell undefeated against ranked opposition this year (3-0)…put Cornell's out-of-conference record at 3-0…extend Cornell's non-Ivy League record to 4-0…begin the season at 9-1 for the second consecutive year and the third time in team history…be the 97th and 98th career wins for Doug Derraugh.

GOALS, PERIOD.
Cornell has played 24 period of hockey this season and has scored in 23. The only period where the Big Red came up short was the first 20 minutes against Princeton last weekend.

GAME SCORING
The Big Red have scored at least three goals in every game this season, making it the first time in team history that the Big Red has scored at least three goals in the first eight games of a year. The 2010 team doubled that run in the middle of last year, scoring at least three goals in 16 consecutive games.

OUTRANKING THE COMPETITION
In its last 11 games against ranked opponents from the start of the 2009 season until now, the Big Red holds a 7-4 record. Its last game against a ranked opponent was a 5-3 win at home against Harvard on Nov. 12.

STANDING ON GUARD
Four Cornell women's ice hockey players spent part of early November competing for Canada's National Women's Team in the 4 Nations Cup in Nykoping, Sweden. Junior defensemen Laura Fortino and Lauriane Rougeau, sophomore forward Brianne Jenner and senior forward Rebecca Johnston all made the trip for the six-day tournament from and won the silver medal, falling to Team USA in a shootout in the gold medal game. Big Red head coach Doug Derraugh has was also present as an assistant coach.

NATIONAL PRIDE
Six members of the Cornell women's hockey team have also been named to Hockey Canada's Under-22 national team. Goalkeeper Amanda Mazzotta, forwards Chelsea Karpenko, Catherine White, Jessica Campbell and Jillian Saulnier and defenseman Hayleigh Cudmore will represent their home country at the 2012 Meco Cup in Füssen, Germany from Jan. 3-8. There, they will compete against national teams from Germany, Sweden, Finland, Russia and Switzerland.

ROOKIES OF THE WEEK
Freshman Emily Fulton was named ECAC Hockey's Rookie of the Week on Tuesday for her three-point effort over the weekend against Princeton and Quinnipiac. Fulton became the third Rookie of the Week winner for the Big Red this year.

Freshman Jillian Saulnier won the ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Week Award the first two weeks of Cornell's season after starting her career with a terrific 15 points in four games. In one game last week against Syracuse, Saulnier scored two goals and had three assists. That was enough to give her the award for the second consecutive week.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
For her 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in three games in the Big Red's opening weekend, center Brianne Jenner was named ECAC Hockey's Player of the Week on Nov. 1. Jenner has since scored three more points and sits in second on the team behind Saulnier.

NATIONAL POLLS
The Big Red held steady at No. 3 in this week's USCHO.com national poll. Wisconsin remains the nation's top team, and Minnesota is No. 2 in the country.

LOFTY NUMBERS
Through its first eight games, the Big Red's strong offensive and defensive numbers have placed it ahead of many in national statistics. Through last weekend's games, sophomore forward Brianne Jenner leads the nation in points per game (2.67), with Rebecca Johnston (2.50) a close second. Freshman Jillian Saulnier, who had topped that category nationally for the last three weeks, is now in sixth (2.38) but still leads the country in goals per game (1.50). Jenner is tops in the nation at assists per game (1.83), while Lauriane Rougeau and Laura Fortino are 1-2 in points per game for defensemen (1.50 and 1.33, respectively). Goalkeeper Lauren Slebodnick's 1.25 goals against average puts her at fourth in the country, and her 4-0 record has her leading in winning percentage.

As a team, Cornell has the country's best offense (6.50 goals per game) and scoring margin (4.75 goals) to go along with the best power play (34.0 percent).

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.

Slebodnick earned a shutout in her first start against Brown and has a 1.25 goals against average that is fourth-best in the country. Mazzotta has three wins on the year, a shutout, and a .750 winning percentage.

LAST TIME OUT
Cornell is coming off a successful two-game road trip in conference play, its first road trip of the year. The Big Red won a tight contest at Princeton, 3-1, before knocking off Quinnipiac 7-1. The Bobcats were the previous league leaders, but Cornell took that distinction from them with the win.

CAREER NUMBERS WATCH
Against Princeton and Quinnipiac:
• Erin Barley-Maloney got her first and second points at Cornell and her 30th in her career.
• Jessica Campbell got her 30th career point.
• Lauren Slebodnick earned her 15th win.
• Chelsea Karpenko notched her 60th career goal.
• Laura Fortino scored point No. 60.
• Amanda Young now has 40 career points.

Players approaching career numbers:
• Amanda Young needs one more point for her 40th and four more games for her 100th.
• Jillian Saulnier is one point away from her 20th.
• Catherine White is one assist shy of 90 and two goals short of 60.
• Brianne Jenner is two goals short of her 30th career and two assists away from her 40th.

UP NEXT
The Big Red's challenging schedule continues with a two-game set at Mercyhurst, currently the No. 7 team in the nation. The teams will play Friday and Saturday in Erie, Pa.