ITHACA, N.Y. – The winningest senior class in Cornell history has departed, but the Big Red women's hockey team doesn't plan on going anywhere. After reaching the Frozen Four for the third consecutive year in 2011-2012, a strong Cornell team will return to Lynah Rink this year with its sights set on a trip to Minneapolis in March.

The team will open its season Friday night at 7 p.m. with an exhibition contest against the Brampton of the CWHL, bringing back 13 players from a unit that won 30 games last season, claimed an ECAC Hockey regular season title, an Ivy League championship and a third straight berth in the NCAA Tournament. Cornell also brings in a strong recruiting class of eight.

“We really stress the importance of focusing on the day-to-day process,” Cornell coach Doug Derraugh said. “If you don't focus in on the day-to-day process, if you don't prepare well then you're never going to get there.”

With challenging out-of-conference games early in the year and throughout the schedule combined with the ECAC Hockey gauntlet, Cornell has a tough  task ahead that it is excited to meet.

GOALTENDERS

Amanda Mazzotta – the goaltender with more wins than any other in Cornell history – may be gone, but the Big Red's corps of goalies is strong in 2012-13. Junior Lauren Slebodnick, who served as the team's backup goalie throughout the last two years, got plenty of in-game experience when Mazzotta missed time with injuries.

“Lauren gained a lot of valuable experience in those instances,” Derraugh said. “Last year, even when Amanda was healthy we had Lauren start quite a few games for us. She played extremely well for us when called upon, and this year we'll be looking for her to lead the goaltending corps.”

In 2010-11, she led the nation in goals against average, and over her career she has the lowest GAA (1.31) and highest save percentage (.933) of any goalie in Cornell history. Slebodnick, who already has 27 wins in her two years as the second goalie, may break Mazzotta's win record before her career is done.

Also returning to the Big Red is Katelyn Pippy, a sophomore who was the team's third goaltender in her freshman year. She played in one game, earning 11 minutes at home Union and making three saves.

New to the Big Red roster is freshman Stefannie Moak. The Nova Scotia native could challenge for playing time right away, as she is a quick, technically strong goalie with an excellent pre-Cornell career.

“We expect freshman Stefannie Moak to challenge for that position along with Katelyn Pippy,” Derraugh said.

DEFENSEMEN

Cornell's defensive group will be strong in 2012-13, anchored by returning seniors Laura Fortino and Lauriane Rougeau. That duo formed the Big Red's top defensive pairing throughout all of last season, and they were both named to All-American teams in 2011-12. Fortino and Rougeau, also both named to the ECAC Hockey First Team, will again be the stable pairing at the top of Cornell's defense. Rougeau, who won the ECAC's Best Defensive Forward award last year, has the second-best plus/minus rating of any Cornell player in the NCAA era with a +112. Just ahead of her? Fortino, with a +113.

Also back on the defensive end are juniors Alyssa Gagliardi and Hayleigh Cudmore. Besides helping to hold opponents to just 1.74 goals per game, Gagliardi also contributed on the offensive end, scoring five goals – including two game-winners – and adding 16 assists. Cudmore had three goals and 13 assists to her name including one game-winner.

“The four veterans there I think are four of the most solid defenseman in the ECAC and four of our best defensemen our last couple of years,” Derraugh said. “I'm certainly excited about having those four back this year.”

New to the Big Red blue line this year are three incoming freshmen. Kelly Murray, a Calgary native; Morgan Richardson, an Ottawa product; and Cassandra Poudrier, from Montreal, all have experience with Canadian national teams at the U-18 level or high, and they will add depth to the Cornell defensive corps. The Big Red will have seven defensemen on the roster for the first time since 2008-09, and all three will vie for ice time as the year begins.

“We've got a real strong D corps from top to bottom,” Derraugh said.

FORWARDS

Cornell was incredibly deep at forward last season, but the team graduated four very talented forwards last year. Olympic gold medalist Rebecca Johnston, Catherine White, Chelsea Karpenko and Kendice Ogilvie have all moved on from Cornell, and this season's forward corps has a combined 64 goals and 141 points to replace.

“It's going to be a combined effort,” Derraugh said. “I'm looking for the upperclassmen to step up into new and  bigger roles.”

The group that comes back may just be up to that task. The lone senior in the group is Erin Barley-Maloney, an athlete who came on in the second half of the 2011-12 season to score 11 goals and 11 assists total. She had nine of her goals and 11 of her assists after winter break.

The junior class of forwards is composed of the talented trio of Brianne Jenner, Jessica Campbell and Olivia Cook. Jenner, who made the ECAC Hockey and Ivy League first teams last season, was Cornell's second-biggest point producer with 20 goals and 38 assists. She was a Patty Kazmaier nominee both her freshman and sophomore year, and was the Big Red's top-line center all season.

Campbell's biggest moment of the 2011-12 campaign came in the NCAA Quarterfinals against Boston University. Down 3-0 late in the first period, Campbell scored a breakaway goal while simultaneously drawing a penalty that resulted in the Big Red's second goal. Sparked by Campbell's play, the Big Red went on to an 8-7 victory in triple overtime. Campbell ended the season with five goals and nine assists.

Cook is also back for her junior season and looking to make a bigger impact in 2012-13. She played in almost every game for Cornell last year but did not get on the score sheet.

The sophomore forward class is a strong one, highlighted by ECAC Hockey and Ivy League Rookie of the Year Jillian Saulnier. Saulnier spent most of her first season on the first line of forwards with Jenner and Johnston, and she ended the season as Cornell's third-highest scorer (22 goals, 30 assists). Classmate Emily Fulton had a productive freshman campaign as well, notching seven goals and 12 assists for 19 total points. And Monika Leck was valuable on offense as well, getting seven goals and seven assists in her first ever college hockey season.

The freshman class of forwards is four deep. Victoria Pittens, Jess Brown, Anna Zorn and Taylor Woods all hope to excel in their first seasons in Red and White, and they should all see ice time early in the year.

“I think we do have a strong freshman class of forwards,” Derraugh said. “We have some real solid offensively talented players that I think will score goals for us and help us on our special teams immediately and so far are fitting in very well.”

SCHEDULE

Another tough schedule awaits the women's hockey team both inside ECAC Hockey play and out. Cornell – which begins the year at No. 2 in both major national polls – will play seven contests against teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season and one other game against an opponent who finished last year's rankings in the top 10.

“We tried to schedule some tough non-conference games this year, and we definitely have a tough schedule in that regard,” Derraugh said.

The highlight of the early season is a weekend trip to Boston for two games against now-No. 3 Boston University. The Terriers were in Ithaca three times last year, including for the NCAA Quarterfinal contest that went into triple overtime and sent Cornell to its third consecutive Frozen Four. The Big Red is undefeated in its last three meetings with Boston University, including two wins last season over Thanksgiving weekend and the NCAA Quarterfinals game. Boston University, however, knocked Cornell out of the NCAA Tournament in 2011. The Terriers finished last season's national rankings at No. 5 and sit at No. 3 early this season.

Cornell will spend more time in Boston later in the year, traveling to the city on Jan. 11 and 12 to Hockey East teams Northeastern and Boston College. Northeastern, which ended 2011-12 ranked No. 9 in the country and is now No. 8, just missed a spot in last season's NCAA Tournament. The Eagles, though, advanced to the Frozen Four along with Cornell, losing to Wisconsin in the semifinals. Boston College was the No. 4-ranked team in the country last year.

“Those are four of the best teams in the eastern side of the NCAA,” Derraugh said. “I expect going into BU this year will be a great test for our young team in the first weekend and also great test for us outside of Lynah, being on the road and seeing how we handle our first road trip of the year.”

Another out-of-conference game with perennially-ranked Mercyhurst will give the Big Red women another challenge.

No. 7 Clarkson, St. Lawrence, Dartmouth, Harvard and Quinnipiac should all again prove difficult competition in league play. Cornell will play St. Lawrence – the team that beat it in the ECAC Hockey Tournament final last season – three times and face off with all its other league opponents twice each.