ITHACA, N.Y. – With its third consecutive appearance in the Frozen Four behind it, the Cornell women's hockey team enters the 2012-13 season in search of number four. Currently ranked No. 2 in the country, the Big Red will have a very difficult test to start the year when it travels to Boston to take on the No. 3 Boston University Terriers on Saturday and Sunday. A familiar foe, Boston University faced the Big Red three times in 2011-12.

GAME INFORMATION
GAME #1: No. 2 Cornell at No. 3 Boston University
GAME TIME: Saturday, October 20, 7 p.m.
GAME SITE: Agganis Arena (Boston)
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads 3-1-1
LAST MEETING: Cornell won 8-7 (3OT) on March 10, 2012
2012-13 RECORDS: Cornell (0-0-0); Boston University (4-0-0)
LIVE STATS: Gametracker
LIVE VIDEO: Terriers All Access

GAME #2: No. 2 Cornell at No. 3 Boston University
GAME TIME: Sunday, October 21, 2 p.m.
GAME SITE: Walter Brown Arena (Boston)
LIVE STATS: Gametracker
LIVE VIDEO: Terriers All Access

ABOUT THE BIG RED
Over the last three seasons, Cornell has been transformed from a team that had never competed for a national title to a team that never leaves the national top 10 rankings. The Big Red reached the  Frozen Four in each of the last three seasons and played in the national title game in 2009-10. Cornell has won the ECAC Hockey regular season title for the last three years and claimed the ECAC Hockey tournament crown in 2010 and 2011. The Big Red returns 13 players from last season's team and brings in eight new freshmen to help replace the five graduated seniors from 2011-12.

HEAD COACH DOUG DERRAUGH
Now in his eighth season directing the Cornell women's hockey program, Doug Derraugh has quickly brought the Big Red women to their current 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-to-back NCAA Frozen Four appearances in 2010, 2011 and 2012, 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. He earned his 100th career win at Union on Jan. 6, 2012 and has the second-most wins of any Cornell women's hockey coach.

ABOUT BOSTON UNIVERSITY
The Terriers, based in Boston, currently hold a 4-0-0 record and are ranked No. 3 in the nation according to the USCHO.com poll. With three NCAA Tournament appearances in the last three years – including a loss to Cornell in the NCAA quarterfinals last season – the Terriers have become as consistent a program as there is in the Northeast. The Terriers are led by Sarah Lefort (six goals) and Marie-Philip Poulin (seven assists) on offense, and Kerrin Sperry is their starting goaltender and new career wins leader with a 1.88 goals against average.
Brian Durocher is the team's coach and is now in his eighth season coaching his alma mater.

THE SERIES WITH BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Though the teams' first contest against each other came in 1983, Cornell and BU have only played each other five times in history. Four of those games have come in the last two seasons, though, as the Terriers knocked Cornell out of the NCAA Tournament in 2011 and the Big Red returned the favor in 2012. The teams also met twice in Ithaca during the regular season last year over Thanksgiving weekend. Cornell claimed all three meetings between the sides last season.
The teams' meeting in the national quarterfinals last year was an intense, back-and-forth affair that saw each team hold and lose three-goal leads at one point. After 60 minutes, the score was tied at 7-7. After 59 more minutes, the score was still 7-7. But Lauriane Rougeau put home the triple-overtime game-winner with 10 seconds showing on the clock to send Cornell to its third consecutive Frozen Four. The game was  the longest in Cornell hockey history for men or women.

TWO WINS AGAINST BU WOULD…
…start the season 2-0 for the third consecutive season…be Cornell's fourth and fifth straight wins over BU…move Cornell's record against ranked teams to 2-0.

MIXED VENUES
The Big Red will open its season at Agganis Arena, a 6,150-seat stadium that is normally reserved for the Terriers men's team. Sunday's contest will be held at the smaller Walter Brown Arena, the place where BU's women usually skate.

CORNELL IN BOSTON
Beantown is a familiar place for Big Red women's hockey, as it travels to nearby Cambridge for its road game against Harvard every year. Besides the Harvard and BU games this season, the Big Red will get even more friendly with Boston as it will face Northeastern and Boston College in January. Cornell has won its last three games in Massachusetts, while Doug Derraugh has a 4-6-1 record in the Bay State.

REPRESENTING HER COUNTRY
Brianne Jenner won a spot on the Canadian Women's National Team last week and is the only Big Red player to earn that honor. She will compete at the 4 Nations Cup with Canada for the third consecutive season. The tournament, held in Finland in November, will also have Rebecca Johnston '12 suiting up for Canada.

MEET THE CAPTAINS
The Big Red's captain this season will be senior defenseman Lauriane Rougeau. Serving as alternate captains will be senior defenseman Laura Fortino and junior defenseman Alyssa Gagliardi. Cornell's four captains last season were seniors Rebecca Johnston, Catherine White, Chelsea Karpenko and Amanda Young.

NEW KIDS ON THE ICE
Cornell welcomes a talented class of eight freshmen to Ithaca this year. Goalkeeper Stefannie Moak will be joined by defensemen Kelly Murray, Cassandra Poudrier and Morgan Richardson along with forwards Jess Brown, Victoria Pittens, Taylor Woods and Anna Zorn.

TELEVISION STAR
Besides sending her team to the Frozen Four, Lauriane Rougeau got a special treat after scoring the game-winning goal against BU last year. For her efforts, the junior was put on ESPN's SportsCenter, and her goal was the show's No. 3 play in SportsCenter's Top 10 the next morning.

ECAC YEARLY HONORS
Cornell had four players earn ECAC Hockey individual honors last season. Senior forward Rebecca Johnston was named the Player of the Year, Jillian Saulnier was named the Rookie of the Year, Chelsea Karpenko was named the Best Defensive Forward and Lauriane Rougeau was named Best Defensive Defenseman. Johnston, Rougeau, Laura Fortino and Brianne Jenner were named to the league's first team, while Saulnier earned second team All-League honors.

IVY LEAGUE AWARD WINNERS
Rebecca Johnston was named the Ivy League's Player of the Year, and freshman Jillian Saulnier earned Rookie of the Year honors. The Big Red also had four players make the All-Ivy First Team: Johnston, Brianne Jenner, Lauriane Rougeau and Laura Fortino.

NO SHUTOUTS
Cornell scored a goal in every game last year, something only it can say. Clarkson and Northeastern were on that list until late in the season, but the Big Red was the lone team to make it through the whole season without a shutout against. Cornell was also the only team playing a full Division I schedule to not have a tie last year.

OUTRANKING THE COMPETITION
In its last 21 games against ranked opponents from the start of the 2009-10 season until now, the Big Red holds a 15-7 record. Cornell was a very impressive 9-3 against ranked opponents in 2011-12.

NATIONAL POLLS
Cornell begins its season as the No. 2 team in the USCHO.com national poll as well as the USA Today national poll. Cornell was No. 3 in both polls earlier in the year, but losses by Wisconsin dropped the Badgers out of the top two. Defending national champion Minnesota is No. 1 in both polls.

CAREER NUMBERS WATCH
Approaching career numbers:
• Laura Fortino and Lauriane Rougeau are one game away from their 100th.
• Emily Fulton's next point will be her 20th.
• Rougeau's next assist will be her 70th and her next point will be her 90th.

UP NEXT
Cornell gets no rest as it faces St. Lawrence at home on Tuesday night. The Saints, who beat the Big Red in the ECAC Hockey Tournament final last year, will come to Ithaca for a 7 p.m. puck drop. The contest will not be an official league game.