ITHACA, N.Y. – With a high-scoring six-game homestand behind it, No. 2 Cornell hits the road for its next three hockey weekends. To start, Cornell will face ECAC Hockey contenders Dartmouth and Harvard on Thanksgiving weekend, battling the Big Green on Friday and the Crimson on Saturday.
GAME INFORMATION
GAME #9: No. 2 Cornell at Dartmouth
GAME TIME: Friday, November 23, 7 p.m.
GAME SITE: Thompson Arena (Hanover, N.H.)
SERIES RECORD: Dartmouth leads 41-26-6
LAST MEETING: Cornell won 1-0 in overtime on Jan. 21, 2012
2012-13 RECORDS: Cornell (8-1, 6-0 ECAC Hockey); Dartmouth (4-1-1, 3-1 ECAC Hockey)
LIVE STATS:
Dartmouth Live Stats
LIVE VIDEO:
Dartmouth Video
GAME #10: No. 2 Cornell at No. 7 Harvard
GAME TIME: Saturday, November 24, 4 p.m.
GAME SITE: Bright Hockey Center (Cambridge, Mass.)
SERIES RECORD: Harvard leads 50-23-3
LAST MEETING: Cornell won 2-0 on Jan. 20, 2012
2012-13 RECORDS: Cornell (8-1, 4-0 ECAC Hockey); Harvard (4-1, 4-0 ECAC Hockey)*
LIVE STATS:
Harvard Live Stats
LIVE VIDEO:
Harvard Video
*Records before games on Nov. 23
ABOUT THE BIG RED
After two weeks off, Cornell got right back into the swing with big 9-0 and 9-2 victories against Nearby rival Colgate.
Brianne Jenner had four goals and two assists on Friday and then added two goals and an assist on Saturday for a nine-point weekend.
Taylor Woods also scored two goals each day, and
Lauriane Rougeau had a career-high four points on Friday.
Katelyn Pippy, making her first career start in goal, had a shutout on Friday and another win on Saturday. The Big Red has won seven consecutive games – including six at home – following an opening-weekend loss at Boston University. Cornell has been to the Frozen Four each of the last three years and will be looking to return in 2012-13. The team is currently No. 2 in the country.
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 120th career win at Boston University on Oct. 20 and is eight wins away from the school record for victories as a women's hockey coach (Bill Duthie, 135).
ABOUT DARTMOUTH
The Big Green, based in Hanover, N.H., are 4-1-1 on the year and an impressive 3-1 so far in ECAC Hockey play. Dartmouth knocked off New Hampshire but fell to Boston College in its most recent weekend, but its last conference games were a 5-4 win over Yale and a 1-0 squeaker against Brown. Reagan Fischer is the team leader in points with eight on four goals and four assists, while Camille Dumais and Laura Stacey – recently named to the Under-22 Canadian Team – each have six points. Lindsay Holdcroft is the team's top goalie, and she has a 2.41 goals against average in four games.
Dartmouth is coached by Mark Hudak, now in his 10th year with the Big Green.
THE SERIES WITH DARTMOUTH
The Big Green and Big Red have faced off 73 times over the years with Dartmouth holding a 41-26-6 advantage in all contests. The teams split last year with each winning at the other's home arena. Dartmouth beat Cornell in Ithaca 5-4 on a day when four of Cornell's top players were with Team Canada, and Cornell went to Hanover and won 1-0 in overtime thanks to
Erin Barley-Maloney's heroics. Cornell beat Dartmouth three times out of four in 2010-11 and both times in 2009-10.
A WIN AGAINST DARTMOUTH WOULD…
…improve the Big Red's record to 9-1, keeping it undefeated in conference play and on top of the league standings…start the team out 7-0 in conference play for the first time since 2010 and second time ever…start a season 9-1 for the third consecutive year…be the second consecutive win against the Big Green…move Cornell to 4-0 on Fridays…be the 92nd consecutive game with a goal for Cornell.
ABOUT HARVARD
The Crimson, based in Cambridge, Mass., has a 4-1 record on the season but is a perfect 4-0 in ECAC Hockey play and ranked No. 7 in the country. Harvard swept Princeton and Quinnipiac to open the year and followed that with victories at Brown and Yale. The team's most recent game, though, was a 2-1 loss at top-10 Boston University. Harvard is led by Jillian Dempsey on offense as she has six goals and five assists for 11 points. Lyndsey Fry is close behind with nine points on four goals and five assists. Laura Bellamy is a strong backstop for the Crimson with a 0.67 goals against in three games.
Harvard is coached by Katey Stone who is in her 19th year of coaching, all with the Crimson.
THE SERIES WITH HARVARD
Harvard leads the historical series with Cornell by a wide margin, holding a 50-23-3 advantage. But last season the Big Red swept, taking a 5-3 win early in the year in Ithaca and then shutting out the Crimson on their home ice with a 2-0 victory. Cornell also won both games against the Crimson in 2010-11 and two of three in 2009-10. Cornell has not fallen to Harvard since February 2009.
A WIN AGAINST HARVARD WOULD…
…give Cornell its sixth consecutive victory in the series…improve Cornell to 5-0 on Saturdays this season.
EARLY BIRDS
Through four different weekend series, the Big Red has yet to play a Friday game at 7 p.m. and a Saturday game at 4 p.m. like a normal ECAC Hockey weekend, mostly due to time conflicts with men's hockey games at Lynah Rink. Cornell has played six consecutive games at 3 p.m. and has won all of them. This weekend will be the Big Red's first weekend of the year at its normal 7 p.m. Friday, 4 p.m. Saturday schedule.
MECO CUP
Seven Big Red players were named to the Canada Under-22 roster for the Meco Cup in early January.
Laura Fortino,
Lauriane Rougeau,
Hayleigh Cudmore,
Cassandra Poudrier,
Jillian Saulnier,
Brianne Jenner and
Jessica Campbell will all be making the trip to Germany to compete for their country.
ROAD STRETCH
After a six-game home streak, Cornell started a seven-game road swing with a 9-2 win at Colgate on Saturday. The Big Red will now play six more games in a row away from before returning to Lynah Rink on Jan. 15. Cornell will take on Harvard, Dartmouth, St. Lawrence, Clarkson, Boston College and Northeastern all in their rinks over the next two months.
HOME COOKING
The Big Red's current eight-game winning streak includes a six-game streak at home. Wins for the Big Red in Lynah Rink came against St. Lawrence, Yale, Brown Princeton, Quinnipiac and Colgate. The team has not lost a home game since March 2012.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Brianne Jenner, who racked up a career-high six points on Friday and added three more on Saturday was named the ECAC Hockey Player of the Week. Freshman
Taylor Woods, who had five points in those two games against Colgate, was named the league's Rookie of the Week. Jenner is the first Cornell Player of the Week this season while Woods is the second Rookie of the Week (
Cassandra Poudrier, Nov. 6).
IVY LEAGUE LEADERS
With victories against Brown, Yale and Princeton, Cornell remains on top of the Ivy League standings. Harvard and Dartmouth, though, are right with the Big Red as all three teams are 3-0. Brown, Princeton and Yale are all 0-3 in the league. Cornell has claimed the Ivy League title for the last three years, and this weekend's contests against the other two first-place teams will be crucial in deciding the league.
MARKERS FOR MADISON
Brianne Jenner is participating in a charity this year for a young girl with brain cancer, Madison Primeau. For every goal Jenner scores, Jenner's sponsors will donate $1 to a charity to help pay Madison's medical bills. Jenner erupted for six goals last weekend, bringing her total on the year to eight. That means her 50 sponsors will donate a combined $400 to Primeau so far. To sponsor Jenner's charity, e-mail her at
bj72@cornell.edu.
NATIONAL POLLS
As it has been since it began playing this year, the Big Red is still No. 2 in the USCHO.com and USA Today national polls. Also in the top 10 are ECAC Hockey rivals Clarkson (No. 3) and Harvard (No. 7).
NO SHUTOUTS
Cornell scored a goal in every game last year, something only it can say. Cornell was also the only team playing a full Division I schedule to not have a tie last year. The Big Red's streak of scoring at least one goal in a game is now 91 games long, dating back all the way to a 0-0 tie against Quinnipiac on Feb. 5, 2010.
STREAKING RED
Cornell, currently on a seven-game winning streak, has the second-longest such streak in the country. No. 1 Minnesota is 14-0 on the year, and No. 4 Mercyhurst also has a seven-game unbeaten run. Clarkson and Dartmouth are the ECAC Hockey teams with the second-longest current unbeaten streak, both at four games.
REPRESENTING HER COUNTRY
Brianne Jenner missed the Princeton and Quinnipiac games three weeks ago as she competed with the Canadian National Women's Team at the 4 Nations Cup in Finland. Jenner and
Rebecca Johnston '12 each had an assist in Canada's four games as the Canadians wound up losing 3-0 to the United States in the gold medal game. Jenner returns to Ithaca with a silver medal from one of the top women's hockey competitions in the world.
HOLDING A LEAD
The Big Red is now undefeated in its last 62 games when holding a lead after two periods. This streak dates all the way back to the national title game in 2010, which Cornell was leading 1-0 in the third period but lost 2-1 in triple overtime. The Big Red was 28-0 in 2010-11, 27-0 in 2011-12 and is 5-0 this season when leading after two periods.
GAME-SAVER
Sophomore goalie
Katelyn Pippy has been on a roll the last three games, starting her first career competition and coming away with three victories. After playing only 10 minutes her entire freshman season, Pippy has racked up 153 minutes over the last three contests. She earned her first career shutout against Colgate on Friday.
FRESHMEN SCORERS
All seven of the Big Red's freshmen forwards and defensemen have at least one collegiate point. Taylor Wodos is the team's third-leading scorer with nine points, while
Victoria Pittens got her first points last weekend when she scored a goal at Colgate on Saturday.
TUESDAY SUCCESS
With the victory against St. Lawrence on Oct. 23, Cornell has now claimed eight consecutive contests on Tuesday nights. Cornell's last loss Tuesday night came on Nov. 2, 2010 against Mercyhurst in a 4-3 overtime defeat.
SHORT-HANDED OFFENSE
The Big Red scored two shorthanded goals against Boston University on Oct. 20, marking the first time the team has tallied two short-handed goals in a game in at least nine years.
Taylor Woods scored the first to tie the game at 2-2, and
Emily Fulton struck about a minute later to give Cornell a 3-2 lead it would hold for a 5-2 victory.
HELPING GLOVE
Goalie
Lauren Slebodnick got her first career assist on Oct. 20, passing the puck to
Hayleigh Cudmore who found
Emily Fulton for Cornell's third goal. The assist was Cornell's first from a goalie in more than three years. Jenny Niesluchowski had the last goalie assist on Jan. 4, 2009 against Providence College.
OUTRANKING THE COMPETITION
In its last 23 games against ranked opponents from the start of the 2009-10 season until now, the Big Red holds a 16-8 record. Cornell was a very impressive 9-3 against ranked opponents in 2011-12.
CAREER NUMBERS WATCH
Over the weekend:
Approaching career numbers:
UP NEXT
The Big Red stays on the road next weekend, traveling to league co-leader Clarkson on Friday at 7 p.m. and then St. Lawrence on Saturday at 4 p.m.
