ITHACA, N.Y. – The playoffs begin now. Having clinched the top seed in the conference tournament, the Big Red will host eight seed Brown for a best-of-three weekend series at Lynah Rink. The action begins Friday night and continues Saturday and possibly Sunday. The winner moves on to the conference semifinals next weekend.

GAME INFORMATION
GAME #1: No. 3 Cornell vs. Brown
GAME TIME: Friday, Feb. 24, 3:30 p.m.
GAME SITE: Lynah Rink (Ithaca, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads 38-34-8
LAST MEETING: Cornell won 5-0 on Feb. 10, 2012
2011-12 RECORDS: Cornell (26-3, 20-2 ECAC Hockey); Brown (8-13-7, 5-13-4 ECAC Hockey)
LIVE STATS: Cornell Live Stats
LIVE VIDEO:  RedCast

GAME #2 No. 3 Cornell vs. Brown
GAME TIME: Saturday, Feb. 25, 2 p.m.
GAME SITE: Lynah Rink (Ithaca, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads 38-34-8*
LAST MEETING: Cornell won 5-0 on Feb. 10, 2012
2011-12 RECORDS: Cornell (26-3, 20-2 ECAC Hockey); Brown (8-13-7, 5-13-4 ECAC Hockey)*
LIVE STATS: Cornell Live Stats
LIVE VIDEO:  RedCast
*Before game on Feb. 24

GAME #3: No. 3 Cornell vs. Brown
GAME TIME: Sunday, Feb. 24, 3:30 p.m. (if necessary)
GAME SITE: Lynah Rink (Ithaca, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads 38-34-8*
LAST MEETING: Cornell won 5-0 on Feb. 10, 2012
2011-12 RECORDS: Cornell (26-3, 20-2 ECAC Hockey); Brown (8-13-7, 5-13-4 ECAC Hockey)*
LIVE STATS: Cornell Live Stats
LIVE VIDEO: RedCast
*Records before games on Feb. 24, 25

ABOUT THE BIG RED
The Big Red finished its regular season on a seven-game winning streak, a streak that is currently the longest in the nation. The Big Red has not lost once in February and is 16-1 in 2012. Now the team takes on Brown in the ECAC Hockey Quarterfinals, a round where it has won four consecutive games. The Big Red would lock up a spot in the NCAA Tournament by winning this tournament first.

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. He earned his 100th career win at Union on Jan. 6.

ABOUT BROWN
The Bears, out of Providence, R.I., came into last weekend's games in the No. 8 spot in the ECAC Hockey standings and stayed there despite losing games against Harvard and Dartmouth. With Rensselaer and Colgate also losing both games on the weekend, Brown backed into this tournament. This will be the Bears' first time making the playoffs since 2006.

Brown has lost seven of its last eight contests on the season. Karelyn Landry continues to lead the way for the Bears' scoring with seven goals and 12 assists for 19 points. Six other Brown players have also reached double digit points this season. In goal, Aubree Moore and Katie Jamieson have split time. Moore has a 1.98 goals against average and made 34 saves in an overtime game against Dartmouth on Saturday.

Brown is coached by Amy Bourbeau, a 1994 graduate of Providence College, who is starting her first year in charge of the Bears.

THE SERIES WITH BROWN
Cornell extended its lead in the lifetime series against Brown to 38-34-8 with a 5-0 win in Providence two weeks ago.  In that game, Lauren Slebodnick earned her second consecutive shutout of the Bears, as she also picked up a 9-0 victory in Ithaca in October. Cornell's last loss to Brown came on Jan. 20, 2007, a span of nine games.

A WIN AGAINST BROWN ON FRIDAY WOULD…
…extend Cornell's winning streak over the Bears to 10 games…bring Cornell's current winning streak up to eight…move Cornell's ECAC Hockey Tournament winning streak to nine…keep Cornell undefeated in February…move the Big Red to 10-1 against Ivy League teams and 15-1 at home this season.

WINS AGAINST BROWN FRIDAY AND SATURDAY WOULD…
…extend Cornell's winning streak over the Bears to 11 games…bring Cornell's winning streak up to nine…move Cornell's ECAC Hockey Tournament winning streak to 10…place Cornell in the ECAC Hockey Tournament semifinals next Friday.

ECAC HOCKEY PLAYOFF RECORD
What started out poorly has become a strength for the Big Red in recent years. Dating back to 1996, Cornell lost its first 14 ECAC Hockey Tournament games over a span of 12 years including a stretch of eight straight losses to Harvard from 2003 to 2009. But since the last loss to Harvard in 2009, the Big Red have won eight consecutive ECAC Hockey Tournament games and won the last two titles. Interestingly, all 14 losses came on the road and all eight wins came in Lynah Rink.

PATTY KAZMAIER NOMINEES
Four Cornell women's hockey players have been named nominees for the Patty Kazmaier Award, the highest individual honor in women's college hockey. Senior Rebecca Johnston, juniors Laura Fortino and Lauriane Rougeau and sophomore Brianne Jenner all made the cut to the final 30 student-athletes.

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS
With victories against Yale and Brown last weekend, the Big Red clinched their third consecutive ECAC Hockey regular season championship and the No. 1 spot in the conference tournament. Cornell will host the conference quarterfinals next weekend against the No. 8 team and will also host the semifinals and finals should it advance past the quarterfinals.

IVY LEAGUE CHAMPIONS
When the Big Red defeated Union 5-1 on Feb. 4, the team got some help away from Ithaca when Harvard knocked off Princeton 10-1. The Tigers were the only team that could catch Cornell in the Ivy League standings before they lost that game to Harvard, clinching the Ivy League championship for Cornell. The championship is the 10th in program history and third in a row.

SENIOR NIGHT
Saturday's game was final regular-season contest for seniors Rebecca Johnston, Chelsea Karpenko, Amanda Mazzotta, Kendice Ogilvie, Catherine White and Amanda Young. They will leave Cornell as the winningest and most successful senior class ever, racking up at least 90 wins in their careers before this weekend's games, winning three Ivy League championships and three ECAC Hockey regular season titles. This group of seniors has made the NCAA Tournament twice – so far – and has made the Frozen Four each of the last two years.

HOME COOKING
The Big Red has embarked on five separate road game stretches this season and has come away with victories in each of its five home games following those trips. Cornell has won those home games by a combined score of 21-3.

NO SHUTOUTS
The Big Red is one of just three teams in the country that has not been shut out this season. Cornell has scored a goal in every game this year, something only the Big Red, Clarkson and North Dakota can say.

NO TIES, EITHER
With the regular season now behind the team, Cornell is has become the only team in the country playing a full Division I schedule to go untied all year. Lindenwood, a Division I program, also went without a tie but played Division III opponents during the year along with its Division I schedule.

BRICK WALLS
Through 29 games this season, the Big Red has given up just 45 goals total. That number is the smallest among all Division I teams.

WINNING WAYS
With a win against Dartmouth on Jan. 21, Amanda Mazzotta earned her 48th career victory, putting her atop the team's all-time list. Mazzotta passed the previous record of 47 career wins, previously held by Sarah Mott, who played from 1978-81. She notched her 49th and 50th wins last weekend against Clarkson and St. Lawrence.

MAKING A POINT
Six current members of the Cornell roster are averaging more than a point per game over their career. Freshman Jillian Saulnier, with the smallest sample size, has a points-per-game average of 1.52. Brianne Jenner (1.62), Rebecca Johnston (1.57), Catherine White (1.35), Laura Fortino (1.15) and Chelsea Karpenko (1.02) are also on that list.

WEEKLY AWARDS HAT TRICK
The Cornell women's hockey program scored a hat trick on last Tuesday as three players from the team won all three of ECAC Hockey's weekly awards. Sophomore goalie Lauren Slebodnick won the league's Goaltender of the Week award, sophomore forward Brianne Jenner was named the conference' Player of the Week and freshman forward Jillian Saulnier earned Rookie of the Week Honors.

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
For an excellent January where she scored 15 points and notched three game-winning goals, forward Rebecca Johnston has been named the ECAC Hockey Player of the Month. Johnston now has 17 goals and 20 assists this season, leading Cornell in goals and points (37).

Johnston becomes the second Cornell player honored with a monthly award this year as Jillian Saulnier twice earned Rookie of the Month. Johnston has not won an ECAC Hockey weekly award this season, though she was named Player of the Week twice last year and three times during the 2008-09 campaign.

AWARD WINNERS
Since the beginning of this season, Cornell's players have been awarded with ECAC Hockey weekly honors 12 times, more than any other team in the league.

Most recently, Brianne Jenner won Player of the Week, Jillian Saulnier took home Rookie of the Week and Lauren Slebodnick was named the Goaltender of the Week all last Tuesday. Saulnier won Rookie of the Week twice earlier in the year, while freshmen Emily Fulton and Monika Leck each won that honor once. Senior Kendice Ogilvie and sophomore Jenner have earned Player of the Week honors, while Slebodnick took home Goaltender of the Week once before and Amanda Mazzotta earned it on Jan. 24.

OUTRANKING THE COMPETITION
In its last 19 games against ranked opponents from the start of the 2009-10 season until now, the Big Red holds a 14-5 record. The win against No. 10 St. Lawrence on Saturday added to that impressive record, as did a victory against No. 5 Mercyhurst two weeks ago. Cornell won two games against then-No. 5 Boston University in November and took one of two from then-No. 6 Mercyhurst in December. The Big Red also topped then-No. 10 Harvard in November, then beat No. 9 Harvard and No. 10 Dartmouth in late January.

NATIONAL PRIDE
Cornell saw six players participate in the Meco Cup in Germany in the first week of the year, playing for Canada's under-22 national team. All five Cornell skaters scored at least one point in the five-game tournament. Jillian Saulnier led the way with two goals and four assists, while Catherine White and Jessica Campbell notched three points each. Chelsea Karpenko had a goal and an assist, Hayleigh Cudmore earned an assist, and goalie Amanda Mazzotta got two wins and a shutout. Canada won the bronze.

NATIONAL POLLS
Cornell remained at No. 3 in this week's USCHO.com national poll but picked up three more points and two first-place votes after a 2-0 week including a win against No. 10 St. Lawrence. Wisconsin remains at No. 1 with 12 first-place votes and Minnesota sits at No. 2 with the other first-place vote.

LOFTY NUMBERS
Forward Rebecca Johnston currently sits at eighth in the nation in points per game (1.81), with Brianne Jenner not far behind in 11th (1.78). Freshman Jillian Saulnier is second in points per game among rookies (1.56). Laura Fortino is No. 1 points per game for defensemen (1.19). Goalkeeper Lauren Slebodnick's 1.35 goals against average puts her in first the country and her 13-1 record has her first in winning percentage. Amanda Mazzotta is fifth and third in those categories at 1.64 and 12-2, respectively.

As a team, Cornell has the country's best offense (4.69 goals per game) and second-best scoring margin (3.14 goals) to go along with the third-best power play (25.0 percent) and fourth-best scoring defense (1.55 goals).

LAST TIME OUT
The Big Red wrapped up its regular season in style, earning wins against North Country foes St. Lawrence and Clarkson. On Friday night against the Golden Knights, Jillian Saulnier netted the overtime game-winner to avenge a loss from earlier in the season. The team was presented with the ECAC Hockey regular season trophy following the game. Against St. Lawrence the next day, Cornell built a 3-0 lead and held on for a 3-2 win on Senior Night.

CAREER NUMBERS WATCH
Against Clarkson and St. Lawrence
• Amanda Mazzotta got her 50th career win.
• Laura Fortino earned her 80th assist.
• Rebecca Johnston scored her 90th career goal.
• Chelsea Karpenko notched the 60th assist of her career.

Approaching career numbers:
• Alyssa Gagliardi's next assist will be her 30th.
• Lauriane Rougeau is one goal away from 20.
• Catherine White is two assists shy of 100.
• Brianne Jenner is three points away from 100 in her career.

UP NEXT
With a win in the series against Brown, Cornell would continue its season against the lowest remaining seed in the ECAC Hockey Tournament Semifinals on Friday of next week at Lynah. A win in that game would put the Big Red in the tournament final on Saturday.