ITHACA, N.Y.  – After successfully reclaiming the ECAC Hockey Championship in 2012-13, the No. 4/No. 5 Cornell women's hockey team opens its 2013-14 ECAC Hockey and Ivy League title-defending season with a two-game home series against the Huskies of Northeastern. While the first game of the season is likely to feature the speed, precision and excitement the women's program at Cornell has come to be known for on the ice, it will also feature what the team is known for around Ithaca off of the ice: community involvement, as the team has once again chosen to partner with the United Way of Tompkins County. 
 
GAME INFORMATION
GAME #1: No. 4/ No. 5 Cornell vs. Northeastern
GAME TIME: Saturday, Oct. 19 at 2 p.m.
GAME SITE: Lynah Rink
SERIES RECORD: Northeastern leads 28-9-1
LAST MEETING: Cornell won 4-2 (Jan. 12, 2013)
2013-14 RECORDS: Cornell (0-0-0); Northeastern (3-1-0)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | RADIO
 
GAME #2: No. 4/ No. 5 Cornell vs. Northeastern
GAME TIME: Sunday, Oct. 20 at 2 p.m.
GAME SITE: Lynah Rink
2013-14 RECORDS*: Cornell (0-0-0); Northeastern (3-1-0)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | RADIO
 
*Records accurate before game on Oct. 19.
 
ABOUT THE BIG RED
Cornell captured its third ECAC Championship last season, narrowly edging Harvard 2-1 in the final game of the tournament thanks to a late third-period power-play goal by Jessica Campbell. Though the team's streak of three consecutive Frozen Four appearances was snapped with a first round overtime loss to Mercyhurst in the NCAA tournament, Cornell is poised for success in 2013-14 with a commanding cast of veterans and a freshman class with the potential to be impactful at both ends of the ice right out of the gate. The team has won the ECAC Hockey regular season championship as well as the Ivy League championship each of the last four seasons. For 2013-14, the Big Red was tabbed to finish second behind Clarkson in the ECAC Hockey coaches' preseason poll, earning a total of 111 points and five first-place votes and returns 15 players from the 2012-13 roster, while welcoming six freshmen to East Hill.
 
HEAD COACH DOUG DERRAUGH '91
Derraugh returned to his alma mater before the 2005-06 campaign to coach a team that the season before had tallied only four victories. Now in his ninth season, Derraugh has transformed the women's hockey program at Cornell into one that continues to be ranked among the nation's elite year after year. Entering the 2013-14 season, Derraugh's record at the helm of the program is an impressive 146-95-17; every ECAC championship and NCAA tournament appearance Big Red women's hockey has to its credit has come during his tenure. He earned his second ECAC Hockey Coach of the Year honor after leading the team to both a regular season and tournament championship in 2012-13. Returning as his assistants this season are Danielle Bilodeau '01 (eighth season) and Edith Racine (fifth season).
 
UNITED WAY PARTNERSHIP
Saturday's game serves as the Big Red's annual fundraiser for the United Way of Tompkins County. A donation will be made to the organization for every fan in attendance. The attendance record for the United Way game was set in 2010, when 2,326 people came out to enjoy a 4-0 Big Red shutout over Clarkson. Between ticket sales and other donations approximately $3,000 was raised for the United Way that season.
 
MAYORAL HONORS
The City of Ithaca Mayor, Svante Myrick, declared Saturday "Cornell Women's Hockey Team Day" in Ithaca, citing the program's "established standards of national athletic and academic excellence", and the coaches' and players' annual support for United Way of Tompkins County. In his proclamation, Myrick praises the four-time defending ECAC and Ivy League champions for their "long and enduring roots with community organizations and those they serve," and asks, "all members of our community to join me in thanking the team, and the work they do in support of United Way of Tompkins County."
 
ABOUT NORTHEASTERN
After recording the most wins in a season for the program since 2002 with 23 in 2012-13, the Huskies are off to a 3-1 start having already played four regular-season games coming in to the weekend at Lynah. Northeastern was ranked No. 10 in the preseason USCHO.COM and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine College Hockey Polls. While the Huskies fell out of the rankings after a 4-1 loss to Syracuse in week one, they have continued to received votes in both polls. Northeastern has won its last three games – all by one-goal margins – with two of the three wins coming against ECAC Hockey teams Union and RPI last weekend. Six different players have scored so far this season for the Huskies, with redshirt senior Kelly Wallace leading the way with three of the team's 10 scores. Junior Chelsey Goldberg is the team's point leader with four on two goals and two assists.
 
THE SERIES WITH NORTHEASTERN
Historically, the Huskies have dominated the Big Red with a 28-9-1 record since the teams' first meeting in the 1979-80 season. Cornell won the last meeting in January 2013, 4-2, by virtue of a three-goal second period and two special teams' goals. Jessica Campbell got Cornell on the board with a shorthanded goal just 25 seconds into the second to erase a Northeastern lead and tie the game at 1-1. Though Northeastern earned the next tally to regain a one-goal advantage, Campbell struck again exactly seven minutes later to knot the score at two apiece. Alyssa Gagliardi tipped in a Cassandra Poudrier slap shot on the power play for the game-winner with 38 seconds to play in the second. Brianne Jenner added the insurance tally for Cornell in the third.
 
TWO WINS AGAINST NORTHEASTERN WOULD…
...give Cornell its 10th and 11th victories in the history of this matchup and its first in season-opening matchups against the Huskies. This will be the fifth time the teams have met in the first game of a season for the Big Red; having previously faced off to start the '82, '83, '84 and '91 seasons.
 
#IVYDIGITAL
Every women's hockey home game for 2013-14 will be broadcast live on the new Ivy League Digital Network. The link to purchase the game will be accessible in the minutes leading up to the scheduled start time. To purchase an Ivy League Digital Network pass go to http://www.ivyleaguedigitalnetwork.com/packages and select the package of your choice.
 
OUT OF THE GATE
Since the 1972-73 season, Cornell has a 21-18-3 record in season-opening games. The Big Red has not lost a season opener since 2009, which is also the last time the team lost its first regular-season game at home.
 
CORNELL AT LYNAH
Since Doug Derraugh took over prior to the 2006-07 season, the Big Red has posted an 83-36-7 record on its home ice in Lynah Rink and has only lost four games at home in the past three seasons. The team's only loss at home last season came in its NCAA first round overtime heartbreaker when the Big Red fell, 4-3, to No. 9 Mercyhurst.
 
PRESEASON HONORS
Junior forward Jillian Saulnier was the lone Big Red player named to ECAC Hockey's preseason All-League team.  In addition to her ECAC Hockey Second Team honors last season, the Halifax Nova Scotia native dished out a career high 33 assists. Four of her 10 goals were game winners and she finished the season 14th in the country in points per game (1.43) and fifth in the nation in assists per game (1.10). She was also a Patty Kazmaier Award nominee last season.
 
ALL-LEAGUE RETURNERS
In addition to her ECAC Hockey Second Team honors, Jillian Saulnier was also named to the All-Ivy League First Team following last season. She is joined by goaltender Lauren Slebodnick (ECAC Third Team) and defenseman Cassandra Poudrier (ECAC All-Rookie Team) as Cornell's all-league returning cast for 2013-2014.
 
NATIONAL POLLS
The Big Red has been consistently ranked in both the USCHO.com poll and the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll since preseason rankings were released in mid-September despite having not yet played a game this season.  After earning the No. 4/No. 6 spots in the preseason editions, Cornell is currently No. 4/No. 5 heading into its opening weekend.
 
SHARING RESPONSIBILITIES
Seniors Jessica Campell and Alyssa Gagliardi – who was an alternate captain for Cornell in 2012-13 – will serve as co-captains for the Big Red this season. Cornell's captain last season was senior Lauriane Rougeau, while senior Laura Fortino joined Gagliardi as an alternate. The last time the Big Red had co-captains without alternates was in the 2009-10 season with Liz Zorn and Kelly McGinty both wearing the C. Liz Zorn is the older sister of current Big Red sophomore Anna Zorn.
 
BETWEEN THE PIPES
After serving as a primary backup to former netminder Amanda Mazzotta, senior Lauren Slebodnick found a home in the paint for the Big Red last season. She started 31 games for Cornell, posting a 24-6-1 record with 1.55 goals-against average and .927 save percentage. She enters her senior campaign as Cornell's program leader in both categories. Backing up Slebodnick this season will be sophomore Stefannie Moak and freshman Paula Voorheis.
 
CAREER NUMBERS WATCH
·         Jillian Saulnier starts the season just five points shy of the 100-point plateau for her career.
·         Jessica Campbell is two games away from her 100th in a Big Red uniform; her next point will be her 65th.
·         Alyssa Gagliardi is three assists from 50 and two points from 60.
·         Taylor Woods needs five points to reach 25 for her career.
 
CORNELL IN THE OLYMPICS
The Big Red are notably without leading scorer Brianne Jenner this season, who has taken the year off from Cornell to compete as a member of Team Canada in hopes of joining her native country in Sochi, Russia for the 2014 winter games. Jenner, along with former Big Red teammates Laura Fortino, Lauriane Rougeau and Rebecca Johnston, was named to Canada's centralization roster in April. The final nominations for the Olympic squad are set to take place in December.
 
THE NEWCOMERS
The class of 2017 is forward heavy, as four of the six will be expected to make immediate contributions on offense for the Big Red. The remaining two, defender Sydney Smith and goaltender Paula Voorheis, will be guided by the standout seniors in their respective positions so that they can play important roles for the Big Red in the years to come. Voorheis and classmates Caroline DeBruin and Brianna Veerman all come to East Hill from the Aurora Junior Panthers.
 
THE BREAKDOWN
The Big Red roster is made up of four seniors, three juniors, eight sophomores and six freshmen. Seventeen of the 21 active players are Canadian and represent six provinces: Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan. The four remaining players are Americans, hailing from North Carolina, New Hampshire, New York and Ohio.
 
UP NEXT
Cornell opens its ECAC Hockey schedule at home next weekend against perennial women's hockey powerhouses No. 3 Clarkson and St. Lawrence. While Clarkson has held steady at the No. 3 spot of both the USCHO.com and the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls since the preseason, St. Lawrence's recent struggles have kept the Saints out of the nation's top 10.  The Big Red will play host to Clarkson at 4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 25  and to St. Lawrence at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26.