Box Score ITHACA, N.Y. – On "Women's Hockey Team Day" in the city of Ithaca the Big Red downed Northeastern, 6-2, in the team's season-opening game at Lynah Rink.
 
Cornell came out energized and in mid-season form and caught Northeastern – playing its fifth game of the season – flat-footed, which helped the Big Red get out to a 2-0 lead in the first four minutes.
 
Junior Monika Leck opened the scoring at 3:02 of the first period, jumping on the rebound off a Hayleigh Cudmore slapshot from the right point. Northeastern's Chloe Desjardins made the stop on Cudmore, but couldn't corral the puck. Cudmore and Woods were credited with assists on the play.
 
Just 35 seconds later, the Big Red again beat Desjardins on the rebound when junior Emily Fulton – who was screening the Huskies netminder – buried a rebound from the top of the crease to put Cornell up 2-0. Cassandra Poudrier took the initial shot on a cross-ice feed from Jessica Campbell.
 
Near the midway point of the first period with two seconds remaining on a Big Red power-play, Poudrier sent a pass from the left faceoff dot to classmate Taylor Woods who was waiting at the bottom of the circle. Woods deked around a defender and roofed a backhander over Desjardins shoulder and make it 3-0.
 
Woods' goal – the eventual game-winner – chased Dejardins out of the net. She was replaced by Sarah Foss who would finish out the game for the Huskies.
 
Northeastern got on the board at the 18:46 mark of the first period when Paige Savage sent a cross-ice pass from the right faceoff dot to Sonia St. Martin who was waiting in the slot. St. Martin one-timed a shot past Cornell senior netminder Lauren Slebodnick to cut the Big Red lead to two heading into the first intermission.
 
Although they started the second period shorthanded, the Huskies came out strong in the second, still riding the momentum from their first score. Just over a minute in, Lucie Povova caught the Big Red in transition and sent a long feed from blue line to blue line connecting with Katie MacSorley. In one-on-one with a Big Red defender, MacSorley got off a hard shot on the hash marks that beat Slebodnick high on the glove side to pull Northeastern within one, 3-2. 
 
But Cornell would put the game out of reach with two more goals in the later portion of the second period.
 
Hayleigh Cudmore netted the first of her two goals – both on the power play – 14:50 into the second when her shot from the top of the right circle trickled through the goaltenders legs. The initial shot hit Foss in the chest, but the puck dropped from her glove and rolled behind her into the net.
 
Three minutes and eight seconds later, Emily Fulton got her second of the night. The play started when junior Jillian Saulnier sent a pass from behind the net to Campbell who was waiting in the left circle. Campbell's shot deflected off the skate of a Northeastern defender into the slot to Fulton whose one-timer best Foss high to regain a three-goal lead, 5-2.
 
Cudmore's second of the night came on the power play just under two minutes into the third period, when the senior defender sent a blazing slap shot bar-down past Foss on the glove side. Poudrier picked up her third assist of the night on the play. Co-captain Jessica Campbell also picked up three helpers on the night.
 
The win is the first for Cornell in season-opening game against the Huskies, as the team's previously faced off to start the season in 1982-84 and 1991. It also pulls senior Lauren Slebodnick within one win of former netminder Amanda Mazzotta with 52 for her career.
 
Puck drop for tomorrow's game against the Huskies is scheduled for 2 p.m.