Box Score ITHACA, N.Y. – Trailing by a goal with less than a minute to go in its ECAC Hockey Quarterfinal game against Colgate on Saturday, the No. 2 Big Red women's hockey team only had to look to Friday's come-from-behind thriller for motivation.
 
Lauriane Rougeau tied the game with a blast under the crossbar right off a faceoff, and Brianne Jenner snuck the game-winner past Ashlynne Rando short side with one second left on the clock to give Cornell a 3-2 win. It was the team's second consecutive comeback win against the Raiders at Lynah Rink.
 
“We found a way to do it, and it was quite an amazing finish,” Cornell coach Doug Derraugh said. “It took a couple years off my life and added a couple more gray hairs to my head, but I'm sure the fans enjoyed watching that game.”

Rougeau's goal came with 53 seconds to go in the final frame, starting a frenzied celebration and the appearance of another overtime nail-biter. But with Colgate playing for the extra period in a 2-2 tie with under 10 seconds to go, Jenner was not ready to call it quits. She went behind the net, nudged the puck away from a Colgate player, skated inches above the end line and shot toward the near post, just getting the puck by Rando to spark an even wilder victory celebration.
 
The final faceoff and final tick off the clock was merely a formality.
 
“Overall it was a great battle from our team,” Rougeau said. “We were down every single game, and we just battled through the adversity. … We kept believing in ourselves that we could come back into the game, and I really give two thumbs to everybody on our team tonight.”
 
Jenner assisted on the first two of Cornell's three goals – all of which came in the final period – and Emily Fulton had assists on two. Taylor Woods had Cornell's first goal just 52 seconds into the third to rally the team after it was unable to beat Rando through 40 minutes. Lauren Slebodnick was unbeatable in the final 40 minutes, earning her 49th career win and making 22 saves.
 
Jenner scored or assisted on all eight Cornell goals in the two-game series.
 
With the victory, Cornell advances to and hosts the ECAC Hockey Tournament Semifinal next weekend on a date and time to be determined. The Big Red will play either fourth-seeded Quinnipiac or fifth-seeded St. Lawrence in their semifinal game, while two seed Harvard will play three seed Clarkson in the other semifinal. Colgate's season comes to an end with the loss.
 
The teams would have been destined for a winner-take-all third game on Sunday if not for Cornell's three-goal rally in the third. Woods got Cornell's first goal after Fulton had a shot blocked, Jenner had her rebound saved, and Woods got over to the right side of the net to poke it home.
 
That goal seemed to energize the team, but it could not put a puck past Rando for the next 18 minutes. Rougeau's goal came in an instant and with an extra attacker on the ice. The team didn't need one. Jenner won the faceoff cleanly back to Rougeau who was waiting at the top right edge of the circle. She put all her weight into a slapshot, and it hit the net just under the crossbar as Rougeau fell to the ice from the effort.
 
“I just stepped into the puck with my whole body weight,” Rougeau said. “I didn't even see it go in; I was on my knees at that point. I just heard people screaming.”
 
Fifty-two seconds after that, Jenner had her game-winner.
 
“I just figured, throw it on net,” Jenner said. “You never know what's going to happen. She played great all game, but I thought maybe if I can get it on net with the last few seconds something will happen.”
 
For the second straight night, though, it appeared the Raiders had the upper hand.
 
Colgate started the scoring late in the first period when Brittany Phillips put home a rebound on a blocked shot by Miriam Drubel. The power play goal was the Raiders' fourth in two games.
 
With nine seconds left in the frame and Cornell on the power play, Colgate struck again. Melissa Kueber made an aggressive play to take the puck from Rougeau at the right point, and she skated the length of the ice on a breakaway to beat Slebodnick.
 
In the second, Cornell had a phenomenal opportunity to get on the board when Jenna Klynsta boarded Erin-Barley Maloney and got sent to the box for five minutes. But despite all that time on the power play – and 25 seconds of five-on-three at the end – Cornell was unable to put a puck in the net.
 
With the win, Cornell swept Colgate 4-0 on the season, and the team remains unbeaten at Lynah Rink (15-0-1). Cornell has also won 13 of its last 14 ECAC Hockey Tournament games.
 
The Big Red will host the ECAC Hockey Tournament Semifinal against an opponent to be determined next weekend at Lynah Rink.