ITHACA, N.Y. – The Big Red return from Thanksgiving break and continue its non-conference slate on Monday and Tuesday of this week as it welcomes a pair from College Hockey America conference. Cornell will welcome rival No. 8/10 Mercyhurst to Lynah Rink on Monday for a 7 p.m. puck drop, while it will play host to the local Syracuse Orange on Tuesday, with opening faceoff again slated for 7 p.m. The Big Red will look to right the ship after dropping a pair to No. 8/9 Minnesota-Duluth just over a week ago.
 
Cornell Big Red (3-6-0, 3-2-0 ECAC Hockey) vs. No. 8/10 Mercyhurst Lakers (14-2-1, 5-1-0 CHA)
Monday, December 1, 2014 | 7 PM | Ithaca, N.Y. – Lynah Rink
Live Stats | Live Video (ILDN)
 
Cornell Big Red (3-6-0, 3-2-0 ECAC Hockey) vs. Syracuse Orange (4-7-7, 3-2-3 CHA)
Tuesday, December 2, 2014 | 7 PM | Ithaca, N.Y. – Lynah Rink
Live Stats | Live Video (ILDN)

Game Notes
Cornell | Mercyhurst | Syracuse
 
Big Red Headlines
Cornell will look to score its first victory of non-conference play when it welcomes its first two non-league opponents to Lynah Rink this week in Mercyhurst and Syracuse. The Big Red continued its road struggles in its last two matchups as the team dropped a pair at Minnesota-Duluth two weekends ago. Cornell scored an early lead in the first game of the two-game set on a power-play goal by captain Brianne Jenner; however, the Bulldogs battled back to take a 3-2 lead into the second intermission. Although the Big Red nearly equalized several times at the end of period two and beginning of period three, Minnesota-Duluth was able to tally four times in the final period to run away with the 7-2 victory. In the second game of the set, Cornell made great progress tightening up the defense against the potent Bulldogs attack, but two second period tallies were enough to push Cornell to its second loss.
 
About Head Coach Doug Derraugh '91
Derraugh enters his 10^th season at the helm of the Cornell women's ice hockey program. Returning to his alma mater before the 2005-06 season, he quickly transformed a program that posted only four wins in the season prior to his appointment into a consistent presence in ECAC Hockey and on the national stage. The Cornell program continues to grow under the guidance of the veteran coach. In 2013-14, he led the program to its fourth ECAC Hockey Tournament title over the last five seasons. All five of the Big Red's NCAA Tournament appearances have come under his leadership. Derraugh has twice been named ECAC Hockey Coach of the Year, most recently during the 2012-13 regular-season and tournament championship season. He is the winningest coach in the history of the program with a 173-107-21 record at Cornell. He returns both excellent assistant coaches Danielle Bilodeau '01 (ninth season) and Edith Racine (sixth season) in 2014-15.
 
Laker Headlines
Mercyhurst has raced out to a fast start to the 2014-15 year. The Lakers enter the matchup with a 14-2-1 record, which has elevated the squad to No. 8/10 in the two major national polls. The team is currently riding a five-game winning streak entering Monday, while it has marked a 3-1-1 record on opponent ice this season. The squad currently paces College Hockey America with a 5-1-0 record in conference play, while it has feasted on non-conference opponents to the tune of a 9-1-1 mark. Most recently, the Lakers took both games of a two-game set against Colgate at Mercyhurst Ice Center, impressively posting a shutout in each game. Sarah Robello (1g-1a), Jenna Dingeldein (1g-1a) and Emily Janiga (1g-2a) keyed the scoring for the Lakers. Janiga also tallied the lone tally in the second game of the series. The junior leads the squad with 24 points (13g-11a) through 17 games this season.
 
The Series Against Mercyhurst…
Cornell has not fared well against Lakers, since they became a regular fixture on the schedule in the new millennium. Cornell trails the all-time series with Mercyhurst with a 6-15-2 mark overall. The squads first met in 2001-02 with Cornell dropping a pair at Mercyhurst by 2-1 and 4-1 margins. The Lakers would go on to win the first seven contests in the series, until Cornell broke the streak with a 2-2 tie at Lynah Rink to conclude the 2005-06 season. Cornell's first win over the Lakers came in the semi-finals of the 2009-10 NCAA Frozen Four with the Big Red scoring a 3-2 overtime victory. The series has been equal since that point with the Big Red holding a 5-4-1 edge over the team's last 10 matchups. The Big Red is 2-7-1 all-time against the Lakers at Lynah Rink.
 
Last Season's Series With The Lakers…
Cornell went 1-1-1 against the Lakers last season, which included a 3-2 loss in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament to end the Big Red's season. The two squads battled to a 4-4 tie in the opening matchup of the year. Alyssa Gagliardi tallied a pair of power-play goals and an assist, while Anna Zorn and Emily Fulton added goals for the Big Red. In the second game of the two-game set at Mercyhurst Ice Center Cornell scored early and often in a 6-4 victory. Jess Brown and Jillian Saulnier each marked  a pair of goals, while Taylor Woods and Fulton each added a goal in the victory. Lauren Slebodnick stopped 29 shots in the victory. The team's re-matched in the quarterfinal of the NCAA Tournament with the Lakers evening the score with the 3-2 victory. Emily Fulton got the scoring started with a power-play tally in the first period with Saulnier and Gagliardi collecting assists. Mercyhurst went on to score the next three goals to open up a 3-1 lead. Fulton potted her second of the game with 4:29 remaining, but the comeback was too-little-too-late for the Big Red.
 
Orange Headlines
Syracuse has had a middling start to the season. The squad enters Tuesday's matchup against the Big Red with a 4-7-7 mark on the season. The matchup at Lynah Rink will be the capper of the Orange's five-game road trip. Syracuse is 1-1-2 over that stretch, tying a pair of games against Robert Morris and splitting a pair with Lindenwood in St. Charles, Mo. The squad has had a rough start on the road this season with just a 1-3-2 record on opponent ice. Freshman Stephanie Grossi has made an immediate impact in her debut season for the Orange. She enters Tuesday with a team leading 15 points (5g-10a), while she has posted an astounding +12 rating despite the squad only having one other + player. Junior Melissa Piacentini is the team's leading goal scorer with eight marks, which included a team leading four on the power-play.
 
The Series Against Syracuse…
Cornell is 5-1-0 all-time against Syracuse. The team's first met in 2009-10, with the Orange scoring a 2-1 overtime victory at Lynah Rink. Cornell has won the last five games in the series, which includes an 8-1 rout of the Orange in the team's last matchup at Lynah Rink in January of 2013. Brianne Jenner posted a five point game, which included a hat trick. Jillian Saulnier also posted a five-point game with two goals and a trio of assists in the lopsided victory. Slebodnick got the start, making 13 stops in the win.
 
Last Season's Matchup With The Orange…
Cornell dispatched the Orange 5-2 last season in Syracuse, N.Y. The opponents got off to a quick start with Julie Knerr and Margot Scharfe staking the Orange to the early 2-0 lead. Caroline DeBruin stemmed the tide for the Big Red with a goal with 1:01 remaining in the opening period and the Big Red never looked back. Cassandra Poudrier tallied a pair of goals, while Saulnier and Jessica Campbell both added markers in the contest.
 
Poll Position
With the slow start to 2014, Cornell has fallen out of the top-10 in both the USCHO and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Women's College Hockey polls. It is the first time in over five seasons that the Big Red has not been ranked in the top-10 in at least one of the two major polls. The last time it happened was Week Four of the 2009-10 season. Cornell had gone 127 consecutive weeks ranked in the top-10 of at least one of the polls. With the two losses against Minnesota-Duluth Cornell is not receiving votes in either of the latest releases of the poll.
 
Dynamic Duo
Cornell seniors Brianne Jenner and Jillian Saulnier were certainly missed as the team started off 0-2-0 at Lynah Rink without the services of its top two centers. The duo did not take long in making an impact following both players return to the lineup this past weekend. Jenner got the Big Red off and running with a goal just 1:55 into the first period against Brown. The captain would later add a goal early in the third period on the power-play, while Saulnier turned the lead into a rout with two goals in the span of 1:08 to cap the scoring for the Big Red. Both players also marked multi-point games on Saturday in the second game of the weekend set against Yale. Jenner chipped in two assists, while Saulnier added a goal and a helper in the 6-2 victory and added a pair of apples on Tuesday. Saulnier is second on the team with a 3-5-8 line, while Jenner is tied for third with 4 goals and 3 assists. Both players are averaging well over a point per game for their careers.
 
Winning-Time
Cornell has been the winningest program in ECAC Hockey over the last five seasons. The Big Red has averaged over 26 wins per season in compiling a 133-29-10 (.802) record since 2009-10. Cornell won the regular-season title four of those five years with the stretch of four straight coming to an end last season. The next closest ECAC Hockey squads in terms of recent wins are Harvard and Clarkson. The Crimson have amassed a 106-42-17 (.694) record, while the Golden Knights check-in with a 118-54-21 (.666) record. Cornell looks to have the ball rolling after an impressive weekend sweep of Brown and Yale.
 
All Gold Everything
Brianne Jenner returns to East Hill for her senior season in 2014-15 and she's bring some hardware with her. The Big Red captain won a gold medal as a member of the Canadian National Team that defeated the United States 3-2 in overtime in the gold medal game of the XXII Olympic Winter Games held in Sochi, Russia. Although Jenner was one of the youngest members of Team Canada in the Olympics, she had a monumental impact in winning Canada's fourth straight gold medal. After the United States held a 2-0 lead through 56-minutes, Jenner sparked the furious Canadian comeback in the final 3:30, firing home a shot through heavy traffic in front of the USA net. Canada would go on to score the tying goal in the final minute, before ending it with a power play marker halfway through the first overtime session to complete the comeback.
 
Coach Canada
While head coach Doug Derraugh has been a fixture as the bench boss for the Big Red for the last nine seasons, he will also wear another coaching cap in 2014-15. This past summer, Hockey Canada announced that Derraugh will serve as the head coach for the Canada National Women's Team for the first year of the new Olympic cycle following the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, this past year. He brings a wealth of experience to the position and will be quite familiar with team operations after serving as an assistant coach on the Canadian National Team that won the gold medal at the 2012 IIHF Ice Hockey Women's World Championship. Derraugh is expected to miss minimal game action for the Big Red; however, associate head coach Danielle Bilodeau '01 and assistant coach Edith Racine will be more than capable to step in if a conflict does arise.
 
4 Nations Cup
Cornell had a big presence at last week's 4 Nations Cup that was hosted at Kamloops, British Columbia. In addition to Derraugh being the bench boss for Team Canada, seven current and former Big Red players participated at the event. Current team members Jillian Saulnier and Brianne Jenner had huge impacts at the tournament for Team Canada. Saulnier (1-0 – 1pt) scored the game-winning goal in Canada's 2-0 opening game victory over Sweden, while Jenner (0-1 – 1pt) scored the lone goal in the shootout of Canada's 3-2 victory over the United States in the gold medal game. Former Cornellians Rebecca Johnston '12 (3-0 – 3pts), Laura Fortino '13 (0-2 – 2pts), Lauriane Rougeau '13 (0-1 – 1pt), and Jessica Campbell '14 (3gp) also had excellent tournaments for the Canadian team. Alyssa Gagliardi '14 also appeared in one game on the blue line for the United States. The tournament victory was Derraugh's first at the helm of the national team.
 
Blue-Line Bash
The blue-line has taken its lumps this season, but is starting to round into form on the offensive end. With the addition of Taylor Woods to the blue-line and the maturation of freshman standout Erin O'Connor has added some significant scoring punch to the backend.  The freshman leads the Big Red defenders with 7 points (2g-5a), while Woods has scored five points (2g-3a). The unit is still seeing some struggles in its own end as it allowed nine goals over the two games at Minnesota-Duluth.
 
Fast Start for Fulton
Senior right wing Emily Fulton has gotten off to a torrid start on the offensive end this season. She leads the Big Red with a 5-9 – 14 line through the first nine games of the year. She posted two more points over the weekend, chipping in a goal and an assist in the two games. She currently is tied for seventh in the conference for points (14), while she's tied for fifth in assists (9). She ranks second in ECAC Hockey with a 1.56 points per game average. She has recorded a multi-point game in six of nine contests this season.
 
O'Connor's Outburst
Freshman defender Erin O'Connor has been an immediate contributor on a Big Red blue-line which saw a lot of attrition from last year's team. While she had not cracked the score sheet through the season's first two weeks, she broke out in a big way in recent weeks. She led the team with six points and a +5 rating in extended ice time against Brown and Yale. She tallied her first collegiate assist as part of a three apple effort against Brown. Against Yale, she netted her first collegiate goal on the power-play, while adding two more apples. She is tied for third on the team in both points and assists. Her big weekend earned her ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Week honors for that week. She continued her breakout against Colgate with the game-winning goal.
 
The Breakdown
The Big Red boasts a nice blend of talented youth and experienced veterans in 2014-15. The roster is comprised of: three seniors, six juniors, six sophomores, and five freshmen. The group is very tight-knit with a number of players also playing together in the club and international level as well. A trio of sophomores (DeBruin, Veerman, and Voorheis) played their club hockey for the Aurora Junior Panthers. A freshman/sophomore combination (Boughn and Doering) played their club hockey for the Mississauga Junior Chiefs, while senior Jillian Saulnier and freshman Sarah Knee both come from the Toronto Aeros club system. Six players were also part of the Canadian Under 18 National Team.
 
Fresh Faces
The Big Red will welcome five new members to the squad in 2014-15. The Class of 2018 will be a big boon to the back line as the class is comprised of a goalie, three defenders, and one forward. Two of freshmen hail from Illinois in Erin O'Connor (Evanston, Ill./Chicago Young Americans) and Sydnee Saracco (Countryside, Ill./Chicago Mission). Two others come to East Hill from Toronto, Ontario in goalie Amelia Boughn (Mississauga Junior Chiefs) and Sarah Knee (Toronto Junior Aeros). The lone forward of the group is Morgan McKim (Mars, Pa./Shattuck-St. Mary's).  The common theme amongst the newcomers is size. The new class averages 5-8 and it is expected to bring an added level physicality in front of the net and in puck battles along the wall this season.
 
Penalty Problems
One area the Big Red could stand to improve is penalty prevention. Cornell has found themselves shorthanded 52 times through the team's first nine games. The team took 17 minor penalties in the two-game set against Minnesota-Duluth. The Bulldogs burned the Big Red penalty kill for four goals over the two-game set, taking a little luster off a unit that had seemed to find its groove after the opening set at Boston College. Despite its struggles on the road the penalty kill has been quite strong in the friendly confines of Lynah Rink. The Big Red has killed 24 of 28 (.857) opponent power-plays at home this season. The team has also looked threatening on the offensive end with a skater down, tallying two shorthanded goals and generating several opportunities on the kill against Minnesota-Duluth. Cornell will look to clean up its play in an effort to reduce penalties moving forward.
 
Career Numbers Watch
* Brianne Jenner currently sits in sixth place on the all-time list in career points (185), fourth in assists (103), and seventh in goals (82). She needs three points to tie Rebecca Johnston (2007-11) for fifth all-time. With her two assists on Saturday against Yale she passed Catherine White (2008-11) for fourth all-time. After her one-goal game against Brown, she now is just two goals short of tying Amy Stanzin (1982-86) for sixth all-time.
* Jillian Saulnier currently sits in eighth place on the all-time list in career points (159) and is seventh all-time in assists (96). With her two points against Colgate she passed Amy Stanzin (1982-86) for eighth all-time. With her assist at Boston College she passed Rebecca Johnston (2008-11) all alone into seventh place on the all-time list. She currently sits at 63 career goals and needs just three more to tie Catherine White (2008-11) for 10th on the all-time list.
* Emily Fulton currently sits at 97 points – 42 goals and 55 assists – she needs three points to reach 100 for her career.
 
Up Next
Cornell will hit the road for its first two conference road games of the season this weekend. The team will first travel to Clarkson on Friday, December 5, for 7 p.m. puck drop with the defending national champion Golden Knights. Next, the squad will head to St. Lawrence to conclude the year with a 4 p.m. faceoff with the Saints on Saturday, December 6. The team will return to action following the holiday break with an exhibition against McGill University at Lynah Rink on January 2.