ITHACA, N.Y. – After securing a weekend sweep of conference foes Yale and Brown, Cornell will continue the Ivy League portion of ECAC Hockey play when it travels to for matchups at Dartmouth and fifth-ranked Harvard.
                                                                              
#10/9 Cornell (9-6-3, 7-2-2 ECAC Hockey) at Dartmouth Big Green (10-7-1, 6-5-1 ECAC Hockey)
Friday, January 23, 2015 | 7:00 PM | Thompson Ice Arena – Hanover, N.H.
Live Stats | Live Video (ILDN)
 
#10/9 Cornell (9-6-3, 7-2-2 ECAC Hockey) at No. 5/5 Harvard Crimson (12-3-2, 9-2-1 ECAC Hockey)
Saturday, January 24, 2015 | 4:00 PM | Bright-Landry Hockey Center – Cambridge, Mass.
Live Stats | Live Video (ILDN)
 
Game Notes
Cornell | Dartmouth | Harvard
 
Big Red Headlines
Cornell finished off a big week with a pair of ECAC Hockey victories to move up into striking distance of the top in the conference standings. The Big Red blanked Yale 2-0 on Friday, continuing to ride excellent goaltending from Paula Voorheis. The sophomore stopped 41 shots for her first shutout of the year, while Caroline DeBruin's first goal of the season, late in the second period, stood up as the game-winner. Cornell followed that performance with another solid road victory at Brown. The Big Red got off to a slow start, twice facing one-goal deficits at 1-0 and 2-1; however, the squad rallied with two goals to close out the second period. Sydney Smith collected her first collegiate goal to tie the game, while senior captain Brianne Jenner tallied on a Big Red powerplay just before intermission to take its first lead of the game. Taylor Woods added an insurance marker with just over two minutes to play. Freshman Amelia Boughn made 19 saves in her second career start to secure the 4-2 victory.
 
Big Green Headlines
Dartmouth enters the weekend hot as wildfire. The squad got off to a strong start with four straight victories, but followed that with losses in six of the next seven. The Big Green has been on fire since that point, entering the weekend winner of four straight and six of the last seven games overall. Dartmouth secured a huge victory over ECAC Hockey and Ivy League rival Harvard at Thompson Ice Arena. Hillary Crowe opened the scoring for the Crimson late in the first period, a 1-0 lead that hold until the third period. The Big Green responded with four goals in the third period to score a 4-2 victory over the nationally ranked Crimson. Brooke Ahbe put Dartmouth up for the first time in the game with 6:09 remaining, beating Harvard netminder Emerance Maschmeyer on the powerplay. Lindsey allen would add her second goal of the game and 15th of the season with an empty netter to seal the game. The victory improved the Big Green's record to 4-3-1 at Thompson Ice Arena this season.
 
The Series With Dartmouth...
Cornell trails the overall series with Dartmouth 29-41-7 all-time. Despite the Big Green's decided lead in the overall series, the Big Red have held the upperhand of late. Cornell is 9-2-1 against Dartmouth dating back to the 2009-10 season, including a 4-1 mark at Thompson Ice Arena over that stretch. The Big Red outscored the Big Green 12-8 in those matchups, which included 1-0 and 2-1 overtime victories in back-to-back seasons in 2011-12 and 2012-13. The team's first meeting came in the 1978-79 season, with the Big Red scoring a 3-1 victory in the first round of the Ivy League Tournament. Cornell would go on to win the first six games played in the series. The Big Red's all-time record at Dartmouth stands at 13-18-3.
 
Last Season's Series Againt the Big Green...
Cornell swept the season series with Dartmouth last season with a 4-2 win at Thompson Ice Arena and a 3-0 shutout at Lynah Rink. The special team's proved the difference in the opening matchup in Hanover, as the Big Red went 3-for-4 on the powerplay on goals by Alyssa Gagliardi, Jessica Campbell, and Cassandra Poudrier. Taylor Woods dominated the team's second game with two goals - one on the powerplay - while Jess Brown sealed it with a late tally in the third period. Paula Voorheis got the start and made 26 saves for one of her four career shutouts.
 
Crimson Headlines
Harvard started off the season slow, entering December with a 4-2-2 record. The Crimson have been on fire of late, before having its nine game winning streak snapped last Saturday at Dartmouth. Harvard enters the weekend with a 12-3-2 record overall, while it boasts a 9-2-1 mark in ECAC Hockey play. The squad will look to respond from a disastrous third period, which sent the Crimson home smarting with a 4-2 loss in Hanover, N.H. Harvard held a 1-0 lead entering the period, but preceded to lose control of two leads, while relinquishing four goals in the final 20 minutes of play. Harvard enters the weekend with a perfect 6-0 mark at home this season. Harvard is led by the junior duo of Miye D'Oench (9g-8a) and Mary Parker (6g-11a), who both enter the weekend with 17 points on the season. Junior Emerance Maschmeyer leads the goaltending tandem with a 1.99 GAA and .919 save percentage, posting a 6-3-2 record on the year.
 
The Series With Harvard...
Cornell trails the overall series with Harvard 26-52-4 all-time. The series has been more one sided in the other direction since 2009-10, as the Big Red hold a 9-2-2 record against the Crimson over the last 13 matchups. Cornell is 4-1-2 in matchups played in Cambridge, Mass., over that stretch. The Big Red has outscored the Crimson 20-15 in those seven matchups, which includes a 6-2 Cornell victory in the quarterfinals of the 2009-10 NCAA Tournament.
 
Last Season's Series Against the Crimson...
Cornell went 1-1-1 last season against Harvard with the lone victory coming in the semi-finals of the ECAC Hockey Tournament in Potsdam, N.Y. Harvard jumped out to a 4-2 lead in the second period, but Cornell stormed back with four unanswered goals to push on to the title game against Clarkson. Jillian Saulnier and Emily Fulton both had monster games, each tallying a pair of goals, while Jess Brown collected the game-winner while on the powerplay with 7:16 remaining. Lauren Slebodnick got the start in net for the Big Red, making 19 saves for the victory.
 
Dynamic Duo
Cornell seniors Brianne Jenner and Jillian Saulnier have taken their game to another level in recent contests. The duo exploded for huge weeks, leading the Big Red to a 3-0-1 finish to the year 2014 in one its tougher four-game stretches of the season. Jenner posted 11 points (2g-9a), while Saulnier added eight points (3g-5a). When both players are rolling it is truly a sight to behold as the pair can take over games. This was evidenced best in the Big Red's rout of then-sixth ranked Clarkson at Cheel Arena. The pair combined for three goals in 3:23 – each scoring a shorthanded goal – to almost instantly change a 1-0 deficit into a commanding 3-1 lead. The outburst sparked the rest of the squad, as the Big Red would go on to tally five more times, with the pair having a hand in seven of the eight goals scored on the night. Jenner started off 2015 with a pair of powerplay goals in the 3-3 tie against St. Lawrence, while Saulnier added an assist on the second Jenner powerplay tally.
 
Poll Position
With the fantastic 3-0-0 week, which included victories over ranked Boston University and ECAC Hockey foes Brown and Yale, Cornell found itself at the bottom of the polls released by USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine and the USCHO. The big week also jumped Cornell's standing in the latest Pairwise rankings used to help determine at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament. Cornell briefly jumped back into the top-10 of the USCHO.com poll earlier this month, but the pair of ties against Clarkson and St. Lawrence dropped the squad back into the first team in the receiving votes category of the poll. The emphatic victory over Boston University powered Cornell back into the polls as the 10th team in the USCHO.com poll and ninth in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll, marking the first time the squad has been ranked in both polls since the second week of the season. The Big Red currently sit 10th in the latest Pairwise standings and figure to be able to improve that standing with solid performances this weekend.
 
Free Hockey
Cornell has shown a proclivity for giving its fans some free hockey in recent games. The Big Red went 65 minutes without determining a victor in both contests over the weekend. Over the last nine games the team has gone to overtime three times with all three coming in the friendly confines of Lynah Rink. The last time that Cornell went to overtime in back-to-back games was the final two games of the 2009-10 NCAA Frozen Four, when the squad bested Mercyhurst 3-2 in the semifinal game, before falling in three overtimes 3-2 to Minnesota-Duluth in the championship game. The last time the Big Red earned back-to-back ties came one season earlier during the stretch run of the 2008-09 regular season when the squad tied Quinnipiac 4-4 and Princeton 2-2 with both games coming on the road.
 
 Killin' It
Cornell has been sensational on the penalty kill this season and has been especially strong in recent games. While the unit has killed penalties at a 85.1% clip, it has held the opposition scoreless on 32 of the last 34 chances dating back to the beginning of December. The unit went a perfect 9-for-9 over the weekend, which included several big kills to maintain a 1-0 advantage in the third period of the victory over Yale. The penalty kill hasn't just been a positive in the defensive zone, but has also been a boon to the Big Red in the offensive end as well. Cornell has tallied three goals while playing a player down over the last seven games, which includes Hanna Bunton's game-tying goal against St. Lawrence on. Overall, the Big Red has scored five times shorthanded, while it has allowed opponents 13 powerplay goals on the year.
 
Fast Start for Fulton
Senior right wing Emily Fulton has gotten off to a torrid start on the offensive end this season. She is second on the Big Red in points and tied for first in goals with a 10-14 – 24 line through the first 18 games of the year. She has collected at least one point in five of her last six games, after suffering a small scoring drought around Thanksgiving. She posted her eighth multi-point game of the season against Boston University with a season-high two goals and assist in the 6-2 pasting of the Terriers. She currently is tied for fourth in the conference for points (24), while she's tied for ninth in goals and fifth in assists. She ranks second in ECAC Hockey and tied for ninth nationally with a 1.33 points per game average. She trails just Jenner's 1.75 point per game mark amongst ECAC Hockey players. She has recorded a multi-point game in half of her contests played this season, while she notched her first powerplay goal of the year  against Boston University.
 
O'Connor's Outburst
Freshman defender Erin O'Connor has been an immediate contributor on a Big Red blue-line which saw significant attrition from last year's ECAC Hockey title squad. The young blue-liner had a excellent final week of 2014, posting at least one point in each game, which included multi-point (1g-1a) efforts against Syracuse and Clarkson. The big week netted O'Connor her second ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Week award on the season. She has now recorded six multi-point games on the year. She is fourth on the team in points (18) and tied for third in assists (13). She currently ranks first in points, assists, goals (5) and power-play goals (3) among all Division I freshmen blue-liners. She is tied for seventh nationally in points among all defenders regardless of class year.
 
Big Night for Brown
The third year winger has enjoyed a breakout season for the Big Red. Although recognized more often for her hard work as an energy player on the forecheck, Brown has been a consistent presence on the score sheet for the squad this season. She enters the weekend with a 6-7 – 13 line, setting new career highs for goals, assists and points for a season. With her goal and assist against Boston University she set new career highs for goals and assists in a season. She saved her best for Cornell's biggest game of the year to-date at then-sixth ranked Clarkson. She netted her first career hat trick and a four-point night overall in the Big Red's blasting of the Golden Knights.
 
Monthly Awards
The Big Red has been no stranger to ECAC Hockey weekly awards, but two players did one better by earning monthly recognition from the league. Brianne Jenner was named ECAC Hockey Player of the Month for December, while freshman blue-liner Erin O'Connor earned ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Month honors. The two have been hotter than wildfire over recent contests and will be relied upon heavily this weekend.
 
Weekly Awards
Emily Fulton and Paula Voorheis were the recipients of weekly awards from the league. Fulton was named Player of the Week after recording six points (3g-3a) and a +5 rating, while Voorheis stopped 70-72 shots two record a pair of victories, which included a career high 41 saves in a shutout of Yale. The shutout was the first of the season and fourth of her career. The awards were the first for each player this season.
 
Joltin' Jenner
The center has not disappointed and seems to be hitting her stride as the conference season begins to heat up. She currently is first on the team and tied for first in ECAC Hockey with 28 points (10g-18a) through 16 games played this season. She posted an incredible finish to 2014, collecting two goals and five assists in the contests against Clarkson and St. Lawrence, which included a game-changing performance on the penalty kill to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 advantage against the Golden Knights. She earned ECAC Hockey Player of the Week honors for the excellent showings in the pair of games. Jenner has also really come on strong as the Big Red's top faceoff option. She currently sits at 54.6% on the season with 177 faceoff wins in 324 opportunities. With a strong finish, Jenner has a legitimate chance to finish in the top-three on the program's all-time lists for points, goals, and assists. She posted a huge five point game (1g-4a) in the 6-2 victory over Boston University, in doing so becoming the fourth Cornell player in program history to record 200 career points.
 
Sensational Saulnier
Saulnier has also heated up since being paired with Jenner on the team's top line. She marked a goal and assist in the Big Red's 6-2 victory over the Orange. She continued the run against Clarkson, getting the Big Red on the board on a shorthanded breakaway to tie the game at 1-1. She later made a spectacular no-look backhand pass right to the stick to Brianne Jenner, while face down on the ice, to set up the Big Red's second goal on the penalty kill. She currently ranks 10th in NCAA Division I in points per game (1.36), while she ranks second in ECAC Hockey, trailing just Jenner's mark of 1.79. She currently is tied for ninth in the conference with 19 points. Similar to Jenner, Saulnier is also creeping up the all-time lists in several categories and will likely challenge for top-five all-time rankings in several categories. She has collected three assists over her last four contests, including a pair in the 6-2 victory over Boston University. The senior will look to return to the lineup after a one game absence last weekend.
 
Career Numbers Watch
* Brianne Jenner currently sits in fourth place on the all-time list in career points (206), third in assists (118), and fifth in goals (88). With her five point effort against BU, she passed Cyndy Schlaepfer (1975-1978) for fourth all-time. With her three assists against Syracuse she passed Cyndy Schlaepfer (1975-1978) for third all-time. With her goal at Yale she passed Cindy Warren (1977-81) to move all-alone into fifth on the all-time list.
* Jillian Saulnier currently sits in seventh place on the all-time list in career points (170) and is tied for fourth all-time in assists (104). With her goal against St. Lawrence she cracked the top-10 all-time list, tying Catherine White (2008-11) for 10th on the all-time list with 66 career goals. With her two assists against Boston University she tied Cyndy Schlaepfer (1975-1978) for fourth all-time.
* Emily Fulton currently sits at 107 points – 47 goals and 60 assists – joining the century club with her goal and assist against St. Lawrence.
 
Up Next
Cornell will return home next weekend for a two-game set against ECAC Hockey foes Union and Rensselaer. The Saturday game against RPI will be the team's annual D.I.P.G. fundraiser.