ITHACA, N.Y. – Coming off a tough road split last weekend at Dartmouth and Harvard, the Big Red will return home to face off with ECAC Hockey foes Union and Rensselaer. Women's hockey will be hosting two major initiatives over the two-game weekend with the annual Do It For Daron game on Friday and the Big Red vs. Cancer game on Saturday. Puck drop for both game's is scheduled for 3 p.m.
 
**** PARKING NOTICE ****
Because Friday's 3 p.m. start lies within the enforcement window for Cornell's weekday parking policies; fans should pay by the hour in the metered parking lot adjacent to Bartels Hall or purchase a parking permit before entering the C-lot if available. For information on the university's parking options and policies, please visit this link: CLICK HERE.
 
#10/10 Cornell (10-7-3; 8-3-2 ECAC Hockey) vs. Union (4-18-4; 1-12-1 ECAC Hockey)
Friday, January 30, 2015 | 3:00 PM | Ithaca, N.Y. – Lynah Rink
Live Stats | Live Video (ILDN) | Live Audio (BRSN)
 
#10/10 Cornell (10-7-3; 8-3-2 ECAC Hockey) vs. Rensselaer (5-17-4; 3-10-0 ECAC Hockey)
Saturday, January 31, 2015 | 3:00 PM | Ithaca, N.Y. – Lynah Rink
Live Stats | Live Video (ILDN) | Live Audio (BRSN)
 
Game Notes
Cornell | Union | RPI
 
Do It For Daron
Friday's game against Union is Cornell's annual Do It For Daron game to benefit mental health awareness. The Do It For Daron organization was created in 2011 following the tragic passing of 14-year old Daron Richardson - younger sister of current Big Red defender Morgan Richardson. The goal of the organization is to bring social awareness of mental health issues around us and to eliminate barriers and stigmas that it is not okay to share thoughts, feelings and emotions that are prevalent in our lives. The D.I.F.D. attempts to stimulate healthy thought and conversation about mental health issues and encourages people to speak out. All fans are encouraged to wear purple to show support for the organization, while fundraisers and informational programs will be held in the Lynah Rink concourse. For more inforamtion please visit this link: Click Here.
 
Big Red vs. Cancer
Saturday will be Cornell's annual Big Red vs. Cancer fundraising and awareness event. Cornell athletics will team with the Cancer Resource Center of the Finger Lakes and the Be The Match organizations to raise funds and donors for cancer research. From 3-to-9 p.m., there will be a Bone Marrow Donor Registry open in the concourse of Bartels Hall. Just 10 minutes can help save a life! Women's hockey will hold a special fundraiser to benefit breast cancer research, while both men's basketball (6 p.m. vs. Yale) and men's hockey (7 p.m. vs. Colgate) will hold similar fundraisers during their contests. All fans are encouraged to wear pink or orange to show support, while support can be shown on social media with the BeTheMatch and TheUltimateAssist. For more inforamtion, please visit this link: Click Here.
 
Big Red Headlines
Cornell split a pair of Ivy League matchups this past weekend, defeating Dartmouth 2-1 on Friday and falling to Harvard 3-0 on Saturday. It was a courageous effort for the Big Red, as it withstood some significant absences from the lineup to pick 6-of-8 possible points on the four-game road stretch through the Ivy League. Cornell played with only seven forwards on Friday night, but the players battled through heavy minute workloads to down the Big Green 2-1 at Thompson Arena. Jess Brown opened the scoring for the Big Red just before the second intermission, deflecting home a bouncing point shot from Taylor Woods. Sydney Smith deposited the game-winner with 13:42 to play, scoring her second goal in as many games. The Cornell offense struggled to get off the ground the following afternoon against Harvard. Paula Voorheis played admirably, stopping 38 shots, but the Crimson were too much for the fatigued Big Red in the 3-0 loss.
 
Dutchwomen Headlines
Union has struggled to get things going this season, as the team enters the weekend sitting at the bottom of the ECAC Hockey standings. The squad has posted a 4-18-4 record, but has not recorded a victory since a 2-0 shutout of non-conference Maine on December 12. The Dutchwomen picked up one point in the ECAC Hockey standing this past weekend in a  2-2 tie against Rensselaer at home, snapping a six-game losing streak. Jessica Kaminsky and Alex Tancrell-Fontaine eached marked a powerplay goal in the contest to stake the Dutchwomen to a 2-1 lead heading into the third intermission. Laura Horwood equalized the game with just under 10 minutes to play for RPI, ending in the 2-2 final. Union dropped the return trip to RPI the following afternoon by a 4-2 final score. Kaminsky netted her second of the weekend to pull the Dutchwomen within one in the 1st, but RPI stretched the lead to 4-1 before Rebecca Babiak scored with under one minute remaining.
 
The Series With Union...
Cornell has dominated the series with Union with a record of 21-1-0 all-time. The programs met for the first time in 2003 with the team's splitting a two-game set in Schenectady. The Big Red took the opening matchup on Feb. 27 by a 4-0 final score, before falling 3-1 in the second game of the series the following day. The Big Red have gone on to win 20 straight contests in the series since that loss in 2003. Cornell has outscored Union 137-38 in the 22 lifetime contests. The Big Red boast a perfect 10-0-0 record against Union at home, outscoring the Dutchwomen 57-9 in those contests. Cornell put up an eight-spot in both of its last two games against Union played in Lynah Rink.
 
Last Season's Series Againt the Dutchwomen...
Cornell swept the season series against Union a season ago. The Big Red dominated the first meeting last season, blasting the Dutchwomen 8-1 at Lynah Rink on Nov. 9. Five different players tallied goals for Cornell (Jillian Saulnier, Cassandra Poudrier, Taylor Woods, Anna Zorn, and Emily Fulton), with Saulnier, Poudrier and Fulton each netting a pair. Lauren Slebodnick got the start in net, making 10 stops in the opening 20 minutes. She was replaced by Paula Voorheis who stopped 19-of-20 in the final 40 minutes. Cornell finished 3-of-4 on the powerplay in the contest. The second game of the season in Schenectady was much tighter as the Big Red battled for a 2-0 shutout victory. Jessica Campbell netted the game-winner in the second period, while Jillian Saulnier added insurance with a shorthanded marker just 2:25 into the third period. Voorheis stopped 18 shots for the shutout.
 
Engineer Headlines
Rensselaer put together a strong weekend in its latest action, going 1-0-1 in a two-game set with Union to snap a six-game winless streak (0-5-1). Overall, RPI enters the weekend with a 5-17-4 and a 3-10-1 mark in ECAC Hockey play. The Engineers are still searching for their first away victory of the season, entering the road trip with a 0-9-2 mark away from Troy. Laura Horwood had a big weekend, netting the game-tying goal in the 2-2 tie against Union on Friday. She kick started the scoring the following afternoon with a goal and assist. Lauren Wash potted the eventual game-winner in the second period in the 4-2 victory at Houston Field House.
 
The Series With Rensselaer...
Cornell holds a decisive 14-4-0 all-time record against Rensselaer. The teams first met in 2006-07 with the Engineers taking the first pair of contests and first three overall in the series. The Big Red is 14-1 since that point. Despite RPI's early advantage, Cornell has outscored the Engineers 124-60 in the series. The Big Red is 8-2 in games played at Lynah Rink, outscoring the Engineers by a 32-13 margin.
 
Last Season's Series Against the Engineers...
The Big Red swept the season series against the Engineers last season with two hard-fought victories. Cornell kicked off the two-game set with a workmen-like 3-1 victory at Lynah Rink. Jillian Saulnier netted a pair of goals, while Hanna Bunton deposited the eventual game-winner with one second to go in the opening period. Cornell outlasted RPI 6-5 in overtime in the return trip to Troy. After Ali Svobaoda tied the game at 5-5 with the extra-attacker on for RPI with 25 seconds left, Hanna Bunton knocked in the sudden-death game-winner in overtime. Both her and Jillian Saulnier finished with a pair of goals, while Cassandra Poudrier and Emily Fulton added special teams markers.
 
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 20 games of the year. She has collected at least one point in five of her last eight 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 sixth in assists. She ranks third in ECAC Hockey and 10th nationally with a 1.26 points per game average. She trails just Jenner's 1.56 and Saulnier's 1.27 point per game mark amongst ECAC Hockey players. She has recorded a multi-point game in almost 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 eighth 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 7-7 – 14 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.
 
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 third in ECAC Hockey with 28 points (10g-18a) through 18 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 54.4% on the season with 233 faceoff wins in 428 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 ninth in NCAA Division I in points per game (1.27), while she ranks second in ECAC Hockey, trailing just Jenner's mark of 1.56. She currently is tied for 17th in the conference with 19 points, despite missing her last three contests. 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 staying out of the lineup this past 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 to the road for a weekday road matchup at local rival Colgate on Tuesday. The Big Red will then face a huge road weekend at Quinnipiac and Princeton.