ITHACA, N.Y. – Cornell women's hockey rang in the New Year with an impressive showing in their tune-up exhibition contest, dispatching the defending Canadian National Champion McGill 3-0 at Lynah Rink last Friday. The squad will now turn its attention to ECAC Hockey play when it welcomes Clarkson and St. Lawrence to Lynah Rink this weekend. The Big Red concluded 2014 with a huge road sweep of the Golden Knights and Saints. The squad will have a chance to cement themselves in the upper echelon of the conference standings, while gaining a leg up on two of teams in the top tier, heading to the back stretch of ECAC Hockey play. Opening faceoff for Friday's matchup against St. Lawrence is scheduled for 7 p.m., while puck drop for Saturday's clash with Clarkson will be 4 p.m.
 
Cornell Big Red (6-6-1, 5-2-0 ECAC Hockey) vs. St. Lawrence Saints (9-7-2, 5-3-1 ECAC Hockey)
Friday, January 9, 2015 | 7:00 PM | Ithaca, N.Y. – Lynah Rink
 
Cornell Big Red (6-6-1, 5-2-0 ECAC Hockey) vs. Clarkson Golden Knights (12-6-1, 6-2-1 ECAC Hockey)
Saturday, January 10, 2015 | 4:00 PM | Ithaca, N.Y. – Lynah Rink
 
Game Notes
Cornell | St. Lawrence | Clarkson

Live Stats | Live Video
 
Big Red Headlines
Cornell returns to action following a nearly one-month layoff for final exams and the winter holiday break. The Big Red will hope that its hot streak continues into the New Year, as the squad put together its best week of the season to conclude 2014 on an extremely positive note. The team went 1-0-1 in a non-conference pair, tying Mercyhurst 1-1 and rolling Syracuse 6-2. Cornell continued its strong play on a huge ECAC Hockey road set to the North Country at Clarkson and St. Lawrence. The Big Red set a record against the Golden Knights, tallying eight goals, the most ever allowed by Clarkson since becoming a Division I program in 2003-04. The team finished the weekend with a resilient 4-2 victory over the Saints. The squad looked to not miss a beat in its most recent post-break tune-up against Canadian National Champion McGill. The red-hot top line of seniors Jillian Saulnier, Brianne Jenner and Emily Fulton continued its terrorization of opponents as the trio accounted for all three goals in the Big Red's 3-0 victory. Saulnier (2g-1a – 3pts) and Jenner (1g-2a – 3pts) both tallied three point games, while Fulton (2a) added two helpers. Stefannie Moak got the start in net, making 20 saves for the shutout in her first action of the season.
 
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 175-107-21 record at Cornell. He returns both excellent assistant coaches Danielle Bilodeau '01 (ninth season) and Edith Racine (sixth season) in 2014-15.
 
Saint Headlines
St. Lawrence has been a tough team to get a read on through an up-and-down first half to the season. The Saints have had several excellent showings; dealing No. 1 Boston College its only blemish (2-2 tie on 10/11) and defeating ranked ECAC Hockey squads Clarkson and Harvard. However, the Saints also have some puzzling losses including lopsided defeats against Brown and Dartmouth. The squad ended the 2014 portion of the schedule with its 4-2 home loss to the Big Red on December 6. The Saints are 1-1 after the calendar change to the New Year. The Saints kicked off the second half with a 3-1 victory at Minnesota State, but thoroughly handled in a 10-0 drubbing at No. 2 Minnesota on Jan. 4. St. Lawrence will faceoff with the Golden Gophers again on Jan. 6, before returning east for Friday night's tilt at Lynah. The Saints have struggled on the road this season, entering the week with a 3-4-1 mark away from Appleton Arena. The trio of Jenna Marks, Kennedy Marchment and Brooke Webster continue to power the St. Lawrence attack. Marks leads the squad with 19 points and is tied for the team lead with 11 assists, while Webster leads the squad with 11 goals. Marchment has been one of ECAC Hockey's best rookies, ranking first among freshmen with 18 points.
 
The Series With St. Lawrence...
Cornell and St. Lawrence have played an extremely even matched series throughout the history of both programs. Cornell slightly trails the overall series with a 31-32-5 record all-time against the Saints. The team's first met during the 1976-77 season, with the Big Red sweeping the home-and-home with 3-1 and 7-1 victories. The Big Red is 18-17-1 all-time in games played at Lynah Rink, including a current four-game winning streak and victories in six of the last seven at the Cornell. The Cornell offense has shined over the four-game home winning streak in the series. The Big Red has outscored the Saints 21-7 over those four games, which included a 6-4 victory in the opening weekend to ECAC Hockey play last season. Graduate Jessica Campbell had two goals and an assist, while Emily Fulton had a four point night with a goal and three assists. Lauren Slebodnick made 21 saves to hold off a late St. Lawrence charge. Brooke Webster led the way for the Saints in that contest with two goals to pull the Saints within two goals late in the contest, but it was not enough in the 6-4 loss.
 
Last Matchup With St. Lawrence...
Senior forwards Jillian Saulnier and Emily Fulton netted late goals just 3:05 apart to power Cornell women's hockey to a 4-2 victory over St. Lawrence in a Saturday matinee contest at Appleton Arena.
Saulnier put the Big Red ahead for good with just over six minute remaining, finishing a beautiful tic-tac-toe passing play between Cornell's explosive top line of forwards. The puck was moved to the left half wall, where team captain Brianne Jenner made a strong play to fend off the defender and shuffle the puck to Fulton in the right circle. The senior surveyed the scene and labeled a perfect pass to Saulnier who was sitting at the backdoor of Saints net-minder Carmen MacDonald for the easy tap-in into the wide open cage. Fulton iced the game for the Big Red with 3:06 remaining. Junior defender Cassandra Poudrier pinched down low in the Saints end and received a dump-in from Jenner behind the net. She shuffled the puck to Fulton who again was all-alone in the right circle. She ripped a sinister wrister top shelf over the glove of MacDonald for her seventh of the season.
 
Golden Knight Headlines
The defending National Champion Golden Knights have gotten off to another strong start in 2014-15. The squad enters the weekend with a 12-6-1 mark overall and a 6-2-1 record in ECAC Hockey play. The team is currently ranked eighth in both major national polls. Clarkson is 6-3-1 over its last 10 games with the only losses coming against ECAC Hockey leading Quinnipiac and the loss to the Big Red over that stretch. The Golden Knights rebounded from its historic loss to Cornell by handling Colgate 5-1 at home on Dec. 6. Cayley Mercer recorded a hat trick, while Olivia Howe and Erin Ambrose added goals for the Clarkson. Freshman net-minder Shea Tiley recovered nicely after being pulled against the Big Red after 22 minutes the night before. She stopped 12-of-13 shots for her 12^th victory of the season. Like Cornell, Clarkson also took on McGill in an exhibition contest to ring in the New Year. The Golden Knights bested McGill 5-0 on the strength of three first period goals from Amanda Titus, Lauren Lefler, and Genevieve Bannon. McKenzie Johnson earned her first start in net on the year, making 11 saves before being replaced by Jenna Boss who made eight saves to complete the shutout.
 
The Series With Clarkson...
Cornell leads the all-time series against Clarkson 22-12-2, which includes the Big Red's 1-0 victory over the Golden Knights in last season's ECAC Hockey Tournament Final. The two programs first met in 1974-75, with Cornell taking the first matchup 6-0. The Big Red would go on to win the first 11 games in the series, before the teams ended the annual matchups at the conclusion of 1981-82 season. The teams resumed the series in 2003-04, with Cornell posting an 11-12-2 record against Clarkson. The Big Red is 14-5 against the Golden Knights all-time at Lynah Rink, including victories in the last seven matchups dating back to 2008-09. Cornell has outscored the Golden Knights 24-9 over that stretch of contests.
 
Last Matchup With Clarkson...
Cornell women's hockey tallied two shorthanded goals in the span of 1:12 and continued to roll in an 8-3 rout of defending National Champion No. 6 on Dec. 5 at Cheel Arena. The Cornell special teams came to play in a scintillating opening period for the visiting Big Red. Cornell tallied twice shorthanded, while also adding a power-play goal, to jump out to a commanding 4-1 lead at the intermission. Both Jenner (2g –2a) and Saulnier (1g–3a) would finish with four point nights. Junior Jess Brown turned the commanding lead into a rout scoring the only two goals of the period. She would finish with a hat trick and career-high four points. The eight goal output was the Big Red's highest since an 8-1 victory over Union at Lynah Rink on Nov. 13, 2013. Surprisingly, it came against one of the nation's stingiest defenses. The Golden Knights ranked sixth entering the weekend, averaging just 1.53 goals allowed per game. The Golden Knights have not allowed eight goals in a game since becoming a Division I program in 2003-04. It is also the most goals a Cornell squad has scored in a game at Clarkson since 1980, when the Big Red dispatched the Golden Knights 13-2, when the Clarkson program competed as a club team.
 
Poll Position
With the fantastic 3-0-1 week, which included victories over ranked Clarkson and vote getter St. Lawrence, as well as a tie against ranked Mercyhurst, Cornell found itself at the bottom of the polls released by USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine and the USCHO, as the first team in the others receiving votes category. Since then, the Big Red has moved into a tie for the 10^th spot in the most recent poll released by the USCHO after the holiday break. The big week also helped Cornell make its first appearance in the Pairwise rankings used to help determine at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament. The Big Red currently sits 14^th in the latest Pairwise standings.
 
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 road sweep of Clarkson and St. Lawrence.
 
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. They both continued their scoring touch in the New Year with each posting three point games in the exhibition contest against McGill.
 
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  the 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.
 
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 first in goals with a 7-10 – 17 line through the first 13 games of the year. She broke a two-game point drought with a goal in the Big Red's 6-2 victory over Syracuse, while she helped set up the team's game-winning goal and added a huge insurance goal to seal the 4-2 victory over St. Lawrence. She currently is tied for eighth in the conference for points (17), while she's tied for ninth in assists (10). She ranks fourth in ECAC Hockey and 13th overall nationally with a 1.31 points per game average. She has recorded a multi-point game in seven of her 13 games played this season. She rang in the New Year with a two assist effort in the Big Red's 3-0 victory over McGill in the squad's post-break tune-up on Friday, Jan. 2.
 
Century Mark
With her two point effort in the victory over St. Lawrence, Fulton reached the century mark for career points. Her 99^th point came on an excellent pass on a tic-tac-toe play to set up Jillian Saulnier on the backdoor for a tap-in goal to net a 3-2 lead. Her 100^th point came on a sinister wrist shot from the right circle that beat Saints net-minder Carmen MacDonald top shelf to ice the game.
 
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 big 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 four multi-point games on the year. She is fourth on the team in both points (13) and assists (9). She currently ranks first in points, goals (4), assists and power-play goals (3) among all Division I freshmen blue-liners. She is tied for ninth 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 New Year with a 4-5 – 9 line and is poised to shatter her previous season highs for goals, assists, and points. 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. She has been a versatile player, seeing time on all three lines, but has seemed to have found a home on Cornell's emerging second line.
 
Joltin' Jenner
The center has not disappointed and seems to be hitting her stride as the conference season begins to heat up. She has posted a huge 2-9 – 11 line over her last four games and currently is first on the team with 18 points (6g-12a) through 11 games played this season. She posted an incredible weekend, 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. Jenner has also really come on strong as the Big Red's top faceoff option. She currently sits at 51.6% on the season with 132 faceoff wins in 256 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. The only other Big Red player to accomplish that feat was Cheryl Hines (1976-80). She did not skip a beat in her first game of 2015, tallying a goal and two assists in the 3-0 win over Canadian National Champion McGill.
 
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 (1.45), while she ranks second in ECAC Hockey, trailing just Jenner's mark of 1.64. She currently is tied for 11^th in the conference with 16 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 seemed to not skip a beat as the calendar turned from 2014 to 2015. She collected a two goals and an assist in the Big Red's 3-0 shutout of McGill.
 
Career Numbers Watch
* Brianne Jenner currently sits in fifth place on the all-time list in career points (196), third in assists (112), and tied for sixth in goals (84). With her three point effort against Syracuse, she passed Rebecca Johnston (2007-11) for fifth all-time. With her three assists on Tuesday against Syracuse she passed Cyndy Schlaepfer (1975-1978) for third all-time. After her two-goal game at Clarkson, she now is tied with Amy Stanzin (1982-86) for sixth all-time.
* Jillian Saulnier currently sits is tied for seventh place on the all-time list in career points (167) and is tied for fifth all-time in assists (101). With her goal against St. Lawrence, she tied Catherine White (2008-11) with 167 points. With her three assists against Clarkson she tied White for fifth all-time. She currently sits at 66 career goals, which tied her again with White for 10th on the all-time list.
* Emily Fulton currently sits at 100 points – 44 goals and 56 assists – joining the century club with her goal and assist against St. Lawrence.
 
Up Next
Cornell will conclude its non-conference slate on Tuesday, January 13, when it welcomes No. 4 Boston University for a 7 p.m. faceoff at Lynah Rink.