SYRACUSE, N.Y.  — Cornell women's hockey takes a short break from ECAC Hockey play this week to face off against local rival, Syracuse. Tabbed as the preseason favorite in the College Hockey America coaches' poll, the Orange are 3-1-1 in conference to start the season. The Big Red will be looking for its second win and its first out of conference.
 
GAME 7: Cornell Big Red at Syracuse Orange
WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015, 3 p.m.
WHERE: War Memorial Arena — Syracuse, N.Y.
2015 RECORDS: Cornell 1-4-1 (1-2-1 ECAC Hockey), Syracuse 5-6-1 (3-1-1 CHA)
LIVE STATS: Cuse.com
STREAMING VIDEO: EverSport
 
GAME NOTES:
Cornell | Syracuse
 
ABOUT THE BIG RED
Cornell picked up its first win of the season last weekend, knocking off previously unbeaten No. 10/10 Princeton. The Tigers scored in the first period and held onto a 1-0 lead until senior Taylor Woods scored a short-handed goal with 1 minute, 16 seconds left to even the score at one. Woods got her second of the season and second of the night when she tallied the game-winner with 21 seconds remaining. The Big Red scored first at Quinnipiac, marking just the second time this season the Bobcats surrendered the first goal of the game, but a quick second period burst pushed Quinnipiac to a 3-1 win. Cornell's other ECAC Hockey point came on a 2-2 tie with Union. The Big Red also suffered a 2-1 overtime loss to Rensselaer, who knocked off No. 4/5 Clarkson last weekend, and a pair of losses to No. 2/2 Boston College, including a 4-1 decision in which the Eagles' last two goals came as empty-netters.
 
ABOUT SYRACUSE
The Orange opened the season with a pair of losses to ranked opponents, with then-fifth-ranked Clarkson taking a 3-1 win and then-No. 10 Northeastern squeaking out a 5-4 victory. Hockey East's Connecticut also edged Syracuse, 4-3, but the Orange picked up wins over New Hampshire (3-2) and Providence (4-0). Syracuse began conference play with a commanding 7-1 over RIT lead behind a five-point night from sophomore Stephanie Grossi, who leads the team in points with 16 on four goals and 12 assists. The Orange went out of conference for a game at St. Lawrence, which the Saints took, 3-2. Syracuse then split the series with Robert Morris and grabbed three of four points against Lindenwood. This Tuesday, the Orange played its second contest of the season against Clarkson, now ranked No. 4/5, and the Golden Knights were again victorious, 5-1. Syracuse has played just two games at home thus far, neither of which were played at the War Memorial Arena, where the Orange will take the ice against the Big Red on Saturday. Redshirt-senior Nicole Ferrara leads the team in scoring with six goals, while 10 other skaters have at least one goal for Syracuse through its first 12 games. Senior Jenn Gilligan has been the primary goaltender for the Orange and currently holds a 2.32 goals-against average and .899 save percentage.
 
THE SERIES VS. SYRACUSE
The Big Red's only loss to the Orange in seven meetings was a 2-1 overtime decision on Jan. 5, 2010, the first time the teams met. Cornell has won all six games against Syracuse since, including a 6-2 victory last season on Dec. 2, 2014, at Lynah, when Hanna Bunton, Jess Brown and Erin O'Connor all had two-point nights. Brianna Veerman scored the game's first goal, and Taylor Woods and Kaitlin Doering each had an assist. The last time the Big Red made the trip up I-81, on Dec. 3, 2013, the Orange jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but Cornell scored five unanswered goals, including two power play tallies from Cassandra Poudrier, to win 5-2.
 
ABOUT HEAD COACH DOUG DERRAUGH '91
Entering his 11th season directing Cornell women's hockey, Derraugh has brought the program to national prominence. He amassed a 189-112-24 record in his first ten seasons with the Big Red and has led the team to four ECAC Hockey Tournament Championships, four Ivy League Championships and five NCAA tournament appearances, including three trips to the Frozen Four. From 2009-10 to 2013-14, his teams notched five consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time in program history.
 
WOODS WOWS
Senior assistant captain Taylor Woods recorded her first two goals of the season in dramatic fashion, scoring a short-handed goal with 1:16 left to even the score with No. 10/10 Princeton on Nov. 6 before netting the game-winner with 21 seconds to go.
 
BEATING THE UNBEATEN
Cornell's thrilling 2-1 win over No. 10/10 Princeton was the Tigers' first loss of the season, after going 4-0-0 in their first four games. Princeton was the last team in ECAC Hockey to surrender an unbeaten, untied record. The win was also the Big Red's first victory over a ranked opponent this season.
 
SHUTOUT STREAK SNAPPERS (x3)
*Taylor Woods' first goal at Princeton snapped Tigers goalie Alysia Dasilva's shutout streak of 118 minutes, 44 seconds. Dasilva's previous outing was a 4-0 blanking of Brown.
* Junior Hanna Bunton scored the Big Red's first goal of the season 4:50 into the third period on Oct. 24 against No. 2/2 Boston College, marking the first time BC goaltender Katie Burt had let a puck past her in over 150 minutes of play. Burt had posted back-to-back shutouts against New Hampshire and Maine the weekend before.
*Quinnipiac goaltender junior Sydney Rossman hadn't surrendered a goal in 81:28, riding a scoreless overtime draw against Colgate, when Bunton netted the first goal of the game at 12:29 of the first period on Nov. 7, an eventual 3-1 Bobcats victory.
 
FRESHMEN FIREPOWER
In the Big Red's 2-2 tie with Union, head coach Doug Derraugh put together an all-freshmen line of Pippy Gerace, Lenka Serdar and Christian Higham. It was this line that sparked Cornell's rally from a two-goal deficit, with Gerace poking home her first career goal and the Big Red's first of the game with assists from both of her linemates, Serdar and Higham's first Cornell points as well. The trio combined for nine shots against Union and all finished plus-1.
 
ALL TIED UP
In Cornell's ECAC Hockey opening weekend against Rensselaer and Union, in which both games needed overtime, the Big Red played 90 minutes, 17 seconds with the score tied, including 61:14 in the overtime loss to the Engineers. Cornell and RPI were scoreless through the first two periods before unior Kaitlin Doering scored the game's first goal 3:05 into the third, but the Engineers tied it 1:20 later. The next day, Union took a 2-0 lead before the Big Red answered to even the score at two in the second. The game would stay tied through the third and a five-minute overtime.
 
GOING FOR MOAK
Senior goaltender Stefannie Moak was called upon to play 50:31 in the Big Red's 2-2 tie with Union on Oct. 31. Moak stopped all 12 shots that came her way, including several key saves, providing a momentum shift for Cornell as the team rallied to even the score at two in the second period.
 
THE PUCK STOPS HERE
Junior goaltender Paula Voorheis posted a spectacular performance in net in the Big Red's season opener against Boston College on Oct. 24. Against BC's potent offense, Voorheis made 40 saves, including stopping all 17 shots that came her way in the second period. Voorheis allowed just two goals on the night, with the Eagles' other two tallies coming in the form of empty net goals when Cornell pulled Voorheis in favor of an extra attacker in the games' waning moments.
 
'C' IS FOR CASSANDRA
Senior defenseman Cassandra Poudrier will be serving as the Big Red's captain for the 2015-16 season. In addition to her strength on the ice, head coach Doug Derraugh also notes that Poudrier is well-liked and well-respected by her teammates. She finished last season with a +13 rating and 76 blocked shots. Classmates Taylor Woods and Stefannie Moak will serve as the assistant captains.
 
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
The Big Red has six newcomers this season: four forwards, a defenseman and a goaltender. Pippy Gerace, Lenka Serdar, Diana Buckley and Christian Higham will play up front, while Micah Hart will add depth at the blue line and Marlene Boissonnault will be an option between the pipes. The class is split across the northern border, with Higham, Hart and Boissonnault hailing from Canada and Gerace, Serdar and Buckley coming from the United States. Higham, Hart and Boissonnault were silver medalists with Team Canada at the 2015 IIHF U-18 Women's World Championships. The forwards will bring speed and hockey smarts to the Big Red offense, while Hart, who captained the silver medal Canadian team, will add experience and poise at the blue line. 
 
WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS
Last season, Cornell ranked first in ECAC Hockey and second in the nation for assists, racking up 133 in conference play and 183 overall. Sophomore Erin O'Connor led the Big Red's returning players with 18 helpers on the season.
 
FOR CLUB AND FOR COUNTRY
Entering the 2015-16 season, the Big Red has eight players who have represented Team Canada at some level. Senior Cassandra Poudrier, junior Hanna Bunton and freshman Micah Hart have all spent time with the senior Canadian Women's National Team. Poudrier competed in the 2015 Four Nations Cup for Team Canada. Senior Morgan Richardson helped the U-18 Canadian team to an IIHF World Championship in 2012, while freshmen Hart captained a U-18 team that also featured classmates Christian Higham and Marlene Boissonnault to a silver medal at the 2015 U-18 IIHF World Championships. Junior Sydney Smith has also spent time with the Canadian U-18 Team. Several American players have attended USA Hockey development camps as well.
 
GOING PRO
In the newly formed National Women's Hockey League (NWHL), teams can draft players entering their final year of NCAA eligibility in order to sign them once they finish their collegiate play. Senior captain Cassandra Poudrier was picked 18th overall in the 2015 NWHL Draft by the Connecticut Whale. Four Cornell women's hockey alumnae are currently playing in the league, which is in its first season: Alyssa Gagliardi '14 (Boston Pride), Lauren Slebodnick '14 (Boston Pride), Jenny Scrivens (Niesluchowski) '10 (NY Riveters) and Erin Barley-Maloney '13 (NY Riveters). In addition, eight former Cornellians are playing in the Canadian Women's Hockey League. Emily Fulton '15 was a first round CWHL draft pick this season, going to the Toronto Furies. Linemates Brianne Jenner '15 and Jill Saulnier '15 were both drafted by the Calgary Inferno, where they will join Rebecca Johnston '12, Jessica Campbell '14 and Hayleigh Cudmore '14. Laura Fortino '13 (Brampton) and Lauriane Rougeau '13 (Montreal) also play in the league.
 
RECORDS WATCH
*Junior Hanna Bunton and senior Taylor Woods are currently tied for the No. 20 spot all-time in program history for career game-winning goals with six. They are each two game-winners way from being tied for 10th.
*Woods is tied for 16th all-time with 11 career power-play goals. Adding one power-play goal would tie her for 11th. She is four power-play goals away from tying Emily Fulton, Brianne Jenner and Catherine White for fourth.
*Woods' short-handed goal against Princeton tied her for eighth all-time with three man-down tallies.
*Bunton is tied for 12th all-time with two short-handed goals.
*Woods' 286 career shots on goal are good for 12th all-time. She needs 13 shots on goal to surpass Caeleigh Beerworth in the No. 11 spot. Woods was also No. 15 for shots per game with 2.60 entering her senior season.
*Senior Cassandra Poudrier has moved into 16th all-time with 217 career shots on goal and was 17th in shots per game with 2.18 entering 2015-16. She is just 6 shots away from taking the 15th spot and passing Dana Antal.
*Bunton has moved into the No. 19 spot with 198 shots on goal.
*Junior Paula Voorheis sits at No. 6 for most career wins in program history with 25. Thirteen wins would tie her for fourth with Amanda Mazzotta.
*Voorheis also holds the No. 8 spot for career shutouts with five. She needs two shutouts to tie for fifth all-time.
*Voorheis moved into the No. 11 spot for saves with 30 saves against Rensselaer on Oct. 30. She now has 1227.

UP NEXT
After travelling to Syracuse this weekend, the Big Red will return home for a midweek game against ECAC Hockey foe, Colgate. The Raiders have yet to post a conference win, but have played to draws with Union, Rensselaer and No. 8/8 Quinnipiac. The scoreless tie with the Bobcats earned Colgate a handful of votes in both of this week's national polls. Cornell's matchup with the Raiders at Lynah will mark the Big Red's final home game of 2015, as the team hits the road for several weeks before the final exam break. The game will also be Cornell's last conference contest for the month of November, with a weekend at Mercyhurst and games against Boston University and Vermont at the Vermont Women's Hockey Classic slated as the other matchups on the schedule for this month.