ITHACA, N.Y. – With the regular season in the books, Cornell will kick off its ECAC Hockey Tournament title defense this weekend when it welcomes St. Lawrence for an opening round series at Lynah Rink. Cornell has won four of the last five conference tournaments and will be looking for a three-peat this season, after winning the conference tournament in each of the last two seasons. Cornell is the tournament's fourth-seed, while St. Lawrence enters as the fifth-seed.
 
Game 1:
Cornell (16-10-3, 14-6-2 ECAC Hockey) vs. #10/10 St. Lawrence (19-10-5, 13-5-4 ECAC Hockey)
Friday, February 27, 2015 | 7:00 PM | Ithaca, N.Y. – Lynah Rink
Live Stats | Live Video (ILDN)
 
Game 2:
Cornell (16-10-3, 14-6-2 ECAC Hockey) vs. #10/10 St. Lawrence (19-10-5, 13-5-4 ECAC Hockey)
Saturday, February 28, 2015 | 4:00 PM | Ithaca, N.Y. – Lynah Rink
Live Stats | Live Video (ILDN)
 
Game 3 (if necessary):
Cornell (16-10-3, 14-6-2 ECAC Hockey) vs. #10/10 St. Lawrence (19-10-5, 13-5-4 ECAC Hockey)
Sunday, March 1, 2015 | 4:00 PM | Ithaca, N.Y. – Lynah Rink
Live Stats | Live Video (ILDN)
 
Game Notes
Cornell | St. Lawrence
 
Big Red Headlines
After dropping three straight close games to snuf out Cornell's chances for the first overall seed in the ECAC Hockey Tournament, Cornell rallied to close out the year with a pair of convincing victories at Rensselaer and Union. The Big Red had to battle on Friday night in Troy, N.Y., as the team trailed 1-0 against the Engineers through the opening 20 minutes. The visitors rallied for two goals each in the second and third periods, with Kaitlin Doering and Jillian Saulnier marking late powerplay goals to seal the victory. The Big Red did not have as tenuous of a time on Saturday, as the squad led wire-to-wire in the 4-0 shutout. Anna Zorn tallied her first goal of the season on a powerplay just 5:02 into the opening period. Jillian Saulnier continued her goal scoring binge with another pair of goals. She has marked two goals in three consecutive games dating back to the Dartmouth game. Erin O'Connor also snapped out of a scoring funk with a goal. The Big Red now turns its sights to the tournament.
 
Saint Headlines
St. Lawrence also enters the weekend on a bit of a roll after experiencing some ups-and-downs over the stretch run. The Saints were hot as wildfire, going 7-0-1 to start ECAC Hockey play after the holidays. The impressive run, which also included two convincing victories over Mercyhurst at Appleton, jumped the Saints back into the top-10 rankings. The squad has bounced around since that point, going 3-2-2 over the final seven games of the season. The team capped the stretch with a couple of impressive showings over the weekend. St. Lawrence spoiled Harvard's bid to clinch the number-one overall seed to the conference tournament on Friday evening, tying the Crimson 1-1 in Cambridge. Hannah Miller scored the lone goal for the Saints in the contest, briefly putting the visitors up 1-0 early in the second period. Saturday brought a stark contrast to the defensive stalemate on Friday. St. Lawrence and Dartmouth combined for 10 goals with the Saints scoring a 6-4 victory.
 
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 31-32-6 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 18-17-2 all-time in games played at Lynah Rink, including a current five-game unbeaten streak and victories in six of the last eight  overall. The Cornell offense has shined over the five-game stretch in the series. The Big Red has outscored the Saints 24-10 over those five 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.
 
First Matchup With St. Lawrence This Season...
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.
 
Second Matchup With St. Lawrence This Season...
After dispatching St. Lawrence by a 4-2 score at Appleton to close out 2014, Cornell welcomed the Saints to Lynah for the first game to ring in the New Year. Cornell came back from two seperate deficits to tie St. Lawrence 3-3 through 65 minutes of regulation and overtime. The Big Red fell behind early, as Jacqueline Wand tallied with seven minutes remaining in the opening period. Brianne Jenner equalized the game just 1:18 after Wand's score with a powerplay goal. The Saints retook the lead with a two goal flurry in the first 2:11 of the second period. Kailee Heidersbach and Ellie Williams both got pucks past Voorheis to take a 3-1 lead. Cornell answered back with its powerful special teams units. Jenner marked her second powerplay goal of the game on a laser one-timer from the left circle. Hanna Bunton equalized the game with just under four minutes left in the period with a shorthanded tally. Both teams would buckle down defensively from there on out with the two sides combining for only 14 shots over the final 25 minutes of play.
 
Rollercoaster Season
While Cornell enters the weekend 3-3 over its final six games, St. Lawrence enters the conference tournament with similar struggles. The Saints are just 3-2-2 over its final seven contests. The squad was 7-0-1 prior to that stretch.
 
Top-Line Tops The Charts
Cornell seniors Brianne Jenner, Jillian Saulnier and Emily Fulton have taken their game to another level as the conference season has headed down the back stretch. The trio has combined for 53 points over the last nine contests, having a hand in 25 of the 35 total goals scored. Saulnier has recorded a 9g-9a line over the stretch, which included a pair of goals in each game this past weekend. She has tallied six goals over her last three contests. Jenner has been a point machine since returning from winter break. She led all conference players with 16 points in the month of January and is off to a great start in February with one goal and seven assists. Fulton has been the lines sniper. She has plundered the net nine times over the last nine contests, moving into a tie for first place on the conference goal scoring leaderboard with 20 tallies on the year. All three players have been recognized by the league over the last three weeks, as the trio has comprised one of the hottest lines in all of NCAA Division I.
 
Poll Position
Cornell has hovered at the bottom of the polls for the last few weeks since reentering with a 3-0-0 week, which included a victory over Boston University. With the offensive explosion against Union and Rensselaer at the end of January, the Big Red passed Clarkson for ninth in the USCHO.com poll. Since then the team has dropped out of the both USCHO.com poll and the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll after dropping three in a row, before this past weekend. The Big Red entered the Pairwise standings, used to help assign at-large bids to the NCAA Regional Playoffs, just after Thanksgiving. With the victories at Clarkson and St. Lawrence, Cornell entered as the 12th team in the standings. The Big Red hovered around that mark over winter break, before jumping up in the standings with the win over Boston University. Cornell currently sits in 11th in the Pairwise at the conclusion of the regular season, leaving the squad likely short of an at-large berth. Five ECAC Hockey schools were in the latest polls.
 
Power Surge
The Cornell powerplay has been scalding hot in recent contests and has been a major factor in the Big Red's explosion in the offensive end. Cornell went 3-for-7 over the weekend against RPI and Union. Over the final nine games of the season the Big Red has gone 10-for-40 (25%) with the advantage, which included an overtime game-winner against Colgate. Overall, the Big Red has gone 26-for-121 on the year, which is good for fifth best in NCAA Division I at 21.5%. Cornell is 12-4-1 when it tallies at least one powerplay goal this season. Emily Fulton has been red-hot with four powerplay goals over the last seven games, surpassing Brianne Jenner with six total tallies this season. She marked a pair against Colgate, including the game-winner in overtime, while she also added a pair of powerplay tallies in the 3-2 loss against Princeton. Jenner has five goals with the advantage, while she leads the squad with 18 powerplay points.
 
Killin' It
Cornell has been solid on the penalty kill this season and has been especially strong in recent games. While the unit has killed penalties at a 84.8% clip, which is good for 13th in NCAA Division I, it has held the opposition scoreless on 60 of the last 68 chances dating back to the beginning of December. The unit went a  3-for-4 over the weekend, which included two kills in a row against Union, while the game was still close. 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. Overall, Cornell has scored six times shorthanded, which leads ECAC Hockey, while it has allowed opponents 19 powerplay goals on the year.
 
Lynah Advantage
Cornell has thrived in the friendly confines of Lynah Rink. Known as one of the most raucous and intimidating environments in all of collegiate hockey, the "Lynah Faithful" has consistently had a psychological impact both in boosting the Big Red, while simultaneously throwing the opponent off its game. Over the last five seasons Cornell has defended its home ice with a vengeance. The Big Red is 88-18-6 at Lynah over its last six seasons.
 
QuarterMasters
Cornell has been invincible in quarterfinal series of the ECAC Hockey Tournament. The Big Red has hosted a first round series at Lynah Rink each of the last five seasons and has compiled a perfect 10-0 record in those games. The stretch has witnessed some interesting series, including a first round matchup against Colgate in 2013 in which the Big Red advanced in two games despite leading for a combined one-second of play. Cornell bested Colgate 5-4 in overtime during the first game, while it broke a 2-2 tie with one-second remaining in the second game. Most recently, the Big Red downed Princeton in two games a season ago. In game one, Cornell stormed back from a 2-0 deficit, tallying three times in the third period to steal a victory. The second game was also a nailbiter, as Jillian Saulnier netted an empty-netter with 56 seconds left to secure the 5-3 victory. The Big Red has outscored its opponents by a 42-17 margin in the 10 contests. Cornell has not met the Saints in a quarterfinal series, since ECAC Hockey moved to its current tournament format in 2004.
 
Tournament Tested
Over the last five years, nobody has found more success in the ECAC Hockey Tournament than Cornell. The Big Red has won four of the last five conference tournaments and will look to make it five-of-six when play begins this weekend. The program won tournament titles in 2010, 2011, 2013, and 2014. Over the last five years, Cornell has posted a 19-1 record in the tournament, outscoring its opponents 77-38 in those contests. Coincidentally, the lone loss in that stretch came against the Saints, as the Big Red has posted a 1-1 mark against its North Country rival. The most recent of the two matchups came in the semi-finals of the 2013 ECAC Hockey Tournmanet, with Cornell scoring a 4-2 victory over the Saints at Lynah Rink. Taylor Woods netted a four-points in the contest, including her only career hat-trick. The Big Red scored twice in the final 1:38 of the game to seal the victory. The loss came in the final's of the previous season. Chelsea Karpenko equalized the game with just over eight minutes to play, but this time it was St. Lawrence that tallied twice in the final two-minutes to take the tournament title.
 
Another Level in the Tournament
The Cornell top-line has been otherworldly in its ability to produce in the ECAC Hockey Tournament. Brianne Jenner leads all current Cornell players with 24 points (8g-16a) during tournament games. Her best performance came in a five-point  game, which included a hat-trick and the game-winning goal in the 5-4 overtime win over Colgate two seasons ago. Jillian Saulnier also boasts impressive numbers with 16 points (7g-9a) in tournament games. Emily Fulton has been a steady contributor with six points (2g-4a) in tournament play. Outside of the top-line, Taylor Woods also seems to have a penchant to produce when the games matter most. She has marked a point in five of her eight tournament games, posting nine points (5g-4a) in her career.
 
Flyin' Fulton
Senior right wing Emily Fulton has been on a roll on the on the offensive end this season. She is second on the Big Red in points and leads the conference in goals with a 20-22 – 42 line through the conclusion of the regular season. She has collected at least one point in 14 of her last 17 games. She now has posted multi-points in 15 games this season after her pair of two assist games against RPI and Union over the weekend. She ranks third in ECAC Hockey and ninth nationally with a 1.50 points per game average. She trails just Jenner's 1.67 and  Saulnier's 1.54  amongst fellow ECAC Hockey players. She leads the team with six powerplay tallies on the year and four over her last five contests. She now has 19 for her career, which is tied for fourth all-time at Cornell. She netted her first career hat-trick two weeks ago in a heroic performance to spark a scintillating 3-2 come-from-behind victory at Colgate.
 
O'Connor's Outburst
Freshman defender Erin O'Connor has continued to be an offensive dynamo on the blue-line for the Big Red. She has become a fixture as the point-pivot on Cornell's top powerplay unit. 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 netted a goal this past weekend to break out of a scoring drought against Union. She is fourth on the team in points (25) and and assists (18). She currently ranks first in points, assists, goals (7), power-play goals (4) and powerplay points (11) among all Division I freshmen blue-liners. She is sixth nationally in points among all defenders regardless of class year.
 
Net Gains for Voorheis
Sophomore goaltender Paula Voorheis has been a brickwall in net for the Big Red since the calendar has turned to 2015. She has put together a strong run of late, although she has been tabbed with the loss in three of her last nine starts. She has gone 14-6-3 over her last 23 starts, while her peripheral stats have steadily improved. She played a pair of fine games over the weekend, making several big stops to bail out the Big Red, while the games were still close against RPI and Union. She collected her second shutout of the season against the Dutchwomen, making 24 saves. She enters the ECAC Hockey Tournament with a 2.46 GAA and .919 save percentage.
 
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. Brianne Jenner made a double-dip this past week when she was named ECAC Hockey Player of the Month for January as well. She posted 16 points in a stellar month.
 
Weekly Awards
Emily Fulton took home her second ECAC Hockey Player of the Week award over the last four weeks during the first week of February. She posted an excellent week, tallying five goals and one assist to lead the Big Red to a 2-1-0 week. She scored a natural hat-trick to spark a furious comeback victory over Colgate. She added a pair of powerplay goals against Princeton.
 
Joltin' Jenner
The center has not disappointed and seems to be hitting her stride heading into the conference tournament. She currently is first on the team and in ECAC Hockey with 45 points (14g-31a) through 27 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 58.1% on the season with 382 faceoff wins in 658 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 been extraordinarily hot down the stretch and is firing on all-cylinders heading into the ECAC Hockey Tournament. She currently ranks eighth in NCAA Division I in points per game (1.54), while she ranks second in ECAC Hockey, trailing just Jenner's mark of 1.67. She currently sits fourth in the conference with 37 points, garnering consideration for the Patty Kazmeir award along with linemates Fulton and Jenner. 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. With her four goal weekend she moved into a tie for eighth all-time in goals, tying Sunshine Lorenz with 75 career tallies. She has collected nine assists over her last nine contests.
 
Career Numbers Watch
* Brianne Jenner currently sits in second place on the all-time list in career points (223), first in assists (131), and fifth in goals (92). With her two point effort at Princeton, she passed #2 Cindy Warren (1977-81) for second all-time in points. With her two assists against Princeton she passed Cheryl Hines (1976-80) for second all-time in assists. With her three assists over the weekend against Rensselaer and Union she passed Cindy Warren for the most helpers of any player in program history. With her goal at Yale she passed Cindy Warren (1977-81) to move all-alone into fifth on the all-time list. She trails #4 Cyndy Schlaepfer by three goals.
* Jillian Saulnier currently sits in a tie for sixth place on the all-time list in career points (188) and is fourth all-time in assists (113). With her goal against RPI, she tied Chelsea Karpenko for ninth all-time. She passed Karpenko to move alone into ninth with her goal at Quinnipiac. She tied #8 Sunshine Lorenz with four goals in the season's final weekend. With her three assists against Union she passed Cyndy Schlaepfer (1975-1978) for fourth all-time.
* Emily Fulton currently sits at 125 points – 57 goals and 68 assists – joining the century club with her goal and assist against St. Lawrence.
 
Up Next
The Big Red will look to advance to the semifinals of the ECAC Hockey playoffs, where they will play at the home site of the highest remaining seed after this weekend's quarterfinals.