ITHACA, N.Y. – No. 6 women's hockey skated past regional rival Syracuse, 5-0, on Tuesday night at Lynah Rink thanks to a Kristin O'Neill hat trick and a shutout by goaltender Marlene Boissonnault. O'Neill's triple-goal performance is the first for the sophomore while Boissonnault's shutout was her fourth of the season and sixth of her career.
 
"I thought from our end tonight, pretty solid effort across the board," said head coach Doug Derraugh. "Obviously got off to a great start – that was key. Sometimes these Tuesday night games can be a little bit wonky and you're never quite sure what you're going to get and so we're pretty happy with the effort overall tonight from our team."
 
Cornell is now 10-1-0 all-time against the Orange with the Big Red winning the past 10 contests.
 
Along with O'Neill, Maddie Mills, Willow Slobodzian, Diana Buckley and Brianna Veerman all registered multi-point outings.
 
O'Neill and Buckley powered the team to a 3-0 start in just the first frame with O'Neill notching the first two scores. Four minutes and 27 seconds into the game, O'Neill struck on a wraparound, going backhanded at the far post to kick-start the scoring for the team.
 
The Oakville, Ontario native kept the team red hot about nine minutes later with yet another score off of a connection with Mills. Mills sent a saucer pass to O'Neill in a two-on-one and O'Neill finished it off with another backhander at the far post.
 
A power play goal would be next for Cornell with Buckley striking off of a rush down the slot. Buckley received feeds from Willow Slobodzian and Erin O'Connor from the points and Buckley skated down the slot before firing in a shot between the circles that raced past Syracuse's Edith D'Astous Moreau.
 
The Big Red's fourth goal would come from Joie Phelps 8:10 into the second period after a snipe from Sarah Knee at the left point hit Phelps and deflected into the back of the net. O'Neill would secure her hat track with over five minutes remaining in the second frame, skating in from the far circle to splash it in to the right corner.
 
Boissonnault made 24 saves to lock in her shutout with 14 stops coming in just the second period. D'Astous Moreau made 32.
 
The team returns to Lynah Rink this weekend, hosting Yale and Brown. The game against the Bulldogs will take place on Friday, Feb. 9 at 6 p.m. and will be the annual Do It For Daron game. Fans are encouraged to wear purple. Saturday, Feb. 10 will play host to the Bears at 3 p.m. and will also serve as Senior Day. A short ceremony will follow the game honoring the team's three upcoming graduates.