ITHACA, N.Y. – After the Cornell women's hockey program logged its first non-winning season since 2014-15, Doug Derraugh '91, The Everett Family Head Coach of Women's Ice Hockey, believes the Big Red has what it takes to return to what it was like before the pandemic.

"We need to get back to where we were before COVID," he said. "Our team came a long way last year from where we started the season to where we ended. For a lot of players, up until last year, it was a two-year break without playing many games. Trying to get them acclimated with the way we play and what we expect felt like we made tremendous strides. We hope that will carry over into this year, pick up where we left off and continue that upward trend going into this year."

Cornell returns its top nine scorers from last year's team, including its double-digit goal scorers in junior Lily Delianedis (14 goals) and fifth-year Gillis Frechette (12 goals).

"It's always nice to have veterans returning because they're aware of what we've already been doing and can help teach and mentor the younger players," Derraugh said. "We're excited about this group. It should be strong up front."

The Big Red brings in seven freshmen to the program this year, four of which are coming off winning a gold medal in June at the 2022 IIHF Under-18 Women's World Championship in Madison, Wis.

"We've got a number of young players in the freshman class that are going to play a big role. They should be able to come in and make a huge impact," Derraugh said.

Those on the Team Canada squad who won gold include defensemen Sarah MacEachern and Alyssa Regalado and forwards Avi Adam and Mckenna van Gelder.

Derraugh values the veterans in the locker room to help the incoming players to make the transition from high school and junior hockey to the Division I level seamlessly.

"It's a tough transition from high school and junior hockey to the NCAA and acclimating yourself with the challenges of the academics at Cornell. Getting settled that way is a challenge in and of itself as a young player," Derraugh said. "Then the hockey side of things, there's a lot of things to be taught and learned in that first month before the season starts. Having upperclassmen that can help, it's not just on the coaches to get that information across to the younger players. Having role models in the dressing room, off the ice, in the classroom, and in the community to understand what it means to be a part of Cornell women's hockey team is invaluable."

Sophomores Rory Guilday and Ashley Messier will be key blueliners for the Big Red this season. Guilday, who was named to the All-ECAC Preseason Team, is coming off winning a silver medal at the 2022 IIHF Women's World Championships in Denmark last month.

Messier was one of four current Big Red players selected to participate in the Canadian National Women's Program Summer Showcase this past August in Calgary, Alberta. She was joined by MacEachern, Adam, and van Gelder at the showcase.

Along with being a key defenseman for the Big Red, Messier will take on a leadership role as one of the upcoming season's tri-captains. Frechette and senior Izzy Daniel are the others in the leadership group.

Goaltending for Cornell will look different as Lindsay Browning, who was the Big Red's go-to starter the last two seasons of competition, will not be in the blue paint. Looking to ease the loss of Browning, who started in all 27 of her appearances last year and posted a 2.05 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage, will be junior Deanna Fraser and sophomores Brynn DuLac and Belle Mende. The goaltending trio has a combined five collegiate games played entering the season.

Glancing at the schedule, the Big Red boasts a non-conference slate featuring games against a pair of teams currently ranked in the top three in Ohio State and Northeastern.

On Thanksgiving weekend, Cornell will play Northeastern in the Smashville Women's Collegiate Showcase in Nashville, Tenn. The Big Red will also welcome the reigning national champions, Ohio State, to Lynah Rink in December before the holiday break.

"I like to have as strong a non-conference schedule as we can get," Derraugh said. "We have two tough teams that we always play traditionally from the CHA in Mercyhurst and Syracuse. They've always played us tough, are very well coached, and play hard. Then you've got the top teams in the country in Northeastern and Ohio State – two Final Four teams last year.

"Those are certainly going to be huge challenges for us. Even though we have a lot of veterans, we have a lot of young players, so for those young players to see those teams early in the season and understand what it's going to take to compete with the top teams in the country is going to be very important."

Playing tough competition like Northeastern and Ohio State will help prepare the Big Red for ECAC play, which appears to be the strongest it's ever been.

Seven of the 15 teams currently ranked in the USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls – including Cornell, who's ranked No. 12 in both polls – are from the ECAC.

"The ECAC is the strongest I've ever seen it in my 16 years of coaching," Derraugh said. "It's going to be great games all year long. It certainly makes it a big challenge for all teams involved, but makes it exciting for the fans, the players, and the coaches."

The Cornell women's hockey team opens its 2022-23 season with a pair of exhibitions against Canadian opponents, beginning Friday against McGill at Lynah Rink. Puck drop is slated for 6 p.m. Game action will be broadcast on ESPN+. Regular-season action begins Oct. 21-22 with a pair of home games against Mercyhurst.