ITHACA, N.Y. – Cornell got past its quarterfinal opponent last weekend, and its reward is hosting the ECAC Hockey Tournament Semifinals and Finals in its home building. The top-seeded Big Red will welcome sixth-seeded Quinnipiac to Lynah Rink on Friday, with the winner advancing to Saturday's championship game. Harvard and St. Lawrence will play in the other semifinal.
GAME INFORMATION
Semifinal #1: No. 3 (1 seed) Cornell vs. (6) Quinnipiac
GAME TIME: Friday, March 2, 3:30 p.m.
GAME SITE: Lynah Rink (Ithaca, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads 9-3-5
LAST MEETING: Cornell won 4-1 on Jan. 13, 2012
2011 RECORDS: Cornell (28-3, 20-2 ECAC Hockey), Quinnipiac (19-15-2, 12-8-2 ECAC Hockey)
LIVE STATS:
Cornell Live Stats
LIVE VIDEO:
RedCast
Semifinal #2: (5) No. 10 St. Lawrence vs. (2) No. 8 Harvard
GAME TIME: Friday, March 2, 7 p.m.
GAME SITE: Lynah Rink, Ithaca, N.Y.
LAST MEETING: Harvard won 6-1 on Nov. 19, 2011
2011-12 RECORDS: Harvard (22-8-1, 17-4-1 ECAC Hockey); St. Lawrence (22-9-4, 14-6-2 ECAC Hockey)
LIVE STATS:
Cornell Live Stats
LIVE VIDEO:
RedCast
Tournament Final: Semifinal 1 winner vs. Semfinal 2 winner
GAME TIME: Saturday, March 3, 4 p.m.
GAME SITE: Lynah Rink, Ithaca, N.Y.
LIVE STATS:
Cornell Live Stats
LIVE VIDEO:
RedCast
ABOUT THE BIG RED
Cornell will be seeking its third consecutive ECAC Hockey Tournament championship this weekend after winning the regular season and Ivy League titles earlier in the year. The No. 3 Big Red holds a 6-0 record this season against the three other semifinalists, and Cornell is 16-1 in Lynah Rink since this year. Currently on a nine-game winning streak that is the longest in the country, the Big Red would earn an automatic berth and likely a home game in the NCAA Tournament with two more victories. With a win against Quinnipiac, Cornell would also bring its lifetime winning percentage to an even .500 (450-450-50).
HEAD COACH DOUG DERRAUGH
Now in his seventh season directing the Cornell women's hockey program,
Doug Derraugh has quickly brought the Big Red women to their place among the nation's elite. Taking a program that won just four games in the season prior to his arrival, Derraugh guided the Big Red to the national title game in his fifth season and back-to-back NCAA Frozen Four appearances in 2010 and 2011, completely turning around the culture of the women's hockey program at Cornell. Derraugh, a 1991 graduate of Cornell, was the last Big Red men's hockey player to score 30 goals in a season. He earned his 100th career win at Union on Jan. 6.
ABOUT QUINNIPIAC
The Bobcats, based in Hamden, Conn., come into the weekend as the No. 6 seed in the tournament. Quinnipiac, for much of the regular season, led the way in the conference thanks to having playing multiple games more than other teams. The Bobcats upset third-seeded Clarkson in the Golden Knights' home arena last weekend, winning the best-of-three series in three games. Quinnipiac has won four of its last five games. Goalkeeper Victoria Vigilanti has 14 of the team's 19 wins and a goals against average of 2.11. Kelly Babstock, last season's Rookie of the Year, leads the way with 39 points on 18 goals and 21 assists and is already the school's all-time leading scorer.
The Bobcats are coached by Rick Seeley, now entering his fourth season in charge. He is a 1987 graduate of Elmira College.
THE SERIES WITH QUINNIPIAC
Cornell has defeated the Bobcats in five consecutive games and now holds a 9-3-5 lead in the all-time series. The teams met twice this season, with Cornell winning 7-1 in November and 4-1 in January. In that January game, Quinnipiac scored just 21 seconds into the contest. But Cornell got a tying goal from
Jillian Saulnier and then goals from
Catherine White,
Brianne Jenner and
Jessica Campbell to win.
A WIN AGAINST QUINNIPIAC WOULD…
Clinch a trip to the ECAC Hockey Tournament Final on Saturday for the third straight year…move the Big Red's current winning streak to 10 games…be the 11th consecutive ECAC Hockey Tournament victory for Cornell…extend Cornell's winning streak against Quinnipiac to six…make Cornell .500 all time (450-450-50)…move the Big Red to 17-1 in Lynah Rink.
TWO WINS THIS WEEKEND WOULD…
Win the ECAC Hockey Tournament Championship for the third consecutive season…clinch a berth in the NCAA Tournament…bring the team's winning streak to 11 games…be the team's 12th straight ECAC Hockey Tournament victory…make Cornell over .500 all time (451-450-50)…bring Cornell's record in Lynah Rink to 18-1…give Cornell 30 victories in a season for just the second time in school history and the second consecutive year.
ABOUT HARVARD
The Crimson, based in Cambridge, Mass., enters the tournament semifinals as the No. 2 seed and the No. 8 team in the country. Last weekend, Harvard swept Princeton by scores of 5-3 and 4-3 (OT) to advance to this round. Currently on the third-longest unbeaten streak in the country (6-0-0), Harvard has not lost since the Beanpot game on Feb. 7 against No. 4 Boston College. Jillian Dempsey leads the way for Harvard with 47 points on 26 goals and 21 assists. Goalie Laura Bellamy has played every minute for the Crimson this season and averages 1.85 goals against.
The Crimson is coached by Katey Stone, who is in her 18th year of leading Harvard after graduating from New Hampshire in 1989.
THE SERIES WITH HARVARD
Though Harvard has a large advantage in the teams' history, the Big Red have owned recent meetings. Harvard's last victory against Cornell came at the end of the 2008-09 season, and Cornell now holds a six-game winning streak in the series. Cornell took the team's last meeting in January with a 2-0 win thanks to first-period goals by
Rebecca Johnston and
Brianne Jenner. The Big Red also won 5-3 at home in November.
ABOUT ST. LAWRENCE
The Saints, based in Potsdam, N.Y., are coming into this weekend having swept fourth-seeded Dartmouth in the quarterfinals by scores of 4-3 (OT) and 2-0. Despite being the lower seed in that contest, the Saints are the No. 10 team in the country. Rylee Smith and Kelly Sabatine continue to lead the way with 43 points each on identical 19 goals and 24 assists. Carmen McDonald is the Saints' top goalie with a 1.95 goals against average and a .928 save percentage.
The Saints are coached by Chris Wells, who is in his fourth year leading his alma mater.
THE SERIES WITH ST. LAWRENCE
Cornell and St. Lawrence have met 60 times, with the Saints holding a 31-25-4 advantage. The last four meetings, though, have gone to the Big Red. Cornell and St. Lawrence played just two weeks ago. In that contest, the Big Red emerged with a 3-2 victory after taking a 3-0 lead and then holding on as the Saints put pressure on late. St. Lawrence's last victory against Cornell came on Nov. 14, 2009.
ECAC HOCKEY PLAYOFF RECORD
What started out poorly has become a strength for the Big Red in recent years. Dating back to 1996, Cornell lost its first 14 ECAC Hockey Tournament games over a span of 12 years including a stretch of eight straight losses to Harvard from 2003 to 2009. But since the last loss to Harvard in 2009, the Big Red have won 10 consecutive ECAC Hockey Tournament games and won the last two titles. Interestingly, all 14 losses came on the road and all 10 wins came in Lynah Rink.
REGULAR-SEASON CHAMPS
With victories against Yale and Brown in early February, the Big Red clinched their third consecutive ECAC Hockey regular season championship and the No. 1 spot in the conference tournament. The team celebrated by receiving the trophy on home ice the following weekend against Clarkson.
ECAC YEARLY HONORS
Cornell has earned multiple nominations for year-end awards in the ECAC.
Rebecca Johnston is a finalist for Player of the Year,
Jillian Saulnier is a finalist for Rookie of the Year,
Chelsea Karpenko is a finalist for Best Defensive Forward and
Lauriane Rougeau is a finalist for best Defensive Defenseman. The awards will be announced at an ECAC Hockey banquet on Thursday night.
KAZ WATCH
Four Cornell women's hockey players have been named nominees for the Patty Kazmaier Award, the highest individual honor in women's college hockey. Senior
Rebecca Johnston, juniors
Laura Fortino and
Lauriane Rougeau and sophomore
Brianne Jenner all made the cut to the final 30 student-athletes.
IVY LEAGUE CHAMPIONS
When the Big Red defeated Union 5-1 on Feb. 4, the team got some help away from Ithaca when Harvard knocked off Princeton 10-1. The Tigers were the only team that could catch Cornell in the Ivy League standings before they lost that game to Harvard, clinching the Ivy League championship for Cornell. The championship is the 10th in program history and third in a row.
IVY LEAGUE AWARD WINNERS
Rebecca Johnston was named the Ivy League's Player of the Year last week, and freshman
Jillian Saulnier earned Rookie of the Year honors. The Big Red also had four players make the All-Ivy First Team: Johnston,
Brianne Jenner,
Lauriane Rougeau and
Laura Fortino.
SENIOR NIGHT
The game on Feb. 18 was the final regular-season contest for seniors
Rebecca Johnston,
Chelsea Karpenko,
Amanda Mazzotta,
Kendice Ogilvie,
Catherine White and
Amanda Young. They will leave Cornell as the winningest and most successful senior class ever, racking up at least 92 wins in their careers before this weekend's games, winning three Ivy League championships and three ECAC Hockey regular season titles. This group of seniors has made the NCAA Tournament twice – so far – and has made the Frozen Four each of the last two years.
NO SHUTOUTS
The Big Red is one of just two teams in the country that has not been shut out this season. Cornell has scored a goal in every game this year, something only the Big Red, North Dakota can say. Clarkson was on that list until last weekend when they were shut out by Quinnipiac in the ECAC Hockey Tournament Quarterfinals.
NO TIES, EITHER
With the regular season now behind the team, Cornell is has become the only team in the country playing a full Division I schedule to go untied all year. Lindenwood, a Division I program, also went without a tie but played Division III opponents during the year along with its Division I schedule.
BRICK WALLS
Through 31 games this season, the Big Red has given up just 47 goals total. That number is the smallest among all Division I teams. It is also the three times smaller than the 152 goals allowed by Yale.
WINNING WAYS
With a win against Dartmouth on Jan. 21,
Amanda Mazzotta earned her 48th career victory, putting her atop the team's all-time list. Mazzotta passed the previous record of 47 career wins, previously held by Sarah Mott, who played from 1978-81. She notched her 51st and 52nd wins last weekend against Brown, extending her own school record.
MAKING A POINT
Six current members of the Cornell roster are averaging more than a point per game over their career. Freshman
Jillian Saulnier, with the smallest sample size, has a points-per-game average of 1.51.
Brianne Jenner (1.61),
Rebecca Johnston (1.56),
Catherine White (1.36),
Laura Fortino (1.15) and
Chelsea Karpenko (1.06) are also on that list.
AWARD WINNERS
Since the beginning of this season, Cornell's players have been awarded with ECAC Hockey weekly honors 12 times, more than any other team in the league.
Most recently,
Brianne Jenner won Player of the Week,
Jillian Saulnier took home Rookie of the Week and
Lauren Slebodnick was named the Goaltender of the Week on Feb. 14. Saulnier won Rookie of the Week twice earlier in the year, while freshmen
Emily Fulton and
Monika Leck each won that honor once. Senior
Kendice Ogilvie and sophomore Jenner have earned Player of the Week honors, while Slebodnick took home Goaltender of the Week once before and
Amanda Mazzotta earned it on Jan. 24.
OUTRANKING THE COMPETITION
In its last 19 games against ranked opponents from the start of the 2009-10 season until now, the Big Red holds a 14-5 record. The win against No. 10 St. Lawrence on Feb. 18 added to that impressive record, as did a victory against No. 5 Mercyhurst three weeks ago. Cornell won two games against then-No. 5 Boston University in November and took one of two from then-No. 6 Mercyhurst in December. The Big Red also topped then-No. 10 Harvard in November, then beat No. 9 Harvard and No. 10 Dartmouth in late January.
NATIONAL POLLS
Cornell remained at No. 3 in this week's USCHO.com national poll in a week that saw no movement in the top 10. With most teams player weaker opponents in the first round of conference tournaments, the week saw no big matchups in the top 10. That changes this week. Wisconsin remains at No. 1 with 12 first-place votes and Minnesota sits at No. 2 with the other first-place vote.
LOFTY NUMBERS
Forward
Rebecca Johnston currently sits at 11th in the nation in points per game (1.76), with
Brianne Jenner not far behind in 12th (1.76). Freshman
Jillian Saulnier is second in points per game among rookies (1.52).
Laura Fortino is No. 2 in points per game for defensemen (1.17). Goalkeeper
Lauren Slebodnick's 1.35 goals against average puts her in second the country and her 14-1 record has her first in winning percentage.
Amanda Mazzotta is fifth and third in those categories at 1.56 and 14-2, respectively.
As a team, Cornell has the country's best offense (4.71 goals per game) and second-best scoring margin (3.19 goals) to go along with the second-best power play (25.6 percent) and third-best scoring defense (1.52 goals).
LAST TIME OUT
The Big Red jumped out to a 3-0 lead against Brown in both games of the ECAC Hockey Tournament Quarterfinals. The Big Red nearly gave up the lead on Friday before winning 4-2, but it double its lead on Saturday to win 6-0.
Amanda Mazzotta earned both wins in goal, and
Chelsea Karpenko had a five-point weekend.
CAREER NUMBERS WATCH
Against Brown:
Approaching career numbers:
UP NEXT
The Big Red will await its fate for the eight-team NCAA Tournament. The tournament selection show is on Monday at 6:30 p.m. and can be seen live on NCAA.com.
