The Big Red women’s hockey team (2-2-0 ECAC, 2-2-0 overall) left early Thursday morning for one of the longest road trips of the year. This weekend, the squad will face Maine (1-3-0 ECAC, 3-3-0 overall) and second-ranked New Hampshire (3-1-0 ECAC, 6-1-0 overall).
Heading into the weekend matches, Cornell sits in the number six spot of the ECAC rankings.
With four points at stake, the Red is hoping to improve upon its power play percentage and pick up some wins in New England.
With a three-game losing streak, the Black Bears are desperate for a win after the beating they suffered against UNH last weekend. Currently, Maine sits in the lower half of the ECAC standings in the number nine spot.
The Red will face a strong UNH team on Saturday. Ranked second in the ECAC, just behind Dartmouth, the Wildcats are on a three-game winning streak. Also, the Wildcats lead the league in power play percentage with 36.4, while the Red sits second from the bottom with a mark of 3.7.
The Wildcats have many strong players and it will be a tough battle for the Red. Recently, freshman defenseman Kristen Thomas was named ECAC Rookie of the Week for the second time this season. Thomas leads the league in power play points and in defenseman scoring. The Red will definitely be looking to shut her out of the match.
Hopefully, Cornell will show an improvement in its special teams this weekend. Also, the Red hopes to see its senior members step up in the point totals. Currently, the “green line” forwards are getting the job done in terms of points. Junior forward Jenel Bode leads the Red with five points, while freshman forward Bri Jentner and sophomore forward Lindsay Murao are second with three points.
Senior co-captain Danielle Bilodeau has recorded one goal and one assist, but senior forward Erica Olson has yet to mark up the stat sheets. With the first games of hockey competition behind her, Olson should be ready to light it up this weekend. Additionally, senior defenseman Trish Kemp has returned from her European trip with the Canadian National Team and is hoping to make an impact right away.
Archived article by Kelli Larsen