There’s some hockey going on tonight at Lynah. Tonight the women’s hockey team goes to battle against ECAC North rival Yale looking for its first conference victory. Tomorrow the Red faces another conference foe, Princeton.
The team comes off a pair of tough losses against No. 10 Mercyhurst. The first game in particular was a rough loss. Cornell got out to a 1-0 lead early in the first period, and the Lakers responded shortly thereafter. The Red held on to a tie until late in the second period.
“We had our chances,” head coach Carol Mullins said. “It was our most consistent 60 minute game yet.”
Cornell’s loss, she pointed out, came down to just a few mistakes late in the game. However, Mullins made it clear that the losses have not broken the team’s will or spirit. The Red is practicing hard.
“They’ve come together really well this week,” she said. “They’ve been working their butt’s off. It’s great to see them recover from the weekend and come back ready to go.'”
This week’s games figure to be important for the lady icers. Besides being conference and Ivy matches, they are the final games of the semester. A win could go a long way towards setting a tone for the second part of the season.
“There’s a little more pressure,” Mullins said.
Yale comes up against the Red with a 3-3-1 record and an offense that ranks third in the conference in goals scored (28). However, 18 of those points came against two teams, and the Bulldog’s conference record sits at 0-1-0 tying them with the Red for seventh in the ECAC North.
“They’re a team that can beat anybody,” Mullins responded when asked about Yale and its offense. But, she said Cornell’s chances are good.
“We have better goaltending, and we’re a better team all-around,” she noted.
“The teams are similar,” she said.
She pointed to offense, who gets more shots off, and goaltending as the keys to the game between the two evenly matched teams.
Princeton also has a solid defense, allowing only 18 goals, and a (1-2-0) conference record.
Solid work between the bars will be essential against the Tigers said Mullins. Otherwise, it will be essential for the Red to out-tough Princeton on defense. Mullins also stressed the importance of good play from the whole team.
“We need everyone to contribute evenly,” she said.
Going into the weekend, Cornell’s scoring has been paced by senior captain Jenel Bode (3-1-4) and junior Lindsay Murao (2-2-4) and has received solid contribution from senior captain Sarah Oliver (0-3-3) among others.
In goal, the Red has the duo of juniors Liz Connelly and Sanya Sandahl. Both have a .902 save percentage. Connelly, who was named ECAC goalie of the week last week, has a 3.01 goals allowed average in 15 games. Sandahl’s average is 2.58 in eight games.
“We’re working on focusing the players on going out and playing the game,” Mullins said. “We’re not lacking in effort.”
She stressed the team’s positive attitude and determination, even in the face of a 1-7-0 record, also noting the players’ sense of responsibility.
“We all have a part in this, whether we’re succeeding or not succeeding, winning or losing, undefeated, or defeated,” she said.
“We still have a lot of work to do, but we’re working as hard as we can.”
She thinks that ethic and the attitude will be key to the team’s improvement along with the camaraderie between the women.
Said Mullins, “They’re all in it together, win lose, or draw.”
Archived article by Matt James