W. Hockey Opens ECAC Play at Home Against Tigers

The women’s hockey team will begin league play this weekend when it faces Princeton today and Quinnipiac tomorrow, both at home.
“We’re pretty excited,” said junior forward Liz Zorn. “They’re the start of our league games and Princeton’s an Ivy game too, so they’re extra important. Coming off of last weekend’s loss, we really want to get at least one but hopefully two wins in.”
Cornell’s first ECAC opponent, Princeton (3-3-1, 0-2-0 ECAC), has failed to pick up a league win so far this season. The Tigers are coming off of two close losses last weekend, falling to Dartmouth, 3-2, and to Harvard, 6-4.
The Tigers are aided by new talent this year. Freshman forward Heather Landry scored the team’s two goals in the game against Dartmouth, both coming in the third period. Princeton’s contest against Harvard saw a similarly intense effort in the final period to make up lost ground. The Tigers tallied three goals in the last 10 minutes of the contest.
The Tiger’s senior goalkeeper Kristen Young made 39 saves during the Dartmouth game and 30 saves in the loss against Harvard. [img_assist|nid=33386|title=Reaching for it|desc=Junior forward Liz Zorn (24), seen in the Red’s 2-1 loss to Robert Morris, is tied for the team lead in goals with three.|link=node|align=left|width=|height=0]
Like Princeton, Quinnipiac, (1-9-0, 0-2-0 ECAC Hockey), has been unsuccessful so far in its league play. Opening ECAC play last weekend, the Bobcats fell to Harvard, 2-1, and Dartmouth 3-0. With both of these games on the road, Quinnipiac has yet to win an away game this season.
Quinnipiac’s senior captain Trudy Reyns netted her first goal of the season in the team’s loss to Harvard. Junior forward Janine Duffy leads the team in points with three goals and three assists, and senior forward Elyse Cole is close behind with three goals and two assists.
The Bobcats’ junior goaltender Nanna Holm Glaas made 17 saves in the Harvard game and 22 saves in the team’s loss to Dartmouth. She has a .860 save percentage for the nine games this season.
The Red, (2-1, 0-0 ECAC), gained more experience from its close 2-1 loss to Robert Morris last weekend and hopes to move forward to league play as an even more prepared team.
“The first wins obviously brought us together as a team, and I think so did our loss in a way,” said sophomore forward Hayley Hughes. “Our team realizes that we have to come out every game and be prepared to play any team.”
Freshman forward Catherine White and junior forward Liz Zorn lead the Red in goals, with three each so far this season. Junior goalkeeper Jenny Niesluchowski made 18 saves in the matchup against Robert Morris and posts a .927 save percentage.
“We’re excited to get our ECAC season going and I think our team realizes that we need to step it up because these are important games,” Hughes said.
“We’re looking to do well against the Ivy League teams this year, so I think we’re mostly just excited and preparing mentally for the weekend.”