Following last week’s victories over conference rivals Brown (1-1) and Yale (1-3), the Red (4-1) faces two more ECAC opponents this weekend — Princeton (2-2) and Quinnipiac (4-3-1) at 3 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
Princeton remains without a win in conference play, and things will not become any easier Friday afternoon for the Tigers, as the Red currently sits at No. 2 in the nation — second only to Minnesota (10-0). The Red swept Princeton last season and has not fallen to the Tigers since 2008, although Princeton still holds the all-time series advantage at 41-33-4.
The Red will need to stay alert when its takes to the ice on Saturday afternoon. Quinnipiac’s Kelly Babstock has led the Bobcats with 10 goals and 10 assists through eight games, four of the latter coming in last week’s 8-3 thrashing of Dartmouth. The Red holds a six-game winning streak against Quinnipiac, but Cornell will need another strong performance from goalie Lauren Slebodnick, who boasts a commanding .902 save percentage.
With over 400 in attendance at Lynah Rink against Yale last weekend, fans are beginning to take note of another strong season for Cornell’s women’s hockey team. The Red is looking to take advantage of its ECAC schedule early and work toward securing another NCAA Tournament bid, where last season the Red reached the NCAA semifinal before falling to Minnesota.
Following this weekend’s games, the Red has off for two weeks until play resumes at Lynah Rink on Nov. 16 against Colgate.
Original Author: Chris Mills