This post will be updated.
Despite building a three-goal cushion on Saturday, No. 7 Cornell women’s hockey — without its coach and captains — blew the big lead in an eventual tie. Sunday’s game was a tie of a different variety — a 0-0 defensive battle.
The Red skated away from Erie, Pennsylvania, with a pair of ties to add to its record as the Mercyhurst Lakers proved to be a tough nonconference foe.
No. 7 Cornell (4-1-2, 3-1 ECAC) drew 4-4 with Mercyhurst (6-6-2, 6-2-0 CHA) on Saturday. But in stark contrast to the proliferative scoring of the previous day, both teams held each other scoreless in Sunday’s decision.
With head coach Doug Derraugh ’91, co-captain juniors Kristin O’Neal and Micah Zandee-Hart and starting junior defender Jamie Bourbonnais playing for Team Canada in the Four Nations Cup this past weekend, the Red was missing some key figures for its series against the Lakers.
Nonetheless, many of the other players on the team, as well as assistant coaches Edith Racine and Dean Jackson, rose to the occasion.
One such player was sophomore forward Maddie Mills, who led the way for the Red on Saturday, scoring twice in the first period. Mills first scored shorthanded off of an assist from junior forward Paige Lewis. Mills then struck again with Cornell on the power play.
Senior forward Pippy Gerace then notched her third goal of the season and the Red’s third goal of the game early in the second period.
Although the Red was up 3-0 at this point, the Lakers countered with four unanswered goals to storm to a 4-3 lead with less than eight minutes left in the third period. Staying calm under pressure, senior forward Lenka Serdar then scored the equalizer to earn the Red a point after its late collapse.
Sophomore goalie Lindsay Browning made her season debut for the Red on Saturday and recorded 27 saves.
The teams squared off again Sunday afternoon, but scoring efforts from both sides were thwarted, resulting in another draw.
Senior goaltender Marlene Boissonault was spectacular between the pipes, recording a career-high 30 saves en route to her second shutout of the season.
The Red’s defense was especially airtight in the added frame when a major penalty just a minute into overtime forced Cornell to play the rest of the period down a skater.
Cornell will stay on the road but return to conference play as it takes on Quinnipiac on Friday and Princeton on Saturday.