No. 6/7 women’s hockey returns to Lynah after eight straight road contests. Being home doesn’t make it any easier, though, as the Red faces off with two elite ECAC rivals in No. 8/9 St. Lawrence and No. 3 Clarkson.
How to watch or listen:
Game time against St. Lawrence is Friday at 6 p.m. The game versus Clarkson is Saturday at 3 p.m. Both games are at Lynah Rink and can be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required). The team is donating $1 to the United Way for every fan in attendance on Friday, and the first 500 fans Saturday will receive a free t-shirt.
Series history:
The Red holds a slight edge over St. Lawrence in the historical series, leading 37-34-7. Cornell went 2-0 against the Saints last season. The results were a 3-1 win last October and a 4-1 victory in January.
Cornell also holds a historical advantage over Clarkson, 24-20-4, but has not fared as well recently. The Red suffered losses in both matchups against the Golden Knights last season, including a 6-0 drubbing last October. To be fair, nobody has fared particularly well against Clarkson recently — the Golden Knights are two-time defending national champions.
Cornell last time out:
The Red earned a road split against Robert Morris. After falling behind 2-0 in game one, the Red stormed back with five unanswered goals to win 5-2. Sophomore defender Willow Slobodzian scored two goals in the comeback win.
Slobodzian scored again the next day, along with two goals from junior Kristen O’Neill, but the game ended in a 3-3 draw.
St. Lawrence last time out:
The Saints spent last weekend competing in the Windjammer Classic at the University of Vermont. They ran into a buzzsaw of No. 2 Minnesota, losing their first game, 8-2, but rebounded with a 4-0 shutout of Syracuse.
Clarkson last time out:
The Golden Knights added two wins to their record last weekend as they defeated Minnesota-Duluth twice, 4-1 and 4-2.
Scouting the Saints:
St. Lawrence (9-6-1, 4-0 ECAC) sits one point behind Cornell in the conference standings, even though the Saints have played two fewer conference games.
St. Lawrence has dominated ECAC competition thus far, outscoring their four opponents a combined 15-2.
Scouting the Golden Knights:
Clarkson (12-2, 3-1 ECAC) seems to have a strong tolerance against championship hangover. Despite having won the national championship each of the last two seasons, the Knights have still shot to near the top of the national rankings.
The Knights will showcase one of the nation’s most prolific offenses on Saturday afternoon. They lead the ECAC in scoring, at 4.36 goals per game.
Cornell wins this weekend if…
Playing at home can give the team a boost it hasn’t had in quite some time. The last time the Red played at home was October 27 against Dartmouth. In the meantime, the team has gone on an eight-game road trip, going a modest 3-1-4. Cornell is 3-0 at home this season, so the Red should be at ease if the home ice advantage returns after the month-long hiatus.
What they’re saying in Ithaca:
Senior forward Diana Buckley on the opponents this weekend: “Both St. Lawrence and Clarkson are huge games in the NCAA standings, but more importantly in the ECAC standings. These games will feature some of the best players in the NCAA, so I can guarantee it will be a pair of aggressive, fast-paced games.”
Head Coach Doug Derraugh ’91 on the eight-game road trip: “Hopefully it will help us the second half of the season, being able to learn how to be successful on the road. The only way you have a chance of winning in the playoffs or in the NCAA tournament is if you’re able to win on the road.”
Senior forward Lenka Serdar on playing at home: “Playing in front of family, friends, the rowdy Lynah faithful and the band is something special to our team. The atmosphere at Lynah gives our team so much energy on the ice.”
What they’re saying in Canton:
Head Coach Chris Wells on the Saints’ win versus Syracuse: “We had a great response in the second period after Syracuse had the better play in the first. We battled for some pucks and converted on some opportunities to get some confidence in our game.”
What they’re saying in Potsdam:
Head Coach Matt Desrosiers on their wins against Minnesota-Duluth: “We were really happy with the effort our team put forth this weekend against a very tough opponent in Minnesota-Duluth. I was really impressed with the amount of energy and fire our players played with.”
Sound smart:
Clarkson has ended Cornell’s season twice in the past three seasons. In 2016-2017, the Golden Knights beat Cornell in both the ECAC Conference championship game and in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Fun fact:
St. Lawrence University is ranked as the 16th-coldest university in America by the Huffington Post.