Two consecutive Frozen Fours. Two consecutive ECAC Hockey regular-season championships. Two consecutive ECAC Hockey Tournament championships. At least one All-America first-team athlete each of the last two years. Back-to-back 20-win seasons.
It's safe to say Cornell women's hockey is on a roll.
With expectations as high as ever, the Big Red opened their 2011-12 season exhibition against Brampton, returning a strong group of 14 skaters and bringing in four freshmen and a transfer to help replace a talented departed senior class. The team is filled with big names, former Olympians, current Canadian National Team members and ECAC Preseason First-Team members.
Six of the players even have their own Wikipedia pages.
A difficult schedule in a quality conference awaits Cornell, but the team is ready for the challenge.
GOALTENDERS
Calling senior Amanda Mazzotta and sophomore Lauren Slebodnick the best goaltending tandem in the country last season is not a stretch. There are stats to back it up. Mazzotta, during her fantastic junior campaign, recorded the country's lowest goals against average of 1.12. Right behind her?
Slebodnick, who rocketed onto the scene as a freshman with a 1.15 goals against average.
Both are back this year, and Cornell should have a solid netminder every night. Slebodnick and Mazzotta were also 2-3 in the country for winning percentage (.893 and .889, respectively) and Mazzotta's .945 save percentage put her second in the nation. Slebodnick wasn't far behind with a .942 save percentage.
Joining them this year is freshman Katelyn Pippy, a young goalkeeper who has competed at the USA National Hockey Selection Camps multiple times. Pippy's presence will add depth to an already stacked position for the Big Red. Pippy can make the big save when needed.
“She was somebody that never gave up on the puck,” Derraugh said.
DEFENDERS
Cornell's blue liners are an experienced group, and all six are back from last season. Two seniors, two juniors and two sophomores make for a talented squad that will protect the Cornell net and do plenty of scoring, too.
Amanda Young and Jenna Paulson make up the senior class. Young, an Alberta native and team captain, scored two goals, notched 14 assists and earned a +22 rating last season. Young competes hard on both ends of the ice, has a deadly shot and finished the 2010-11 campaign on a five-game scoring streak. She was named to the ECAC Hockey all-tournament team for scoring three points and playing excellent defense.
Paulson was one of just four players to dress for all 35 games last year and scored her first career point early in the season against Robert Morris. She finished the year with a +10 rating.
The Big Red's two junior defensemen are All-American players with talent to spare. Lauriane Rougeau and Laura Fortino not only play excellent defense, but the two were in the top seven of Cornell's scorers last year.
Rougeau, who was named to Hockey Canada's national team in late September, is one of the team's quarterbacks on defense. She excels on the penalty kill and is willing to give up her body to block shots. She made the preseason ECAC Hockey All-League team and scored 31 points for Cornell last year.
“That's why she's an All-American and also recognized by Hockey Canada by being selected to the Canadian National Team,” Derraugh said.
Her defensive partner, Fortino, shares many of the same honors. Fortino was also named to Canada's national team in September, and she joined Rougeau in making up an all-Cornell blue line on the preseason ECAC Hockey All-League team. Fortino, who plays a little more offense than Rougeau, had nine goals and 32 assists last year to go along with her +44 and earned first-team All-America honors. She was the top scoring defenseman in the country last year and the only defenseman to be a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award.
“When Fortino and Rougeau came in, I was excited about them, but I didn't know just how much of an impact they were going to have,” Derraugh said. “I didn't anticipate that. I knew they were going to be good, but I didn't realize they were going to be that good right away.”
Rounding out the defensemen are sophomores Alyssa Gagliardi and Hayleigh Cudmore. Gagliardi finished her freshman campaign with 19 points and a +32 rating. She is a passionate player and sacrifices herself whenever a shot needs to be blocked.
“It's funny because she's the nicest person in the world, and when she gets on the ice, just competes, competes, competes,” Derraugh said.
Cudmore notched nine assists and had a +15 rating in her freshman season. She is smart on the ice and has excellent vision.
“She was good to begin with, but, I'm really excited to see how she's going to do her sophomore year,” Derraugh said.
FORWARDS
As deep as the Big Red are at the goaltending position, the team might have even more strength at forward. With a total of 12 forwards – some of who boast Olympic backgrounds and ECAC Hockey honors from years past, this season's corps of attackers is strong top to bottom. Three new freshman forwards and a transfer player add to the depth and look promising for years to come.
The four senior forwards on the Cornell roster make up a stellar group with scoring power. Rebecca Johnston, one of the team's four captains, has the experience of winning a gold medal with Canada in the 2010 Olympics. She is a preseason All-ECAC First Team selection, was a second-team All-American last year and was second in the ECAC with 50 points. Johnston led the nation with four hat tricks last year and was a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award.
“She is one of the most dangerous players when she gets on the ice,” Derraugh said. “Sometimes you've got to catch yourself as a coach – and that's for a quite a few of my players now – you've got to remember that you are not a spectator, but the coach. Sometimes I am in awe of their skills.”
Joining Johnston as a senior captain is Chelsea Karpenko. The Winnipeg native has a hard shot, strong hands and loves being around the rink. She finished last season second in the NCAA with 11 power play goals, and she had 48 total points on the year to go with her +34 rating.
Catherine White is the third senior captain on this team, and she's coming off a phenomenal 2010-11 campaign during which she scored 45 points. White, a playmaker with deceptive moves and excellent range, will be looking to close out her Cornell career in style after winning the ECAC Player of the Year award her sophomore season.
Kendice Ogilvie rounds out the senior class of forwards, and her reliable play at center has been a staple of the Big Red for years. Her overtime game-winning goal against Clarkson in the ECAC Tournament Championship Game two years ago sparked the team through the postseason, and she will be relied on again for energy this year. She will be relied upon once again for her energy and big goals.
Xandra Hompe is the lone junior playing forward this year, and though she splits the early part of the season with soccer, he contributions when called up earned her a goal and three assists last year.
Brianne Jenner, a member of Team Canada, heads the sophomore class of forwards this year. Her 23 goals and 27 assists in 2010-11 tied her with Johnston for second in the ECAC in points. She had high expectations coming in as a freshman, met them, and will face strong expectations once more.
Jessica Campbell also returns for her sophomore campaign, and defenders should watch out the speed that helped earn her 11 goals and 15 helpers last season.
Olivia Cook, known for her energy and drive that lifts the team emotionally, scored eight points last year and had a +11 rating. She looks to improve on that effort in her sophomore season.
Finally, three new freshman forwards and a transfer will look to make a big impact immediately. Emily Fulton and Jillian Saulnier have competed on national Under-18 teams, and they will bring their rich experiences into Ithaca. Monika Leck, a freshman with great vision and a scoring touch, also joins
Fulton and Saulnier as part of the freshman class. Erin Barley-Maloney, who transferred to Cornell two years ago from the University of Vermont, is also expected to be a great addition for the Big Red and will get the chance to make her Cornell debut.
SCHEDULE
Cornell comes into this season ranked No. 2 in the country in the USCHO.com poll, but they know that a preseason poll means very little and the NCAA is full of great teams this year. Besides the always-difficult ECAC schedule, the Big Red has scheduled tough out-of-conference opponents.
The biggest challenge may come on the weekend following Thanksgiving when Boston University comes to Ithaca for two games. The Terriers, ranked No. 4 in the country, knocked the Big Red out of the NCAA Tournament last season.
Cornell will also play three games – two away, one home – against No. 10 Mercyhurst. The teams split two games last year with both sides winning on the road. Cornell heads to Erie, Pa., in early December for two contests before winter break.
Syracuse, who played Cornell tough despite a 4-1 Big Red win last year, is also part of the out-of-conference schedule this year. The teams will play in Ithaca in early November and in Syracuse in mid-January.
In the ECAC, Cornell will have to deal with No. 9 Dartmouth twice as well as two meetings against four teams currently receiving votes in the national polls: Rensselaer, St. Lawrence, Harvard and Clarkson. Quinnipiac was also ranked No. 9 in the preseason poll.
One other quirk in the schedule will come when Cornell loses Johnston, Jenner, Fortino and Rougeau to Team Canada for a week early in the year. While they are competing at the 4 Nations Cup in Sweden from Nov. 9-14, the Big Red will host ECAC Hockey games against Harvard and Dartmouth.
The team is used to missing some of its stars, though. In one stretch of January last season, Cornell played with just 11 skaters.
Derraugh chooses to view the absence of those four as a chance for others.
“It's an opportunity for some players,” Derraugh said. “Maybe they're in a different role at the start of the year, and it's a chance for them to show coaches and teammates that they can take on other roles and work through some tough circumstances, but become a better team for it."#
Coaches: If you want your preview included on our website or in Hockey New York State the e-magazine, please forward it to me at janetschultz@yahoo.com.
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