2010-11 Composite Schedule Announced

ALBANY, N.Y. -- ECAC Hockey today announced its 2010-11 women’s composite schedule, which includes 132 conference contests, 22 by each team and a total of 245 games. 

Clarkson, Quinnipiac, and Rensselaer officially open the 2010-11 campaign Friday, October 1 as the Golden Knights look to redeem a loss in last year’s NCAA Tournament hosting Minnesota for a two-game series at Cheel Arena, the Bobcats visit Niagara in a two-game set at Dwyer Arena, while the Engineers travel to Madison in the first of two games verus perennial power and three-time National Champion, Wisconsin.

One additional ECAC Hockey team will take to the ice Saturday, October 2, as Union welcomes Northeastern to open its season in a 2 p.m. matinee affair.

ECAC Hockey regular-season and tournament champion Cornell will face three teams that qualified for the 2010 NCAA tournament.  The national runner-up will have its first test of the season when it welcomes Mercyhurst (November 2) in a re-match of last season’s Frozen Four where the Big Red came out on top, 6-2. 

The weekend of October 8-10 showcases two additional ECAC Hockey teams in action for the first time during the 2010-11 season, as Colgate welcomes Hockey East tournament champion New Hampshire Friday, October 8, while St. Lawrence takes to the road to face Hockey East regular-season champion Providence, Saturday, October 9. 

League plays gets into full swing Friday, October 29 as all 12 teams compete in two-game sets versus league opponents.  Travel-partner parings include Brown-Yale at Dartmouth-Harvard, Colgate-Cornell at Princeton-Quinnipiac, and Rensselaer-Union at St. Lawrence-Clarkson.

There will be a total of six weekends during the regular-season that will feature all 12 ECAC Hockey-member teams engaged in league play, with those being October 29-30, January 7-8, January 28-29, February 4-5, February 11-12, and February 18-19.

The ECAC Hockey Championship format once again is made up of a total of eight teams that qualify
for the championship and are seeded based on the final regular-season standings.  The format for the quarterfinals features best-of-three games series and are played on the campuses of the higher-seeded teams Friday-Sunday, February 25-27.  The championship semifinals and title games will take place the following weekend March 4-5 at the site of the highest remaining seed. 

The 2010 NCAA Division I Women’s Ice Hockey Championship will be held Friday, March 18 @ 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday, March 20 at noon at the Tullio Arena, Erie, PA.  Mercyhurst College will host the 2011 championship, which will be the first time the NCAA Women's Frozen Four takes place in the state of Pennsylvania.

Other schedule highlights include:

Rensselaer, which is entering its fifth season in ECAC Hockey, plays six games against 2010 NCAA Tournament teams, including a pair against the National runners-up and conference-rival, Cornell. 

Colgate, coming off its eighth-straight ECAC Hockey playoff appearance during 2009-2010 season, will look to continue its success on the ice as it plays 15 of its first 17 games at home in Starr Rink.  The Raiders first four games will be against Hockey East opponents - New Hampshire, Boston College, Connecticut, and Providence.

National tournament participant Clarkson guided by Shannon and Matt Desrosiers will compete against a formidable non-league schedule, featuring games against teams from the other three Division I conferences.  The Green  and Gold will play eight of their 34 games against teams that competed in the 2010 NCAA Tournament.  Clarkson plays 17 games at Cheel Arena in the upcoming season where it has posted a .692 winning percentage with an 80-32-13 record through the first seven years.
Two highlights of Brown’s 2010-11 schedule are when it plays in the 16th annual Mayor’s Cup hosting cross-town rival Providence on November 26 and when it travels to defending College Hockey America champion Mercyhurst January 14-15.

Quinnipiac, which led the nation in scoring defense last season surrendering a mere 51 goals in 37 contests (1.38 G/GM), returns nine of 10 defenders and both goaltenders from last season’s team, will face Sacred Heart on October 10, which was fourth in the nation in scoring offense last season registering 3.35 G/GM.

St. Lawrence boasts an ambitious 2010-11 schedule playing 13 games against teams that were ranked in last season’s final Division I women’s polls.  The Saints return five of their top six scorers from last year’s squad.

Dartmouth, which led all ECAC Hockey teams in overall scoring last season (3.21 G/GM), will ring in the new year at home welcoming Connecticut, January 1-2, who only allowed 62 goals in 37 games last season (1.68 G/GM).

A New Year’s Day special awaits the Dutchwomen when they return from the holiday break, as Vermont arrives for a pair of games on January 1-2 at Messa Rink.

Princeton travels to Boston University for a two-game non-league series over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. (November 26-27).  The two teams met last season over the similar weekend and split a two-game series.

The sixth annual Nutmeg Classic takes place November 26-27 at TD Bank Sports Center hosted by Quinnipiac.  The tournament features four women’s ice hockey teams from the state of Connecticut (“The Nutmeg State”).  The Bobcats play Sacred Heart in the opener, while Yale is matched-up against Connecticut in first-round action.

A new era begins in New Haven, as newly appointed Yale head coach Joakim Flygh guides the Bulldogs into the 2010-11 season on the road at Vermont in a two-game set on October 22 and 23.

Six-time ECAC Hockey regular season champion Harvard will travel to Ridder Arena to take on perennial NCAA contender Minnesota for games on November 26 and 28.

Harvard will look to capture its 12th Beanpot Tournament this year.  The Crimson will meet Northeastern in the first round of the tournament, Tuesday, February 8, in Chestnut Hill, MA.  The second round of the Beanpot will be played Tuesday, February 15.

Cornell, which capped off the program’s first-ever trip to the NCAA Women’s Frozen Four and a berth in the national title game will play nine of its first 11 home games in the friendly confines of Lynah Rink, where it posted a 13-5-2 mark during the 2009-10 season.

(Click here to view complete release in PDF format)