Weekend Preview: True Tests for League Teams

ALBANY, N.Y. -- For the first time of the 2010-11 season all 12 ECAC Hockey women’s teams will take to the ice together in non-conference play.  Top-ranked Cornell, Brown, and Yale will skate for the first time in regular-season play this weekend, while Dartmouth and Harvard play its first exhibition games of 2010-11.

At No. 1/2 Cornell, Robert Morris:  For the first in the program’s history the Big Red sits atop the national rankings in the No. 1 position. With 13 players returning from last year’s national runner-up squad and the addition of six talented incoming freshmen and the return of junior Rebecca Johnston, who sat out the 2009-10 season while playing with the Canadian Olympic Team, the Big Red appears to have the talent on paper to bring home the program’s first national title.  Robert Morris enters the weekend with a 1-5 record on the season, having dropped each of its last five contests after starting the year with a 5-4 victory over Providence.

Princeton at Northeastern/Providence:  The Tigers will open the season for the seventh straight season against a Hockey East opponent as they venture to New England to take on Northeastern and Providence.  Princeton trails the all-time series with Northeastern 25-11-2 overall and are 13-5-1 in Boston.  The teams last played a season ago with the Huskies taking a 4-0 win at Hobey Baker Rink.  Providence leads the all-time series with Princeton 43-8-4 overall and are 20-3-3 at home, but the series has been closer over the last few years with Princeton holding a 4-1-4 record in the last nine meetings.

At Quinnipiac, No. 8/7 Boston College:  Winners of five out of its first six games on the season, Quinnipiac will look to snap Boston College’s four-game winning streak.  The Bobcats are 2-13-2 all-time against Boston College with the last meeting coming on October 16, 2009 as the two teams tied, 1-1. 

Rensselaer at Providence/Northeastern:  Rensselaer hits the road for a two-game swing at Hockey East rivals Providence and Northeastern Friday and Saturday, respectively.  Friday’s contest marks the first-ever meeting between the Engineers and the Friars.  RPI owns a 2-1-0 all-time record against Northeastern.  Through five games, nine of 18 skaters have tallied a point or more for Rensselaer.

Brown at No. 8/7 Boston College:  Senior co-captains Jenna Dancewicz, Erica Kromm, and Samantha Stortini look to lead head coach Digit Murphy's 21st Brown Bear hockey team against nationally-ranked Boston College to start the 2010-11 season.  The Bears welcome seven freshman to their roster this season.  The Eagles have only surrendered three goals in their first four games this season.

Yale at Vermont:  New Bulldogs’ head coach Joakim Flygh takes over the reins after six seasons as an assistant coach for the women's teams at Harvard and Minnesota-Duluth, including five NCAA Tournament appearances.  Yale opens the Flygh era with a pair of games at Vermont, Friday and Saturday.  Senior Bray Ketchum is Yale's top returning scorer (12-11-23).  Last year the Catamounts were 4-6 against ECAC Hockey teams.

At Union, Syracuse:  The Dutchwomen will face off against the Orange Friday and Saturday at Messa Rink.  Syracuse leads the series with Union 2-0.  The Orange swept the Dutchwomen in a two-game series last season at Tennity Ice Pavilion.  Union is 1-3 this season with its only win coming against Sacred Heart last weekend.  The Dutchwomen lost to New Hampshire, 4-1, on Oct. 16, a Wildcat team that the Orange defeated, 4-2, just a week earlier.

At Colgate, Wayne State:  Colgate will end its six-game homestand this weekend when it hosts Wayne State in a two-game set.  Wayne State holds the slight edge over Colgate in the all-time series with an 11-10 lead.  The teams first met in 1999 at the Division III level when the Raiders defeated the Warriors 2-1 at home.  The Warriors (2-4) are on a three-game losing streak with a 1-0 loss to then ranked No. 4 Minnesota and two losses to then ranked No. 6 Boston College last weekend in a two-game series.

Clarkson/St. Lawrence at New Hampshire/No. 5/5 Boston University:   The Golden Knights, who are riding a modest two-game unbeaten streak (1-0-1), will look to carry their momentum into this weekend when they take to the road to battle two tough Hockey East foes.  UNH has a 5-1-0 lifetime record, including last year's 6-2 road loss, against Clarkson.  The Saints will also be making the road trip to take on UNH and BU.  The SLU enters the weekend 0-0-2 all-time against the Terriers.  St. Lawrence was ranked in both games, playing at No. 6 in 2008 and No. 7 in 2009.  New Hampshire has a 27-10-4 lifetime record, including last year's 3-3 tie on the road, against St. Lawrence.

At Dartmouth/No. 10/9 Harvard, McGill (Ex.):  In preparation for the upcoming season both Dartmouth and Harvard will face-off against McGill this weekend in exhibition contests.  The Big Green has 16 returning letterwinners, while losing six from last season.  Senior captain Katie Horner will lead Dartmouth on the defensive front.  Harvard hosted McGill in a preseason exhibition a year ago tomorrow and skated to a convincing 4-1 win.  Harvard's three captains this year are seniors Kate Buesser, Leanna Coskren and Liza Ryabkina.  Harvard returns four of its top five scorers from last season, including its top three.  Kate Buesser was the leading scorer last season, totaling 40 points on 16 goals and 24 assists, all of which were team-high totals.

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