Weekend Preview: Teams Welcome Challenges
ALBANY, N.Y. - Six out of the 12 ECAC Hockey women’s teams
are in action this weekend, playing in 11 non-league contests as
part of the annual tune-up process prior to the start of
conference-play.
Rensselaer at Vermont
*The Engineers opened up the 2011-12 season last weekend hosting
Connecticut. On Friday RPI tied Connecticut 3-3 and Saturday they
defeated the Huskies 1-0 behind a 20-save shutout performance from
rookie Kelly O'Brien.
*RPI Forwards Alisa Harrison and Taylor Horton lead the team in
scoring with two goals apiece.
*Vermont is 8-6-2 all-time against the Engineers. The two teams
played to a 1-1 and 3-3 draws last October in Troy, N.Y.
*Senior Chelsea Rapin and junior Erin Wente were named team
captains for the University of Vermont women's hockey team this
season.
Colgate at New Hampshire/Northeastern
*Leading the way between the pipes for the Raiders is senior
Kimberly Sass who played in 24 games and had a total of 607 saves
for a .899 save percentage last season. The senior finished the
season with five shutouts, three of which were in a row at
home.
*New Hampshire leads the all-time series 2-5-0 vs. Colgate since
the teams first met in the 2004-05 season. This will be the first
meeting between the Raiders and Northeastern.
*UNH has four goaltenders on its 2011-12 roster, but only senior
Lindsey Minton entered the season with collegiate experience.
*This season, Northeastern returns its top-four point leaders from
the 2010-11 season. Junior Rachel Llanes led the team with 31
points last season from 12 goals and 19 assists.
At Union, Sacred Heart
*Saturday’s home game versus the Pioneers marks the only game
out of the first seven contests for Union at Messa Rink. The
Dutchwomen will have a four-game homestand beginning on October 28
when League play begins.
*One of two women’s independent Division
I ice hockey programs, Lindenwood the other,
Sacred Heart plays one other ECAC Hockey team this season (Brown -
10/22 & 12/7).
At No. 9 Quinnipiac, Maine
*For the first time in program history, the Quinnipiac University
women's ice hockey team was ranked in the preseason USCHO.com
Preseason Poll, garnering the ninth spot, as announced by the
college hockey Web site Monday, Sept. 19. In the 2011-12 ECAC
Hockey Preseason Coaches' Poll, the team was selected to finish
third, as announced by the league Thursday, Sept. 15.
*Friday's contest will be the 13th time the two sides face each
other, as Maine holds a 2-9-1 all-time series lead. Last season,
the two teams split a weekend series played Friday, Oct. 15 and
Saturday, Oct. 16.
*The Black Bears are coming off two consecutive wins to begin the
season Friday, Sept. 23 and Saturday, Sept. 24 when they defeated
Sacred Heart on consecutive nights.
At Clarkson, Providence/Connecticut
*The Golden Knights will look to get off to a faster start this
weekend as they were outscored 5-0 combined in the first periods of
last weekend’s season-opening contests at Vermont and St.
Lawrence.
*The Friars posted a 22-12-1 overall record and finished in
third-place in Hockey East with a 12-8-1 league mark in
2010-11.
*The Huskies were 13-19-3 overall and placed fourth in Hockey East
last season with a 9-9-3 conference slate.
*Clarkson is 2-1-1 all-time against Providence and 1-1 against
Connecticut.
At St. Lawrence, Connecticut/Providence
*Six different players scored for St. Lawrence, and three Saints
– Vanessa Emond, Kelly Sabatine and Mel Desrochers -
contributed a goal and two assists in last week’s 6-3 over
north country rival Clarkson last weekend.
*The Friars hold a 25-8-4 all-time record against St. Lawrence in a
series that goes back to 1984.
*The Saints return their top eight point-getters from a year ago.
Junior Kelly Sabatine was the most dangerous in 2010-11, tallying
15 goals and 19 assists for 34 points (in only 32 games
played).
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