Team Notes: Raiders Open Against Nationally Ranked Opponents
HAMILTON, N.Y – The Colgate
women’s hockey team is set to embark on another successful
Division I campaign, as the team begins its season against two
nationally ranked opponents this weekend. The team will play No. 9
Boston College on Friday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. and will then host No. 8
New Hampshire on Saturday, Oct. 9 at 4 p.m., both at Starr
Rink.
The Raiders finished their 2009-10 season with an overall record
of 12-20-4 and finished eighth in ECAC Hockey with an 8-10-4
conference mark. The team, which was picked to finish ninth in the
conference preseason poll, will look to improve in one of the
toughest women's hockey conferences in the country.
The ECAC comprises two of the top 10 teams in the first USCHO.com
Division I poll with No. 7 Harvard and No. 2 Cornell. Colgate
finished eighth last season, making its ninth ECAC tournament
appearance. The team has never missed the ECAC Hockey playoffs
since it first entered Division I in 2001.
THE SERIES
Boston College leads the all-time series 3-0-1 with Colgate. The
teams first met in the 2003-04 season when they tied 2-2 in
overtime. Since then, the Eagles have had the edge over the
Raiders, winning the next three meetings, most recently with a 5-3
score last season.
The Wildcats own a 5-1 record in the all-time series, with the
Raiders' only win being a 5-4 victory in 2008. The two teams first
met each other in 2004 when UNH defeated Colgate 5-1, and have
played each other every year since then. This will be the second
year in a row that the Raiders will play the Wildcats in their
opening weekend.
SCOUTING THE RAIDERS
Colgate returns two of its top-five point scorers from last
season. Sophomore forward Brittany Phillips (Lauder,
Man.) had 20 points off 11 goals and nine assists
while junior forward Jessi Waters (Menlo Park,
Calif.) finished with 16 points off two goals and 14
assists.
The Raiders also return two veteran goaltenders in
senior Lisa Plenderleith (Ajax,
Ont.) and junior Kimberly Sass (East
Amherst, N.Y.). Plenderleith led the team in wins last
season with 10, while Sass was named the ECAC Goaltender of the
Year in 2008-09.
SCOUTING BOSTON COLLEGE
This will be the Eagles opening game of the 2010-11 season. The
team, which is ranked No. 9 in the USCHO.com Division I Poll,
completed last season with an overall record of 8-17-10 and a
Hockey East mark of 7-10-4, after losing to Boston University in
the league playoffs.
This season the team returns Team USA players senior forward Kelli
Stack and senior goaltender Molly Schaus who return to the squad
after winning silver at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. In the
2008-09 season, Stack led the team with 57 points (23 goals, 34
assists) while Schaus finished her junior year with a 22-8-5
record, a 1.61 GAA and .940 save percentage, the second best in
Division I women's hockey. The team also adds freshman defender
Meagan Mangene who, along with Shaus, was named to the U.S.
Women’s Select Team for the 2010 Four Nations Cup.
SCOUTING NEW HAMPSHIRE
The Wildcats (1-0), ranked No. 8 in the USCHO.com poll, opened
their season with a 2-1 win over Connecticut last weekend. The team
finished its 2009-10 season with an overall record of 19-9-5 and a
Hockey East mark of 13-6-2, leading the league in scoring (3.00
gpg) and power play (.275). UNH also led the nation in power play
percentage with 27.5%.
The team welcomes back senior goaltender Kayley Herman who moved
into a tie for fourth place on UNH's career wins leaderboard by
defeating UConn for her 52nd career win. The team also adds
freshman forward Arielle O'Neill to the squad who recorded her
first career point with an assist at UConn.
