Photo by Jim Rosvold

ITHACA, N.Y. – After a very successful three-game home stand that vaulted No. 4 Cornell into second place in ECAC Hockey, the Big Red once again takes to the road for important Ivy League games at Yale and Brown. The Big Red takes on the Bulldogs on Friday at 7 p.m. before heading to Bears territory for a 4 p.m. Saturday contest.
 
GAME INFORMATION
GAME #19: No. 4 Cornell at Yale
GAME TIME: Friday, January 25, 7 p.m.
GAME SITE: Ingalls Rink (New Haven, Conn.)
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads 49-13-1
LAST MEETING: Cornell won 3-2 on Oct. 27, 2012
2012-13 RECORDS | LEAGUE STANDING: Cornell (14-4, 10-2 ECAC Hockey | t-2nd); Yale (3-15-1, 2-9-1 | t-10th)
 
GAME #20: No. 4 Cornell at Brown
GAME TIME: Saturday, January 26, 4 p.m.
GAME SITE: Meehan Auditorium (Providence, R.I.)
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads 41-34-8
LAST MEETING: Cornell won 2-0 on Oct. 26, 2012
2012-13 RECORDS: Cornell (14-4, 10-2 ECAC Hockey | t-2nd); Brown (4-12-1, 3-9 ECAC Hockey | 8th)*
 
ABOUT THE BIG RED
Cornell had a terrific five-day stretch last week, knocking off out-of-conference rival Syracuse before downing two of the top four teams in ECAC Hockey over the weekend. On Friday night, the Big Red blanked St. Lawrence 6-0 as Brianne Jenner tallied four points on two goals and two assists just three days after scoring five points against Syracuse. Lauren Slebodnick made 20 saves for her second shutout of the season. The next afternoon against Clarkson, the Big Red took a 2-0 lead on goals by Jessica Campbell and Jenner, and when Clarkson made a late push to tie, Emily Fulton put the game away with a goal in the crease. Cornell is now tied for second in the ECAC Hockey standings with Clarkson (10-2, 20 points) and can inch closer to clinching a postseason berth with four points this weekend.
 
HEAD COACH DOUG DERRAUGH
Now in his eighth season directing the Cornell women's hockey program, Doug Derraugh has quickly brought the Big Red women to their current place among the nation's elite. Taking a program that won just four games in the season prior to his arrival, Derraugh guided the Big Red to the national title game in his fifth season and back-to-back-to-back NCAA Frozen Four appearances in 2010, 2011 and 2012, completely turning around the culture of the women's hockey program at Cornell. Derraugh, a 1991 graduate of Cornell, was the last Big Red men's hockey player to score 30 goals in a season. He earned his 120th career win at Boston University on Oct. 20 and is two wins away from tying the school record for victories as a women's hockey coach (Bill Duthie, 135).
 
ABOUT YALE
The Bulldogs, based in New Haven, Conn., are coming off a split against Brown over the weekend. Yale took Thursday night's game 3-2 before falling 1-2 on Saturday. The Bulldogs, sitting tied for 10th in the league standings, have the second-lowest winning percentage in the country as well as the nation's worst penalty kill (71.1 percent). Yale's scoring offense (1.37 goals per game) also places it second-worst in the country. That offense is led by freshmen Janelle Ferrara and Kate Martini, who have 11 points apiece. Classmate Jamie Haddad is third on the team in scoring with nine points. In goal, Jaimie Leonoff has played in all but one contest this year, earning a 2.98 goals against average and a .921 save percentage, good for 14th in the nation.
Yale is coached by Joakim Flygh, now in his third year with the Bulldogs.
 
THE SERIES WITH YALE
Cornell has a large lead in the lifetime series against Yale, holding a 49-13-1 record against the Bulldogs that includes two victories last season and one this year. The Big Red has not lost to Yale since Jan. 23, 2009. Cornell's last five games against Yale have been by a combined 30-4. In October of this year, the Bulldogs played the Big Red very tight and came close to forcing overtime. Yale took a first-period lead before Cornell got second-period strikes from Brianne Jenner and Jessica Campbell. A Yale goal tied it, but Jillian Saulnier netted the game-winner five minutes into the third period.
 
A WIN AGAINST YALE WOULD…
…give Cornell a 15-4 record overall this season…move Cornell up to 11-2 in league play keep the team at least tied for second in the ECAC Hockey standings…sweep the season series with Yale…be Cornell's 101st consecutive game with a goal…move Doug Derraugh to just one games shy of the school record for wins as a head coach…be Cornell's seventh consecutive victory over the Bulldogs.
 
ABOUT BROWN
The Bears, based in Providence, R.I., hold a 4-12-1 record overall this season and are currently holding the eighth and final playoff spot in ECAC Hockey. The team most recently split with Yale over the weekend, but prior to that series Brown had lost three of its last four ECAC Hockey games. The Bears are led on offense by Alena Polenska, a senior with five goals and four assists for nine points. Also near the top of the Bears' offense is Laurie Jolin with eight points. In net, Aubree Moore and Katie Jamieson have each seen their share of time, with Moore playing in 11 games to Jamieson's seven. Moore has a 1.93 goals against average and a .930 save percentage. Brown's offense is ranked third-worst in the country (1.53 goals per game), but its defense is 14th (2.41) and its penalty kill is an impressive fifth (86.9 percent).
The Bears are coached by Amy Bourbeau, who is now in her second season with the team.
 
THE SERIES WITH BROWN
Cornell extended its lead in the lifetime series against Brown to 41-34-8 with a 2-0 shutout win in Lynah Rink back in October. In that contest – Brown's first of the season – Taylor Woods had a power play goal in the first period and Jillian Saulnier scored even strength in the second to give Cornell its offense. Cornell has not lost to Brown in 12 contests dating back to Jan. 20, 2007.
 
A WIN AGAINST BROWN WOULD…
…sweep the season series with the Bears…be Cornell's fourth straight win on a Saturday…extend Cornell's winning streak against Brown to 13 games.
 
CENTURY MARK
The Big Red's streak of scoring at least one goal in a game is now 100 games long, dating back all the way to a 0-0 tie against Quinnipiac on Feb. 5, 2010. Cornell scored a goal in every game last year, something only it can say. Cornell was also the only team playing a full Division I schedule to not have a tie last year.
 
MOVING UP THE WINS LIST
Goalie Lauren Slebodnick's two victories over the weekend catapulted her into sole possession of fourth place on the team wins list. She now has 38 victories in her career. She is three wins behind Alanna Hayes for third (41) and 15 away from Amanda Mazzotta's all-time record of 53.
 
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Brianne Jenner was named the ECAC Hockey Player of the Week for the second time this year as she earned 11 points in three games last week. Also earning recognition from the conference was Lauren Slebodnick, named the ECAC Hockey Goaltender of the Week after picking up three victories and a shutout. Jenner previous won Player of the Week on Nov. 20, while this is Cornell's first Goaltender of the Week Award this season. Taylor Woods (Nov. 20) and Cassandra Poudrier (Nov. 6) have each earned an ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Week honor this season.
 
PENALTY KILLERS
The Big Red has the nation's third-best penalty killing percentage at 91.3 percent. Cornell has killed off each of its last 12 penalties taken, an important skill considering Cornell has the fourth-most penalty minutes per game (11.4) of any team in the country. The last team to score on a power play against the Big Red was No. 3 Boston College on Jan. 13.
 
CAREER DAY
Jillian Saulnier had a career high in points on Jan. 15 against Syracuse, scoring two goals and assisting on four others for a total of six. Her four assists were also a career high, and she reached and then passed 75 career points on the night. She now stands at 80 career points and is averaging 1.57 points per game in her Big Red career.
 
HAT TRICK NUMBER TWO
Brianne Jenner also had a terrific night against Syracuse, recording her second hat trick of the season after scoring a career-high four goals against Colgate on Nov. 16. Her only other career hat trick came against Brown on Feb. 11, 2011 during her freshman season.
 
HELPING HANDS
Freshman Morgan Richardson picked up her first career assist just 2:27 into the Jan. 15 contest against Syracuse. Then she did it again a mere two minutes later, adding her second ever assist on a goal by Brianne Jenner. Richardson also tripled her career points output on the night, going from one career point to three. Her lone goal came against Princeton on Nov. 2.
 
HOMECOMING GAME
The Big Red's contest against Syracuse was its first in Lynah Rink since a Nov. 16 contest against Colgate, and the team rewarded the home fans with an 8-1 win. Cornell is very strong at home, posting a 9-0 record in Lynah this season. The team is on a 10-game undefeated run in Ithaca dating back to last season's NCAA Tournament win against Boston University. On the road, the Big Red is just 5-4. Cornell has not lost a regular-season home game since Nov. 11, 2011.
 
HOME-ICE ADVANTAGE
The Big Red, in its nine home games this season, is averaging nearly five points per game as a team more than it is averaging on the road. Offensive leader Brianne Jenner is earning 2.44 points per game in Lynah Rink as opposed to 1.33 points per game away from home. The Big Red has scored 121 points in its nine home contests but just 77 in the same number away from Lynah. In home games, all but one player on the roster is at least a +1, and Jenner leads that category with +18. On the road, though, three Big Red players have minus ratings and the team high is Jessica Campbell's +7.
 
TUESDAY SUCCESS
With the victory against Syracuse on Tuesday, Cornell has now claimed nine consecutive contests on Tuesday nights. Cornell's last loss Tuesday night came on Nov. 2, 2010 against Mercyhurst in a 4-3 overtime defeat.
 
BUSY STRETCH
After Saturday's win over Clarkson, Cornell completed a hectic week of five games in eight days, its second such stretch of the season. The Big Red went 4-1 in both cases. In its first such test, Cornell downed Boston University, St. Lawrence, Brown and Yale while losing to Boston University in a second game. This time around, Cornell split a series in Boston, defeated Syracuse on Tuesday and got big weekend wins over Clarkson and St. Lawrence.
 
NATIONAL POLLS
The Big Red held still in this week's USCHO.com national poll, remaining at No. 4 despite two victories. Boston College and Harvard flipped for the second consecutive week as the Crimson jumped back into the No. 2 spot, while undefeated Minnesota, at 24-0, has a lock on first place. Other ECAC Hockey teams in the picture are Clarkson (No. 7) is the only other ECAC Hockey team in the picture.
 
MECO CUP
Seven Big Red players won the Gold with the Canada Under-22 roster for the Meco Cup earlier this month. Laura Fortino, Lauriane Rougeau, Hayleigh Cudmore, Cassandra Poudrier, Jillian Saulnier, Brianne Jenner and Jessica Campbell all traveled Germany to compete for their country and came away with Canada's ninth gold in 11 years.
 
USA CAMP
Cornell junior alternate captain Alyssa Gagliardi spent some of her winter break participating in the 2012 U.S. Women's National Team Winter Camp in Blaine, Minn. Thirty-six total players were selected for the Winter Camp, and they were divided into two teams of 18 for three intrasquad scrimmages. Gagliardi was on the camp's White Team with three other current ECAC Hockey rivals.
 
DO IT FOR DARON SERIES
Cornell's games on Feb. 1-2 against Rensselaer and Union will be played as the “Do It For Daron Series.” Do It For Daron is a charity founded by friends and family of Daron Richardson to raise awareness and inspire conversations about youth mental health. To show support for the Big Red and freshman Morgan Richardson – the sister of Daron Richardson – the team asks that fans wear purple to the Do It For Daron Series games.
 
MARKERS FOR MADISON
Brianne Jenner is participating in a goal drive this year for a young girl with brain cancer, Madison Primeau. For every goal Jenner scores, Jenner's sponsors will donate money to a charity to help pay Madison's medical bills. Jenner, now with 10 goals on the season, has raised more than $1,000 already for Primeau plus more than $250 in extra donations. To sponsor Jenner's charity, e-mail her at bj72@cornell.edu.
 
NATIONAL NUMBERS
Cornell has multiple players near the top of the country in many categories. Brianne Jenner has the nation's third-best points per game total with 2.12, while Jillian Saulnier tied at No. 16 with her 1.50 points per game. Jenner's one goal per game also puts her fourth in the country in that category. Jenner is fifth and Saulnier is sixth in the nation with 1.12 and 1.11 assists per game, respectively.  Jenner is tied for fifth with four game-winning goals, and Saulnier is tied for 15th with three.  game-winners, and Lauriane Rougeau is ninth in points per game by defenseman (0.83).
 
Lauren Slebodnick has the country's eighth-best goals against average (1.71) , its 12th-highest save percentage (.924) and its 10th-best winning percentage (.733).
 
As a team, the Big Red's 4.11 goals per game ranks it third in the country, and its 1.72 goals allowed per game is also sixth-best. Cornell has the nation's third-best penalty kill (91.3 percent).
 
CAREER NUMBERS WATCH
Against St. Lawrence and Clarkson:
Lauren Slebodnick moved to fourth on the all-time Cornell wins list with her 38th victory.
Jillian Saulnier scored her 50th assist.
Emily Fulton notched her 30th career point.
Approaching career numbers:
Laura Fortino is one assist away from a tie for sixth in team history (90). Jenner and Rougeau are seven away from that number.
Monika Leck's next point will be her 20th.
Erin Barley-Maloney is two games away from her 100th.
Alyssa Gagliardi will reach 10 goals with her next score.
Jillian Saulnier is one goal away from 30 and one point away from 80.       
Jessica Campbell's next assist will be her 30th.
Hayleigh Cudmore's next point will be her 40th.
REPRESENTING HER COUNTRY
Brianne Jenner missed the Princeton and Quinnipiac games in November as she competed with the Canadian National Women's Team at the 4 Nations Cup in Finland. Jenner and Rebecca Johnston '12 each had an assist in Canada's four games as the Canadians wound up losing 3-0 to the United States in the gold medal game. Jenner returns to Ithaca with a silver medal from one of the top women's hockey competitions in the world.
 
OUTRANKING THE COMPETITION
In its last 29 games against ranked opponents from the start of the 2009-10 season until now, the Big Red holds a 18-11 record. Cornell was a very impressive 9-3 against ranked opponents in 2011-12.
 
UP NEXT
The Big Red has a relatively quick turnaround before its next contest, a home battle with nationally ranked Mercyhurst on Tuesday. The Big Red and Lakers played three times last season with Cornell winning twice.