Young 'D' Looks to Improve

The blueliners of the women's hockey team are a young group of players that will look to establish themselves this season on the ice. With the losses of Erinn Perushek '02 and Eva Nahorniak '02 to graduation, the defensive corps is composed of only two upperclassmen. With a new head coach this season in Melody Davidson, the defense will look to improve on its 2.55 goals allowed average from last year.

"We're definitely pretty feisty. We've got two decent size defenders, but the rest of us are pretty small. We're gritty, and we'll get in there," commented senior captain Brooke Bestwick.

Bestwick will lead the defense this year as the unit's most seasoned veteran. With three years of playing experience, she will provide leadership on and off the ice for the underclassmen. Last season, she provided an offensive punch from the blue line and was third on the team in scoring with eight goals and nine helpers.

Junior Allison Simpson moves back to defense this season and will give the blue liners some much-needed size at 5-7. Simpson played defense her freshman year before moving up to forward last season.

"The people on the blue line, I'm not looking for them to rush the puck and create offensive chances that way. I expect all of them to get the puck through from the blue line and get their shots on net, different things like that, but every player has to contribute offensively for our team to have success," remarked Davidson.

Two players who will look to contribute more offensively this season are sophomores Lara Kelly and Jamie Ramenofsky. Both saw action in 27 games last season.

Kelly, at 5-7, is the tallest blueliner along with Simpson.

"There are six of us, and we have two new players that are definitely contributing really strongly. We're going to have to work on tying it up with the forwards within our defensive zone, but in terms of skill, we have a lot of skill on defense, and we'll be a good back for our team," commented Kelly.

Ramenofsky tallied four assists last season and was third on the team in penalty minutes with 30. She was optimistic about the new additions to the defensive unit in freshmen Becky Fisher and Emily Cabral.

"The freshmen have pretty much stepped up. They're learning that it's very physical and it's very intense and it's really important that they need to understand that they need to be involved in everything," said Ramenofsky.

Cabral was a member of the 2001 Vermont U19 All-Stars. Fisher hails from Duluth, Minnesota, and was a member of Team Minnesota for 2002.

Despite the lack of experience, Bestwick is confident that the defense will remain strong throughout the season.

"We lost two seniors last year, and they both brought a lot of experience to the table, so it's going to be an adjustment for sure, but we have a couple of big defensemen, and our young defensemen are pretty skilled and really talented, so I'm looking forward to this year and helping them grow as players," Bestwick said.

"We have to concentrate on our D-zone, and make sure we do what coach tells us to do," she continued. "We pretty much have a new system in our D-zone, so as long as we follow that, we'll be fine."

A Constant Force On the Blue Line

After figure skating for eight years, Brooke Bestwick decided to give hockey a try when she was in 11th grade. Right from the start, Bestwick was committed to her new sport, moving from her home in Nanaimo, British Columbia to Vancouver to play for a better hockey club. She played for Team BC in the 1999 Canada Winter Games, and was able to attract the attention of college recruiters

"I loved the campus, and I loved the people that I met here [at Cornell]. I heard it was a really good school. Coming from Canada, you don't know too much about the Ivy League and stuff like that. Once I heard about the school, I was definitely interested in attending," commented Bestwick.

With only a year and a half of playing experience under her belt, Bestwick made her way from British Columbia to the East Hill to play for the Red. Now in her senior year, she will serve as this season's captain as the icers face off against some of the best teams in the country.

"It's an honor. I'd never thought I'd be in this position, but it's great that the rest of my team respects me. They've given me the opportunity to lead them and be their role model, so it feels pretty good," said Bestwick.

At 5-3, Bestwick is not the biggest player on the team, but she plays a very physical game, racking up 50 penalty minutes last season. While playing defense is her main focus, Bestwick is also an offensive threat, as she was third on the team in scoring last season.

"I think I see the ice better playing defense. I think I can create more chances, and I like protecting the goalie. I like the physical part of playing defense," remarked Bestwick.

With the youth of this year's defensive corps, which is composed of only two upperclassmen, Bestwick has an added challenge in helping the defense develop into a cohesive and hard-working unit and adjust to a new coach this season.

"I basically want to help the rest of the team gain experience so the program can build up the next few years. Personally, I want to have a year like I had last year," said Bestwick. "I thought I produced pretty well for the team last year, so I have the same goals as last season. I just want to try my best and do whatever I can for the team."

In her first three seasons on the Hill, Bestwick has had her share of accomplishments. As a sophomore, she led all defenders with 20 points, including a team-high 16 assists. Her performance was recognized by the ECAC, as she was named to the ECAC All-Star Team that played against the U.S. National Team last October at Lynah Rink. With eight goals and nine helpers last season, Bestwick was again the defense's most prolific scorer, and was named to the All-ECAC second team.

As captain, Bestwick has already earned the praise of her teammates, who will look to her for veteran leadership on and off the ice.

"She's definitely stepped up. Brooke is bringing it together for us. She's a good role model, and definitely has a lot of good things to say, and she's out on the ice showing us how to play. She's playing in a way that we can look up to her and try and do the same ourselves," commented sophomore defender Lara Kelly.

With a tough slate of opponents for the Red this season, Bestwick will again be called on at both ends of the ice to help the team out.

"Basically, I just want to give 100 percent and never give up. I want to win all the little battles and try my hardest and stay positive."

W. Icers Lose to Harvard, Brown

The women's hockey team was swept on the road this weekend, losing 9-1 to No. 7 Brown on Friday and 8-0 to No. 2 Harvard on Saturday. The Red (0-5-1, 0-5-1 ECAC) was only able to score one goal on the weekend, as the Bears (3-3-1, 2-1-0) and the Crimson (5-1-0, 4-0-0) dominated both games.

On Friday, Brown opened the scoring in the first period, when Katie Lafleur notched two goals in the first nine minutes of the game. The Red would answer back with a goal of its own, as junior Briana Jentner scored her first goal of the season, with assists going to junior Anita Khar and senior captain Brooke Bestwick. Bestwick leads the Red in scoring with one goal and two assists.

The Bears would extend its lead late in the period, after Courtney Johnson and Keaton Zucker each found the back of the net to put Brown up 4-1 going into the first intermission. Senior goalie Sanya Sandahl made 21 saves in the period, as the Red was outshot 25 to five.

Jessica Link put one past Sandahl in the opening minute of the second period on a Brown power play, and Zucker added another tally at 8:27 to put Brown up 6-1. Freshman Flora Vineberg took over for Sandahl in goal shortly after the sixth goal, and stopped all nine shots she faced in the remainder of the period.

"[Flora] came into the game in a tough situation, and she closed the door [on Brown] for the second period. She looked comfortable and focused, and it was great to see her in net," said head coach Melody Davidson.

Johnson found the back of the net 17 seconds into the third period for her second goal of the game. Katie Guay added a goal of her own less than a minute later to put the Bears up 8-1. The Red defense held firm, keeping the remainder of the game scoreless until the final eight seconds, when Margaret Ramsay beat Vineberg for Brown's ninth goal.

"Brown was playing the European Torpedo System, so they were coming at us from every direction. We weren't mentally read for them, but we can play much better hockey," said Davidson. "Sanya and Flo were solid in net, they just didn't have a lot of help up front."

Sandahl finished the game with 28 saves and Vineberg stopped 22 in her first collegiate game, as Brown outshot the Red 59-14. Pam Dreyer, who was named ECAC Goaltender of the Week last week, had seven saves in the first two periods, as Katie Germain came in for the third period and made six saves.

The Red would face an even tougher challenge in Harvard on Saturday in Cambridge. Jennifer Botterill scored 16 seconds into the game from the slot on a feed from Pamela van Reesema, but the Red would shut down Harvard's offense for the remainder of the period, as Sandahl stopped 16 shots.

"The team I expected on the ice was there against Harvard. There was a bit of hesitancy after the first shift because of Harvard's Olympian line," remarked Davidson. "We were able to rebound and battle them hard. The Jentner-Khar-Nerenberg line played great."

Botterill scored another goal 27 seconds into the second period, and notched her third hat trick of the season five minutes later on a backhander to put the Crimson up 3-0. Mina Pell continued the scoring for Harvard in the second period, deflecting a Jennifer Skinner shot at 10:06 and finding the back of the net at 17:43.

Harvard continued to roll in the third period, with Angela Ruggiero notching her fifth goal of the season at 4:45. Botterill would net her fourth goal of the game a minute later, and Jennifer Raimondi finished out the scoring at 9:20.

The Crimson's Olympian line accounted for nine points and five goals in the game. Sandahl stopped 39 shots on the night, and Jennifer Ruddock earned the shutout for Harvard, making nine saves.

"Sanya played a great game against Harvard. [Harvard] was scoring TV goals, and Sanya made some great saves in the first period," said Davidson.

The Red will hit the road again next weekend as it travels to Storrs, Conn. to face Connecticut on Saturday, before traveling to Boston to take on Boston College on Sunday. The icers' return home on Dec. 8 for a 2 p.m. contest against Niagara.

Dartmouth Dominates on Offense; Sandahl Tallies 33 Saves for Red

Senior captain Brooke Bestwick and classmate Erin Ellis netted their first goals of the season, as the women's hockey team lost 6-2 against a tough Dartmouth squad Saturday at Lynah Rink. The Red (0-3-1, 0-3-1 ECAC) came away with one point on the weekend, after tying Vermont on Friday. Dartmouth (5-1-0, 4-1-0) swept its weekend series, netting a 7-3 victory against Colgate.

The Green got on the board early, as Meaghan Walton came around the back of the net and found Tiffany Hagge in front. Hagge then put the puck past senior Sanya Sandahl at 1:20. Dartmouth continued to press the Red, keeping the puck in the Cornell end for the first five minutes.

"I thought we responded pretty well actually [after the first goal]. It was like the puck was in, and we were right back out, and I thought we started taking it to them. I thought maybe it was an eye-opener for the team, but we responded pretty well," commented head coach Melody Davidson.

The lady icers bounced back and were finally able to clear the puck out of the zone. After receiving a pass from freshman Jen Munhofen, Bestwick took a slapshot from the slot and put it past Dartmouth goalie Amy Ferguson to tie the game at 7:55.

Louise Pietrangelo took a shot from the point that was deflected by Meaghan Walton, hitting the right post before ricocheting in for Dartmouth's second goal at 12:22.

Cornell started the second period shorthanded, as junior Briana Jentner was called for interference at the end of the first period. Sandahl came up big during the penalty kill, making two great saves before Dartmouth was called for a penalty 51 seconds into its powerplay.

The Green would extend its lead eight minutes into the period, when on a 2- on-1 rush into the Cornell zone. Amy Catlin received a pass from Sarah Clark, and beat Sandahl top shelf.

Sandahl faced a flurry of shots in the second, but remained steady in goal, as she stopped the Green on another oddman rush. On a Dartmouth breakaway, Sandahl stopped the initial shot, then made a sprawling save on the rebound. The Red then collected the puck, and sped down the ice on a breakaway, but was denied by Ferguson.

"Sanya played really well. She stood in there and made some great saves when we needed her, and held the fort for the team," remarked Davidson.

Katherine Weatherston notched the Green's second goal of the period at 16:57, when she deked Sandahl in front of the net for her fourth goal of the season.

Cornell came out flat-footed at the beginning of the third, and were unable to clear the puck out of their own zone. Dartmouth took advantage, as Gillian Apps deflected a shot in through traffic at 2:11 to make it 5-1.

Dartmouth struck again at 11:06, as Catlin notched her second goal of the game on a rebound from a point-blank shot.

The icers showed a lot of intensity in the final half of the third period, as they were determined to put some more points on the board. Senior Lindsay Murao held the puck behind the net, and found an open Ellis in front, who buried the shot to make it 6-2 at 14:26.

Davidson was pleased with the effort the team displayed against Dartmouth, as last week the icers were not able to maintain focus and intensity for the entire game.

"We're going to keep working towards those 60 minutes. The puck started going into the net for us tonight. We didn't have as many shots as we did against Yale or Vermont, but the puck started going into the net, so that's a bonus for us. We have to keep working towards putting those 60 minutes together and scoring at the same time. We'll keep striving."

Sandahl stopped 33 shots on the contest, while Ferguson stopped 11 for Dartmouth. Neither team was able to convert on the man-advantage.

The Red will travel to Providence, RI next weekend to face Brown on Friday, before facing Harvard in Cambridge, MA on Saturday. The icers' next home game is December 8, when they face Niagara for a 2 p.m. contest.

W. Soccer Loses in ECAC Finals

The women's soccer team advanced to the finals of the ECAC Championships on Sunday for the first time since 1995 but fell to host St. John's 2-1 on penalty kicks. The Red's 2-1 win against Providence on Saturday in the semifinal game was also decided on penalty kicks. The booters had to contend with poor weather in addition to the artificial turf on Belson Field.

"We finished the year playing our best soccer," said head coach Berhane Andeberhan. "I only wished we could have played on grass."

The Red, not used to the turf field, was dominated by Providence for the first 15 minutes of the game. The booters were kept in the game by senior goalkeeper Kristin Lotito, who was making her second start of the season. Neither team was able to score in the first half, with the Red outshooting the Friars eight to six.

Junior Emily Knight opened up the scoring for the Red in the second half. After a free kick by freshman Ali Gombar, Knight sent a volley past Providence goalie Caroline Haines in the 70th minute for her fourth goal of the season.

"Emily Knight, by far, was the best player in the tournament. She should have gotten at least four or five goals, she was unbelievable. She hit the cross bar and the post many times, she played phenomenally," said Andeberhan.

Providence would not go down so easily, though. After a questionable foul call on junior co-captain Lindsay Rovegno led to a free kick in the Cornell zone, Lauren Ritchie sent a header past Lotito to notch the equalizer for the Friars in the 86th minute.

The game was sent into overtime, but neither team was able to find the back of the net. Cornell put forth an outstanding effort, registering five shots in the two ten-minute overtime periods.

"I have never seen the team play the way they did in the overtime against Providence. It was the highest quality of soccer I saw this year," said Andeberhan.

With the tie still not broken after 20 minutes of sudden death overtime, the contest would be decided by penalty kicks. The Red won the coin flip, and senior co-captain Sarah Olsen sent a low shot to the right past Haines for the first score in the shootout. Kerry O'Malley's shot went wide right for the Friars, and Gombar put the Red up 2-0 after beating Haines top right. BriAnne Bruni sent her shot wide left for Providence, and senior Cailin Rice launched a shot to the lower left. Lotito saved Maura Robertson's shot, clinching the victory for the Red.

"We worked on shooting situations on Thursday from different angles, and one of those situations was penalty kicks. The team said this really helped them during the games," said Andeberhan.

Lotito finished the game with 11 saves for the Red, while Haines had 12 for Providence. The booters outshot the Friars 20 to 17, with Knight registering 12 of Cornell's shots.

The Red got into the game quicker against a much tougher St. John's squad but was outshot 10-6 in the first half.

"During the St. John's game, it was even for most of the match, then Knight took over in the latter part of the second half," remarked Andeberhan.

Beating three defenders, Knight launched a shot that hit the crossbar. Moments later, she put a header past Red Storm goalie Tina Fogg off of a Gombar corner kick to put the Red up with 10 minutes remaining.

With the game winding down, St. John's sent all its players upfield to try and pressure the Cornell defense. The back line held firm at first, but Erin Henderson collected a loose ball at the six-yard line and sent it past Lotito for the equalizer with only 55 seconds left in regulation.

The Red Storm did not register a shot in the first overtime, but won two corners in the second overtime. With neither team scoring in overtime, the Red faced a shootout for the second straight game.

"Taking penalty kicks is all about mental attitude, so I didn't have a set group before the game," said Andeberhan. "There were lots of volunteers for the first game's shootout, but the players felt a lot more pressure during the second game."

Olsen went first again for the Red, and sent one by Fogg, but Andrea Coukoulis answered back by beating Lotito on the left. Gombar's shot was stopped, and Henderson converted on her attempt to put the Red Storm up 2-1. Rice's shot was saved by Fogg, but Jen Pugsley missed on her shot, keeping the score 2-1. After Fogg made a diving save to stop freshman Phela Townsend's shot, Kati Schantz put the deciding goal past Lotito to clinch the game for St. John's.

Despite the loss, the Red, especially Knight and Lotito, put forth some great performances.

"Kristin is the ultimate team player. She was so supportive of Katie [Thomas] all season, and she has risen to the occasion every time she has played. She saved us in the first minutes against Providence and St. John's, stopped two breakaways in the Providence game and one in the St. John's game," remarked Andeberhan. "We were hoping that she would go out in a blaze of glory, and she did."

The Red finishes the season with a 9-6-2 record, its highest win total since 1999. Knight finished as the team's leading scorer with five goals and three assists.

W. Soccer Competes at ECACs

The women's soccer team will compete in the ECAC championships this weekend, which are being held at St. John's University in Jamaica, N.Y. The Red (8-5-2, 2-5 Ivy) is the third seed in the four-team tournament, and will square off against the second seed, Providence (8-8-2, 1-5-0 Big East), tomorrow at 2 p.m. St. John's, the first seed, will take on fourth-seeded Niagara at 11 a.m. The winners of tomorrow matches will face off on Sunday in the championship game.

"We want to have a lot of fun and play some good soccer this weekend," commented head coach Berhane Andeberhan. "Even though conditions were bad at times, the team has trained well the past two weeks."

The booters lost a tough match to the then-No. 19 Princeton Tigers in their final regular season match at Berman Field. Freshman Maura Gallagher scored two goals in the last three minutes of the first half to give the Tigers a 2-0 victory. The Red held Princeton scoreless for the second half, but was unable to convert on any shots. The game was very physical, with the Tigers committing 17 fouls and two players being booked for yellow cards.

The Friars finished their regular season on October 30 with a 1-0 win against Holy Cross. Sophomore BriAnne Bruni scored the lone Providence goal just four minutes into the game. Junior goalkeeper Caroline Haines and freshman forward Kerry O'Malley were named last week to the All-Big East second team and rookie teams, respectively. Haines played in 14 out of 16 games this season and recorded a 1.12 goals against average, while O'Malley was second on the team in scoring with four goals and five assists.

Providence and Cornell have faced four common opponents this season in Brown, Yale, Marist, and Syracuse, with the Friars posting a 3-1 record against those teams and the Red recording a 1-1-2 mark. Providence's only appearance in the ECAC Championships came in 1989, when it lost to Rutgers in the semifinal round. This will be Cornell's seventh trip to the tournament. The Red last appeared in the tournament in 1999, losing 2-0 to Villanova in the semifinals. The booters reached the championship game in 1994 and 1995, besting Colgate and Dartmouth in the semifinals, respectively.

The Red will look to net its first goal in three games, as it did not find the back of the net against Princeton and battled to a scoreless tie against Syracuse.

"On offense, we have a tendency to go to the outside too easily. We want our center midfielders and forwards to hold the ball in the center, and try to create some chances in the center," remarked Andeberhan. "We're good at attacking down the flank, but by creating chances in the middle, it will make us unpredictable."

This week, four Cornell players were tapped for All-Ivy honors, with senior co-captain Sarah Olsen being named to the second team for the third year in a row. Junior co-captain Lindsay Rovegno, sophomore Katie Thomas, and freshman Shannon Fraser received All-Ivy honorable mention.

W. Icers Open Home Slate With Dartmouth, Vermont

The women's hockey team will play its home opener tonight against ECAC rival Vermont (2-8, 0-3 ECAC) at Lynah Rink at 7 p.m. Tomorrow, the Red (0-2, 0-2) will face off against No. 4 Dartmouth (3-1, 2-1) for an afternoon game at 4 p.m. Last season, the Red took both games from the Catamounts, but dropped its two contests against Dartmouth.

The icers are coming off two losses against Ivy foes Yale and Princeton. On Friday, the Red got on the board early against Yale, as sophomore Maryann Nowak recorded her first collegiate goal at 8:37 in the first period on a feed from freshman Jen Munhofen. Yale would tie the game on a power-play goal at 13:13 in the first period. The game remained tied through the second period, with the Bulldogs gaining the lead at 9:41 in the third period. Yale would strike again with just over two minutes remaining in the game to seal the victory at 3-1. The Red outshot the Elis 36-22 on the night.

On Saturday, the Red faced a tougher Princeton squad, but were able to keep the game close going into the final frame only down by two. The Tigers extended their lead with four unanswered goals in the third period to clinch the 6-0 victory. Angela Gooldy recorded a hat trick and an assist, while senior goalie Liz Connelly stopped 34 shots for the Red.

"I expect the team to play hard and battle for 60 minutes. We need to find the back of the net this weekend," commented head coach Melody Davidson. "We had some good scoring opportunities last week, and we need to capitalize on our scoring chances this weekend."

The icers will go up against a Vermont squad that already has 10 games under its belt. Last weekend, the Catamounts were shut out at home against No. 3 Harvard and No. 6 Brown. The Crimson dismantled Vermont on Friday 13-0, outshooting the Catamounts 52 to 8. Julie Chu and Nicole Corriero each scored a hat trick, while Jennifer Botterill recorded a goal and seven assists. Vermont goalie Tiffany Hayes lasted only five and half minutes before she was pulled after allowing four goals. On Saturday against Brown, Hayes had a big turnaround, as she stopped all 52 shots she faced after Kami Cote was pulled after allowing three goals in the first 14 minutes of the game. Vermont recently recorded its first win against a Division I school since moving up from Division III after the 2000-2001 season.

Dartmouth will welcome the return of Gillian Apps, Cherie Piper, and Meagan Walton, who played for Team Canada in the Four Nations Cup held in Kitchener, Ontario last week. Canada beat Team USA in the gold medal game 4-2, after sweeping Sweden, Finland, and the U.S. in round-robin play. Dana Antal, who played two seasons at Cornell, was also on Canada's roster.

The Big Green came away with a 3-1 victory over Brown on Friday. Krista Dornfried scored a shorthanded goal at 14:42 in the second period, which would prove to be the gamewinner, while Amy Ferguson stopped 34 shots in goal. On Saturday against Harvard, Dartmouth posted the first goal of the game at 7:28 in the first period. The Crimson then went on to score six unanswered goals on the way to a 9-2 victory.

Dartmouth will be the second nationally-ranked opponent that the Red has faced this year, with five teams from the ECAC ranked in the top 10 of the USA Today poll.

"We've already played Princeton, who was nationally ranked. We played them very well for 45 minutes, and we need to have a good 60-minute effort against Dartmouth," remarked Davidson. "The team has to maintain game intensity and game focus."

The Red will hit the road again next weekend for two crucial Ivy and ECAC games, as it travels to Providence on Friday to face off against Brown, before heading to Cambridge on Saturday to take on Harvard.