Women Icers Notch First Win

The women's hockey team (1-9-1, 0-5-1 ECAC) continued its non-conference schedule over the winter break with games against Niagara and Findlay. The Red also participated in the Theresa Humes Tournament in Montreal hosted by Concordia, coming away with a third place finish in the eight-team draw.

The icers squared off against Niagara (10-9-3) at Lynah Rink for its final game of 2002 on Dec. 8. Senior Sanya Sandahl got the start in goal, but the Purple Eagles got on the board early as Jennifer Goulet notched a goal from the low slot 33 seconds into the game. The score remained 1-0 after the first period, as the Red outshot Niagara 7-6.

At 12:46 in the second period, Melissa Hamilton collected a rebound and put it past Sandahl to put the Purple Eagles up 2-0. Senior Liz Connelly replaced Sandahl in net shortly afterward, as head coach Melody Davidson had planned to have each goalie play a half of the game.

The Red had its share of scoring chances in the second period, with two breakaways and a shot that dinged off the right post.

Neither team put up a goal in the third stanza, but Niagara held the advantage in shots with 13 to Cornell's four. Jennifer Mascaro stopped 20 shots for the Purple Eagles to earn her first shutout of the season. Sandahl and Connelly each made 13 saves for the Red.

After the exam break, the Red traveled up to Montreal on Jan. 3 for the Theresa Humes Tournament. The icers opened the tournament against the University of Quebec, Trois-Rivieres. Freshman Jen Munhofen opened the scoring for the Red at 1:52 of the first period, but UQTR would tie the game on a power play goal 3:10 into the second period.

Senior captain Brooke Bestwick and Munhofen set up the Red's next two goals, with senior Lindsay Murao scoring on the power play at 10:52 of the second period and freshman Andrea Skinner adding a tally of her own less than two minutes later.

UQTR would score the next three goals, one coming at 15:33 in the second, and two more in the first 10 minutes of the third period. Bestwick tied the game with an unassisted goal at 14:58 and then assisted on sophomore Pearle Nerenberg's goal at 16:26 to give the Red a 5-4 lead. UQTR tied the game again 30 seconds later, and the game headed into overtime with the score five all.

Skinner would clinch the game for the Red in the extra session, scoring on a breakaway at 3:59 of the overtime period. Sandahl stopped 22 of 27 shots for the Red, while UQTR's Marie Andree Joneas stopped 59 of 65 shots.

"I was happy with the scoring chances we generated," said head coach Melody Davidson.

"Sanya was steady in goal, but I thought she could have been a little more consistent," she said.

The Red faced off against the Quebec Under-18 team in the semifinals the following day. Freshman Flora Vineberg made her first start this season for Cornell. Team Quebec scored on the power play at 11:48 in the first period, and the Red tied the game on a goal by senior Erin Ellis at 6:59 of the third period. Valeria Choutnard notched the game winner at 10:44 of the third period.

Vineberg and Francheska Perron of Team Quebec each stopped 23 shots in the game. Team Quebec advanced to the championship game against host Concordia and came away with a 5-4 win.

With the loss, the Red played Middlebury in the third place game on the final day of the tournament. The icers jumped out to a two-goal lead in the first period as Munhofen and Murao found the back of the net at 1:37 and 9:02 respectively. Middlebury scored a goal in the second and third periods to tie the game and force an overtime period. Both teams had three shots during the 10-minute extra sessions, but neither found the back of the net, and the game went to a shootout.

"We have a shootout drill during the first practice every week, so the team was prepared," said Davidson.

Munhofen scored on the Red's first attempt, but Middlebury put one by Connelly to even the shootout at one. Junior Briana Jentner scored Cornell's second goal of the shootout, but Middlebury's final shooter beat Connelly to send the game to sudden victory shootout format.

Nerenberg scored on her attempt to seal the victory for Cornell as Connelly stopped Middlebury's attempt.

"All three contests were tight, edge of the seat games," said Davidson. "[The tournament] was a good test for us."

The Red traveled to Ohio last weekend for a two-game set against Findlay at Clauss Ice Arena. Vineberg started her first NCAA game for the Red. The Oilers got on the board late in the first period, as Nicole Richardson netted her second goal of the season. Melissa Oliver scored another goal for Findlay at 6:41 of the second period, and Cori Forbes would add the Oilers' third score in the third period to give Findlay the 3-0 win. Erin Blair recorded her first shutout of the season in goal, stopping 17 shots. Vineberg made 32 saves for the Red.

"It was a typical road game on Saturday. The team had bus-legs, and we lacked intensity and smartness," said Davidson.

On Sunday, Connelly started in net for the Red, while Blair started again in goal for Findlay. Neither team scored in the first two periods, as the Oilers outshot Cornell 17-10. Freshman Caitlin Warren scored on the power play at 4:33 of the third period and added an assist on Bestwick's power play goal at 11:49. Connelly's shutout bid was ruined, as Hilary Foord scored with the extra attacker at 19:46.

"We came to play on Sunday. We normally put together a great 40-minute effort, and today we were able to score a power play goal in the third and come back and score another one," said Davidson.

With the win over Findlay, the icers snapped a 12-game winless streak dating back to last season's ECAC playoffs. The Red will play its first home games of 2003 this weekend, as it faces off against No. 10 Mercyhurst on Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. at Lynah Rink.

Lady Icers to Host Purple Eagles

The women's hockey team will play its final home game of the year on Sunday, when it faces Niagara at 2 p.m. at Lynah Rink. The Red (0-7-1, 0-5-1) is coming off two losses at the hands of Connecticut and Boston College last weekend on the road.

Niagara (7-7-0) will look to halt its five-game skid against Maine tomorrow before heading to Ithaca.

The icers lost a close game last Saturday to the Huskies, as Connecticut jumped out to a 2-0 lead it would not relinquish. The Red would answer back on the power play late in the second period, with junior Anita Khar tallying the team's first power play goal of the season. Neither team was able to find the back of the net in the third, as Connecticut came away with the win.

On Sunday, B.C. netted two goals late in the first period, but the Red again answered with a power play goal from freshman Jen Munhofen in the second period. The Eagles would seal the victory in the third, as it tacked on two more scores to come away with the 4-1 victory.

The Purple Eagles started the season with a bang, notching a 7-2 record and knocking off then No. 5 Brown. Niagara has been in a slump lately, as it hasn't won a game since Nov. 15. Last weekend, the Purple Eagles were swept on the road by No. 6 New Hampshire. With a 3-1 conference record, Niagara sits atop the CHA Women's Conference, although Mercyhurst trails by only two points and has two games in hand.

With the loss of All-American goaltender Tania Pinelli to graduation, freshman Breanne Doyle has played incredibly, netting her first collegiate shutout in only her second game of the season. She stopped 40 shots as Niagara came from behind to beat Brown, and notched her second shutout after a 6-0 thumping of B.C. She has been sharing time between the pipes with junior Jennifer Mascaro, who has seen slightly more ice time than Doyle.

"Niagara's definitely a team that we can challenge to win the hockey game. They lost to UConn 3-2, and I felt that we were a strong enough team to beat UConn, so it's a game we can win," commented head coach Melody Davidson. "We just have to keep working hard and believe in ourselves, and have the confidence around the net that we need to score goals."

Seniors Liz Connelly and Sanya Sandahl have been splitting time between the pipes for the Red all season. Sandahl started in back-to-back games against Brown and Harvard, while Connelly was in net for both games last weekend. Coach Davidson has yet to decide who will be in goal for Sunday's game. Freshman Flora Vineberg saw her first collegiate action against Brown, as she came in midway through the second period, and made 22 saves.

The line of Khar, junior Briana Jentner, and sophomore Pearle Nerenberg accounts for almost half of the team's scoring this season. Khar leads the team in scoring with 2 goals and 2 assists. The Red will need to increase its offensive production against Niagara, as it hasn't scored more than two goals in a game this season. Last season, Niagara came away with a 3-0 victory against Cornell at the Purple Eagle Invitational.

The Red will head to Montreal in the first week of January to play in the Concordia Tournament. Last year, Cornell advanced to the finals of the eight-team tournament, but lost 4-3 when Dominique Rancour scored the game-winning goal with two seconds remaining in the game.

The team will then travel to Ohio to battle Findlay for a two-game set the following week, and will return home to Lynah on Jan. 18 for a weekend series against Mercyhurst.

"Every time you play a game, you get more experience. All the non-conference games we have upcoming are strong teams, so there's not going to be any guaranteed wins for sure," remarked Davidson. "We'll just keep working along, and hopefully as we go through continue to gain confidence offensively so that we get back to our conference games, we're putting the puck in the net more regularly."

The icers' conference schedule starts up again at the end of January, when the team travels to the North Country for two games against St. Lawrence.

W. Hockey Drops Pair

The women's hockey team lost two tough games this weekend to Connecticut (6-7-2) and Boston College (6-4-1). The Red (0-7-1, 0-5-1 ECAC) fell 2-1 to Connecticut on Saturday and 4-1 to B.C. on Sunday in its first non-conference games of the season.

Connecticut opened the scoring on Saturday when Angie Wallace fired a shot to the opposite post past senior Liz Connelly with a minute and a half remaining in the first period. Jill VanDam and Stefanie Snow assisted on the score. The Huskies would add another goal 7:37 into the second period. With junior Anita Khar in the penalty box for obstruction, Laura Stosky put one past Connelly from the side of the net.

The Red would answer back with a goal of its own on the power play. Khar put one past Shannon Murphy at 14:42, with assists going to sophomore Pearle Nerenberg and junior Briana Jentner. Khar's goal marked the team's first power play goal this season.

The icers were unable to close the gap in the third period, however, and the Huskies came away with its sixth win of the season. Connelly stopped 36 shots for the Red, while Murphy turned aside 22.

"I thought we battled and played hard. Again, we're struggling to find the net, and until we do, our confidence is going to go up and down, which we pay a price on," commented head coach Melody Davidson.

On Sunday, Boston College notched two goals late in the first period to grab a lead it would never relinquish. Heide Seidewand tallied her fifth goal of the season at 16:31, and Lindsey Bazzone notched her sixth of the season less than two minutes later.

The icers came out very strong after the first intermission, dominating the second period. With the Red on the power play, Khar found freshman Jen Munhofen, who fired a shot over Alison Quandt's shoulder for her first collegiate goal at 14:27. Cornell outshot the Eagles eight to three in the period.

Boston College would put the game away in the third, as Jaclyn Krysak connected on a pass from Kristin Blundo at 7:30 to put the Eagles up by two. Gen Richardson added another score at 13:24 off a feed from Seidewand.

"The fourth goal was a real bad bounce. I've never seen a goal like it before, there was some bad luck there," remarked Davidson.

Connelly made 22 saves on the afternoon, with Quandt finishing with 19.

Despite the lack of offense on the weekend, Davidson was very pleased with the effort put forth by the team.

"When the other team scores, it's hard to get up sometimes, only scoring one goal a game. I liked a lot of the things I saw this weekend," she said. "We scored two power play goals -- those were our first power play goals this year. We did some good things again, and we'll keep plugging away."

Connelly played in back-to-back games for the first time this season and was solid between the pipes.

"Liz played outstanding. Saturday, she gave us a chance to win the game, no question there. Sunday, she let a couple goals in the short side, which we've been working on. We've still got to work on covering the post," said Davidson. "Both games, she gave us a chance to win the hockey game, and we have to score more than one goal a game to win."

The Red returns home to Lynah on Sunday for a 2 p.m. contest against Niagara, as it continues the bulk of its non-conference schedule. The icers will head up to Montreal at the beginning of January for the Concordia Tournament and will play a two-game set at Findlay the following week.

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.