No. 14 Cornell returns to Lynah Rink for two women’s hockey games this weekend, hosting Harvard at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, and Dartmouth at 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14. Both games will stream on ESPN+.
The Big Red enters the ECAC Hockey and Ivy League weekend at 4-4-0 overall and 1-3-0 in conference play. Cornell is seeking a rebound after a 4-0 loss at No. 7 Quinnipiac and a 2-1 overtime defeat at No. 5 Princeton, according to Cornell Athletics’ weekend preview.
Home offense offers a starting point
Cornell has won three of its four home games and scored 12 goals at Lynah. Eight came during its most recent home weekend against Union and RPI, including a 4-1 victory over the Engineers on Oct. 31.
Four players scored in that win, Cornell’s first conference victory. The Big Red outshot RPI 34-14 and committed one penalty.
Cornell generated chances at Princeton despite scoring only once. It outshot the Tigers 38-22, including 16-4 in the second period, but Princeton goaltender Uma Corniea finished with 37 saves.
Renee Bishop scored her first collegiate goal at 16:10 of the opening period, with assists from Nora Curtis and Rachel Bishop. The score stayed tied through regulation before Lucia DiGirolamo won it one minute into overtime.
Defensemen supply much of Cornell’s scoring
Senior Piper Grober has four goals and three assists through eight games, while junior Rose Dwyer has three goals and two assists. Together, the defensemen account for seven of Cornell’s 18 goals and all five of its power-play goals.
Dwyer led Cornell with eight shots at Princeton, and Grober added five. Grober has 35 shots and 12 blocked shots this season.
Senior Delaney Fleming and junior Lindzi Avar each recorded two goals and four assists through the first seven games. Fleming collected six points during the three-game stretch against Boston College, Union and RPI, including three against Union. Avar scored in both games of the opening conference weekend.
Freshmen have contributed four goals and eight assists through eight games. Renee Bishop joined Carly Dann and Jillian McLaughlin as first-year players with collegiate goals. Dann and McLaughlin each have a goal and two assists; Dann earned ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Week honors after a three-point weekend against Union and RPI.
In goal, Annelies Bergmann made 40 saves at Quinnipiac and 20 at Princeton. She stopped all 12 shots she faced during the second and third periods against the Tigers.
Harvard matchup follows a split last season
Harvard won the teams’ most recent meeting 3-1 at Lynah on Jan. 31, ending Cornell’s five-game winning streak in the series. Cornell had won the earlier matchup 5-2 in Cambridge.
The Crimson leads the all-time series 61-39-6, while the teams have split their last 10 meetings. Cornell has won three of the last four matchups at Lynah.
Dartmouth game marks the 100th meeting
Saturday’s game will be the 100th between Cornell and Dartmouth. The Big Red leads the series 47-44-8 and is unbeaten in the last six meetings, with five wins and a tie.
Cornell swept last season’s games by identical 5-0 scores. It has also shut out Dartmouth on the Big Green’s last three visits to Lynah, outscoring the visitors 23-0.
Dartmouth last beat Cornell on Jan. 28, 2023, winning 5-1 in Ithaca.
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