PDF file weekly release
With a pair of road victories over two of the elite programs in ECAC Hockey, the Clarkson University Women’s Hockey team began a lengthy foray away from Potsdam in impressive fashion. Guided by second-year co-head coaches Shannon and Matt Desrosiers, the Golden Knights extended the nation’s best winning streak to seven games by defeating Harvard, 2-1, and Dartmouth, 3-1, this past weekend in New England.
Ranked second in the nation by both the USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Division I polls, Clarkson is off to the best start in the history of the seven-year program with an 11-1-1 overall record. The Green and Gold, led by senior captain Britney Selina (Thornhill, ONT) and senior assistant captain Carlee Eusepi (Oakville, ONT), stand atop the ECAC Hockey standings with a 5-0-0 league mark.
Clarkson continues its current six-game road trip by playing at Central New York rivals Cornell and Colgate this weekend. The Knights take on the Big Red at Lynah Rink in Ithaca at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, and then battle Colgate on Saturday in a 4:00 p.m. contest at Starr Rink in Hamilton. Clarkson takes a break from league play the following weekend with a key national series at the University of Minnesota on November 27-28.
During the current winning streak, the Knights have out scored their opponents 25-7 and have defeated teams that have been ranked 3rd, 6th, 9th, 10th and 12th in the national polls.
At Cambridge, MA on Friday, Clarkson overcame an early deficit against Harvard on goals by seniors Dominique Thibault (L’Original, ONT) and Eusepi to gain the win over the defending league regular-season champion. The following day in Hanover, NH, the Knights received goals by juniors Daris Tendler (Verwood, SASK) and Melissa Waldie (Newmarket, ONT), and Selina to extend their unbeaten streak over Dartmouth to four games (1-0-3). In goals for both games, junior Lauren Dahm (Baldwinsville, NY) continued her steady play, posting 25 saves against the Crimson and 24 stops vs. the Big Green.
Highlighting the balanced effort the Green and Gold have received this season is the fact that Clarkson has gained the first six ECAC Hockey Player of the Week awards with five different Knights earning the accolade. Eusepi, a defenseman, became the latest Clarkson standout to receive the honor after she scored the winning goal at Harvard and set up the deciding score at Dartmouth along with providing stellar play from the blueline.
Four Knights are recording double figures in the points column led by Thibault’s 17 points on eight goals and nine assists. Clarkson’s all-time leading scorer, Selina has 16 points, including a team-high 10 assists. She has totaled 128 career points (46-82). Sophomore standout Juana Baribeau (Amos, QUE) adds 15 points (8-7) while Waldie chips in 14 points (8-6).
In goal, Dahm backbones the second stingiest defensive effort in the country with a 1.07 GAA (2nd in the nation) and a .946 save percentage (4th in nation). She leads Division I in shutouts with four.
Ranked seventh in the country, Cornell has won four straight and stands at 4-2 overall and are 4-0 in the ECAC. The Big Red swept Union (4-0) and Rensselaer (3-1) on the road this past weekend. After losing a pair of 4-1 games to number-one ranked Mercyhurst in Ithaca on October 23-24, Cornell has outscored its opponents 14-4 over the last four games.
Colgate, which plays at SLU on Friday, owns a 2-7-1 overall record and is 1-2-1 in the league. The Raiders, split on the road this past weekend, losing 10-4 at Rensselaer before shutting out Union 4-0.
