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Back in action after a week layoff the Clarkson University Women’s Hockey team faces its sternest test of the season this weekend out west when the Golden Knights play at the University of Minnesota in a non-league series featuring two of the top teams in the country.
Ranked third in the both the USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine national polls, the Knights, guided by second-year co-head coaches Shannon and Matt Desrosiers, post the most wins in the country with a 12-2-1 overall record. Led by senior captain Britney Selina (Thornhill, ONT) and senior assistant captain Carlee Eusepi (Oakville, ONT), the Green and Gold own the best winning percentage in ECAC Hockey at .857 with a 6-1 league mark.
Minnesota, ranked second in the national polls, are 11-2-1 overall and are 7-0-0 at home. Unbeaten in their last four games (3-0-1), the Gophers stand atop the WCHA standings with a 9-2-1 conference mark.
The Golden Knights, who close out a six-game road trip this weekend, face off against the Gophers on Friday in Minneapolis at 8:00 p.m. EST and then battle Minnesota again at Ridder Arena on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. EST.
Clarkson is no stranger to facing top opponents as the Knights have posted a 6-1-1 mark against nationally-ranked teams this season. In its last action on the weekend of November 13-14, Clarkson gained a split in central New York. The Knights suffered their first ECAC Hockey loss of the season on Friday, falling to seventh-ranked Cornell 2-0 at Lynah Rink in Ithaca. The following day, the Green and Gold got back on the winning track with a 4-1 triumph over Colgate at Starr Rink in Hamilton. Clarkson is 4-2 in road games this season.
The Knights have earned their lofty ranking this season with productive, balanced scoring and a stingy defensive effort. With four players recording 15 points or more, Clarkson posts the eighth-best scoring offense, averaging 3.13 goals per game.
Dominique Thibault (L’Original, ONT), a senior transfer from UConn, leads the way offensively with 19 points, including a team-high 10 goals. The Knights’ all-time leading scorer, Selina has tallied 17 points, including a team-high 11 assists. Selina has amassed 129 career points on 46 goals and 83 assists through 123 games. Sophomore standout Juana Baribeau (Amos, QUE) chips in 16 points (9-7). Junior Melissa Waldie (Newmarket, ONT) rounds out Clarkson’s double figure scorers with 15 points (8-7) and leads the team in power-play markers with five. Eusepi powers the offense from the blueline with eight points (3-5).
Defensively, the Knights are rated second in the nation, allowing only 1.20 goals per game. Junior Lauren Dahm (Baldwinsville, NY) backbones the stingy effort in goal. Playing every minute this season, Dahm boasts the second-best goals against average in the country (1.13), the third-best save percentage and is tied for the national lead in shutouts (4).
Minnesota has outscored its opponents 53-25, including by a 28-8 margin at Ridder Arena. In their last action, the Gophers swept Bemidji State (4-2, 3-1) on November 20-21. Minnesota’s only losses this season were at the University of Wisconsin when the Badgers posted 4-2 and 5-2 wins on October 30 and November 1 in Madison.
