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Clarkson University Athletics

Clarkson Heads to Union and Rensselaer

By: Nov. 4, 2015
MacAulaySLU15
Clarkson's Captain, Shannon MacAulay has helped to lead the Golden Knights to an undefeated start to the season - photo by Jim Meagher

Women's Hockey | 11/3/2015 6:43:00 PM

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Through the first month of the season, the Clarkson University Women's Hockey team has still not lost a game. The Golden Knights will try to keep that streak going when they travel to Union and Rensselaer for ECAC Hockey games this weekend.

Led by eighth-year head coach Matt Desrosiers and second year assistant coaches Britni Smith and Meghan Duggan, Clarkson has raced out to a 9-0-2 start this season, and is ranked fourth in the national polls. After nine non-conference victories in its first nine games, a school record, Clarkson opened its ECAC Hockey schedule last weekend with two ties. First, the Golden Knights dueled preseason conference favorite Harvard to a 0-0 draw before skating to a 3-3 tie with Dartmouth.

• USCHO.com Poll
• USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll

The offensive catalyst for Clarkson this season has been junior assistant captain Cayley Mercer. After leading the team in points last season, Mercer has 18 points on 11 goals and seven assists in the first 11 games this season. Her performances have earned her ECAC Hockey Player of the Week twice this season, as well as being named ECAC Hockey Player of the Month for October. Mercer has notched at least one point in ten of the 11 games Clarkson has played this season.  She is 14th in the country with 1.64 points per game and is tied for fifth with 1.00 goals scored per game.

While Mercer has been the standout offensively, sophomore goaltender Shea Tiley has been the defensive leader. The second-year goalie has a 7-0-2 record this season and was named the ECAC Hockey Goaltender of the Month for October as well as being named to the ECAC Hockey Weekly Honor Roll for her performances against Harvard and Dartmouth. Against Harvard, Tiley shut out the Crimson for the second time in three career matchups. It was the third shutout of the season for her which is tied for third in the country. Tiley has a 1.20 goals against average and a .947 save percentage which is fifth and sixth in the country respectively.

Three Clarkson skaters join Mercer as having notched double-digit points so far. Senior assistant captain Olivia Howe and junior Genevieve Bannon have 12 points while sophomore Savannah Harmon has 10 points. Howe has four goals and eight assists and Bannon has four goals and a team-high nine assists. Bannon was named to the ECAC Hockey Weekly Honor Roll this week after scoring her first short-handed goal of the year against Dartmouth. Harmon also scored a goal against Dartmouth and is 14th in the country in points per game among defensemen. She has 10 points on three goals and seven assists.

Clarkson has yet to be outshot this season. Harvard is the only team who has been able to match the Golden Knights, with both teams taking 23 shots in the Friday tie.

Clarkson has had one of the best penalty kills in the nation. The Golden Knights have killed off 32 of 34 extra man opportunities that their opponents have gotten. That 94.1% mark is fifth in the country. The Green and Gold killed off a season high six power-plays against Harvard.

Senior assistant captain Erin Ambrose made her return from injury this weekend and notched her first point on an assist against Dartmouth. It is the 110th career point for Ambrose, placing her in a tie for seventh on Clarkson's all-time scoring list. One more point will tie her with former teammate Brittany Styner. Mercer has the next highest career point total, with 84 to her name, while senior captain Shannon Macaulay, Howe, and Bannon have 76, 75, and 71 points respectively.

Union comes into the weekend with a 0-5-4 overall record and a 0-0-2 ECAC Hockey mark. The Dutchwomen were picked to finish 11th in the conference in the preseason poll, but currently sit in a tie for fifth. In nonconference games, Union has been outscored 18-6, but in its two conference matchups, Union has both scored and allowed four goals. The key for Clarkson will be to get ahead early, as Union is 0-4-0 when trailing after the 1st period. Last weekend saw Union head to Colgate and Cornell and come away with a pair of 2-2 draws.

Clarkson has a staggering 23-1-0 all-time record against Union, with the only loss coming in 2011. The Golden Knights have won seven straight matchups and have an all-time record of 12-1-0 at Union. Howe and Ambrose both have had great success playing against Union. Both have eight points against the Dutchwomen, in five games for Ambrose and six for Howe. Sophomore Amanda Titus notched four points against Union in two games last season.

Rensselaer is 3-4-1 overall and 1-0-1 in conference. The Engineers were picked to finish just a spot above Union, but are in a tie for second right now. Rensselaer opened its conference schedule with a 2-1 overtime win against Cornell before tying Colgate 3-3. The Engineers have a 3-0-1 record away from home, but are 0-4-0 in friendly confines.

Clarkson is 16-4-2 overall against Rensselaer and has won 12 straight games in the series. Clarkson has outscored the Engineers 74-32 in the 22 game series. In just eight games, Ambrose has recorded 11 points against Rensselaer, the highest total amongst Clarkson skaters.  
 
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Players Mentioned

Erin Ambrose

#23 Erin Ambrose

D
5' 5"
Senior
Genevieve Bannon

#9 Genevieve Bannon

F
5' 8"
Junior
Savannah Harmon

#14 Savannah Harmon

D
5' 3"
Sophomore
Olivia Howe

#16 Olivia Howe

F
5' 10"
Senior
Cayley Mercer

#18 Cayley Mercer

F
5' 8"
Junior
Shea Tiley

#35 Shea Tiley

G
5' 10"
Sophomore
Amanda Titus

#15 Amanda Titus

F
5' 6"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Erin Ambrose

#23 Erin Ambrose

5' 5"
Senior
D
Genevieve Bannon

#9 Genevieve Bannon

5' 8"
Junior
F
Savannah Harmon

#14 Savannah Harmon

5' 3"
Sophomore
D
Olivia Howe

#16 Olivia Howe

5' 10"
Senior
F
Cayley Mercer

#18 Cayley Mercer

5' 8"
Junior
F
Shea Tiley

#35 Shea Tiley

5' 10"
Sophomore
G
Amanda Titus

#15 Amanda Titus

5' 6"
Sophomore
F