SCHENECTADY, N.Y. — The Union College women's hockey team returns home to Schenectady to start a 7-game home stand in the capital region. The Dutchwomen will take on #4 Cornell and Colgate on Friday, January 10th and Saturday, January 11th, respectively.
About the Dutchwomen:
- Union opened up the second half of the 2019-20 season with a road trip to play conference foes Harvard and Dartmouth.
- After a scoreless first period in Cambridge, Harvard scored five goals in the second period to guarantee the Crimson a 7-2 win.
- In the game with Harvard, the lone Dutchwomen goals came from first-year Leah Herrfort and senior Rachel de Perio. Harvard forward Dominique Petrie scored a hat trick against the Dutchwomen, as all three of her goals were scored in the second.
- First-year goaltender Bella McKee made 13 saves in-game, and split time with senior goaltender Amelia Murray, who made 23 saves and allowed two goals.
- The Dutchwomen continued the weekend with the Big Green of Dartmouth and tied the conference foe by a 3-3 tally in Hanover.
- Union had a three-goal first period, which included a trio of season firsts. Senior Ava Reynolds, junior Makayla Mori, and sophomore Cassidy Michalicka all scored their first goals of the season to give Union a 3-1 lead that held for two periods.
- Dartmouth had an explosive third period of their own, scoring two goals to tie the game at 3 and take the game into overtime.
- After five minutes of overtime, neither team could capitalize on extra time, and the final result was a tie for both teams.
- In the game, the Dutchwomen had the advantage in shots on goal, 36-27. McKee made 24 saves in the close conference game.
- At the halfway point of the season, Herrfort and De Perio lead the team in points (9), senior Katelynn Russ leads in goals (5) and Herrfort leads in assists (6). McKee has started a majority of the games in net, posting a 2-14-4 record in 20 games started. McKee currently leads the nation in shots faced (665) and saves (607).
About the Big Red:
- The Big Red opened up 2020 with a non-conference opponent, playing CHA Rival Mercyhurst in Ithaca. Cornell took both games, 6-2 and 2-1, respectively. The second game of the series was taken into overtime, where Cornell scored to get the win over the Lakers.
- Cornell is led in scoring by a group of upperclassmen. Kristin O'Neill leads the team in goals (10) and shots (65). Jaime Bourbonnais leads the team in points (21) and assists (19). Junior Maddie Mills sits second in all major offensive categories, and seniors Amy Curlew and Paige Lewis round out the top-five in points.
- Goaltending duties for the Big Red belong to senior Lindsey Browning, who has started 15 games this season. Browning leads the ECAC in win percentage (.900), and leads the nation goals against average (0.88), and save percentage (.957).
- Cornell is currently 5-1-1 on the road so far. The matchup between the two teams is the first on the season, as Union will travel to Ithaca to play Cornell in February. With their undefeated 7-0-1 record in ECAC Conference play, the Big Red is third in the conference, behind Harvard and Princeton.
About the Raiders:
- Colgate opened up 2020 at the Battle of the Burgh tournament in Pittsburgh, where they played non-conference opponents Northeastern and Robert Morris.
- After collecting a 1-1 tie with the Huskies, the Raiders played tournament hosts Robert Morris, where they fell in a high-scoring close game with a 6-5 score.
- The Raiders are led in scoring by freshman Danielle Serdachny, who leads the team in points (19), goals (7), and assists (12). Junior Malia Schneider is tied with her teammate in goals (7) and sits at second on the team in points (14). Another freshman, Sammy Smigliani, is tied for second in points (14) and sits second for assists (8). With her efforts through December, Smigliani was named the ECAC Rookie of the Month.
- Senior Liz Auby has been the starting goaltender for Colgate this season, posting an 8-8-4 record in 21 games played. Auby currently has a .925 save percentage and 2.01 goals against average.
- Colgate is currently 1-5-1 on the road so far this season. The Raiders are playing the Dutchwomen for the first time this season, and Union will travel to Hamilton to play Colgate again next month. With a 3-4-1 record in conference play, Colgate is tied for seventh in the ECAC, with Dartmouth.
The Series with Cornell:
- Friday's meeting between Union and Cornell is the 33rd all-time meeting between the two conference foes, with Union sitting at 1-29-2 historically.
- The two teams played each other last year on February 23rd in Schenectady, where Union lost by a close 2-1 score.
The Series with Colgate:
- Saturday's meeting between Union and Colgate is the 37th all-time meeting between the two foes, with Union sitting at 0-33-3 historically.
- The two teams played each other on February 22nd in Schenectady, where Union suffered a 5-2 loss at Messa Rink.
A Golden Year:
- During winter break, head coach Josh Sciba traveled to Bratislava, Slovakia, as the assistant coach for the U.S. Under-18 Women's National Team, for the second consecutive season.
- Team USA earned a gold medal in Slovakia, after earning an overtime win over Canada on January 2nd. This marks the second U18 world medal for Sciba, as Team USA earned a silver medal in 2019.
