Fri./Sat., Nov. 6th/7th – vs. Rensselaer, vs. Union at 2:30 p.m.

 

The Raiders will continue their stretch of ECAC league games this weekend when they visit the Engineers of Rensselaer Friday afternoon, before taking on Union on Saturday. Both games are scheduled for 2:30 p.m.

 

Rensselaer – The Engineers, who going into the weekend hold a 2-5-3 overall record and a 0-1-1 mark in league play, will host their first ECAC opponents of the season. Rensselaer opened kicked off its league schedule last weekend, traveling to Princeton and Quinnipiac. They were outscored 8-3 on the weekend, but came away tying Princeton, 2-2, in their opening game, before falling to Union, 6-1, the next night. Seniors Laura Gersten and Whitney Naslund currently lead the Engineers in scoring, combining for 11 points in their first 10 games. Naslund, Kendra Dunlop, Sydney O'Keefe and Taylor Horton all have lit the lamp three times for Rensselaer, while Gersten's five assists are a team high. Junior Sonja van der Bliek has appeared in net nine times for the Engineers, carrying a 2.42 goals against average and a .904 save percentage into the weekend.

 

Union – The Dutchwomen will also be looking for their first league victory this weekend, as they are 0-2-0 in the ECAC and 2-6-0 overall. Union's two wins came on its home opening weekend where they outscored Sacred Heart 9-1 in two games, easily sweeping the weekend series. The squad will face Colgate's travel partner, Cornell University in game one of the weekend on Friday, before taking on the Raiders on Saturday. Heading into the weekend, sophomore Lauren Hoffman's seven points are atop the team list, having scored twice and adding five assists. Fellow second-year Emilie Arseneault and senior Jackie Koetteritz lead the team in goals with three apiece, but are yet to record any helpers. The Dutchwomen have looked to Alana Marcinko as a backstop in seven of their games, with the freshman holding a 3.09 goals against average and a .898 save percentage.

 

The Raiders are coming off a hard-fought one tie, one loss weekend against two nationally ranked teams in Harvard and Dartmouth. Colgate held a one-goal lead against No. 9 Harvard on Friday, but the Crimson netted two in the second period to take the win, 2-1. The next afternoon against the Big Green, Evan Minnick (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) netted her team-high fifth goal of the season in the final minute of play to give the Raiders an eventual tie against No. 5 ranked Dartmouth.

 

Rensselaer – Colgate went 1-1-0 against the Engineers last season, with the loss coming in the Raiders last regular season game of the year by a score of 4-1. Beth Rotenberg (Toronto, Ont.) scored Colgate's lone goal in that game, but Rensselaer was able to find the back of the net four times on Lisa Plenderleith (Ajax, Ont.) to get the win. Plenderleith ended the game making 21 saves.

 

Union – The Raiders have never lost to Union in the schools 19 meetings. The last time they met, Union held a 1-0 lead until late in the second period before Marissa Dombovy (Webster, N.Y.) evened the score with her 11th goal of the season, heading into the third. Beth Rotenberg scored the game-winner midway through the final stanza and Kimberly Sass (East Amherst, N.Y.) made 21 saves to give the Raiders the win.

 

The Raiders were selected to finish eighth in the ECAC Hockey Preseason Poll as chosen by conference coaches. The Raiders received a total of 52 votes, while top-choice St. Lawrence grabbed the No. 1 spot with 107 votes including three first place votes.

 

Head coach Scott Wiley enters his eighth season at the helm of the Raiders. He currently holds a Colgate career record of 104-117-26. Wiley led last year's team to a school record 19 wins, including an eight-game unbeaten streak in January. The 2003-04 ECAC Coach of the Year has high hopes for this year's team and will look to make this eighth straight ECAC playoff appearance.

 

Katie Stewart (Exeter Ont.) and Evan Minnick lead the way for the Raiders in the point's category, each tallying six thus far. Senior Ali Edell (Mountain Lakes, N.J.) and junior Jessi Waters (Menlo Park, Calif.) are just behind their teammates, recording five points respectively. Freshman Brittany Phillips (Lauder, Man.) is second on the roster in goals, lighting the lamp three times, just shy of Minnick's four.

 

The Raiders will come back home for two more ECAC league games next weekend, taking on the Saints of St. Lawrence University Friday night, and the Clarkson Golden Knights on Saturday afternoon.