PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Big Red moved into a tie for first place in the Ivy League on Saturday afternoon with a 4-2 win at Brown, and the team’s head coach inched closer to a Cornell milestone.
Brianne Jenner had four points, Jillian Saulnier had three and Doug Derraugh earned his 135th career victory at Cornell, tying for first in school history with Bill Duthie.
Derraugh can claim the record all to himself when Cornell returns to action on Tuesday night at Lynah Rink against No. 6 Mercyhurst.
Before worrying about Tuesday, though, the Big Red still had to take care of its own business on Saturday. The Bears (4-14-1, 3-10 ECAC Hockey) played in their home rink with the tenacity of a higher-ranked team, scoring first in the contest and forcing the Big Red (16-4, 12-2) to mount a comeback. Down 1-0, Cornell scored three straight goals in the second period to pull away in Meehan Auditorium and tie Harvard with 12 points in the Ivy League standings.
“They did very well today,” Saulnier said of Brown. “Being Cornell you go into every game with a target on your back, so I think it’s really important that we not fear that but embrace it.”
Lauren Slebodnick earned her 40th career victory, though she was not tested most of the night. Brown took only 11 shots on goal to Cornell’s 38, and Slebodnick made nine saves for the win.
Cornell could not convert in the first period, though it did outshoot Brown 12-3 in the frame. Most of that offense came during a terrific two-minute stretch where Cornell kept the puck in the offensive zone and kept the Bears players from changing. As Brown’s defense got tired, Cornell was able to maintain possession and fire away at Bears goalie Aubree Moore, but nothing got through. Cornell had one power play opportunity in the period but failed to convert.
Brown got the game’s first tally two and a half minutes into the second period. Brittany Moorehead brought the puck up from the corner and took a backhanded shot from just outside the crease that was blocked down in front. Alena Polenska was in the right spot for the rebound, and the Bears were ahead 1-0.
Cornell didn’t trail for long. A phenomenal effort by Emily Fulton set up the goal, as she was tripped by a Brown player and still managed a pass across the crease to Jenner. The junior, with an open net, lifted the puck backhand over Moore and tied the contest at 1-1 six minutes after the Bears’ goal.
Cudmore gave the Big Red the lead six minutes after that on a goal that again saw Jenner involved. She brought the puck into the offensive zone on the left side, then skated toward the slot before taking a backhanded shot on Moore. The shot bounced around in the crease and popped free to Cudmore, who hammered it home past a diving Moore. The goal was Cudmore’s 40th career point.
Sixty-eight seconds later, Cornell had a 3-1 lead on a skillful power play effort by Saulnier. This sequence once again began with Jenner taking the puck into the offensive third, this time on the right side. She found Saulnier with a centering pass, and the sophomore was brought down to the ice as she took a backhanded shot. The puck rolled to the right of Moore and into the net for what would prove to be the game-winner just before Saulnier crashed into Moore. The goal was the 30th of Saulnier’s career.
“Jenner just got the puck down wide and made a beautiful pass to me,” Saulnier said. “I was able get a stick on it and put it far post there. It was good to keep us going there and keep the ball rolling.”
Cornell killed off the first five penalties it took in the contest, running its kill streak to 19. The Big Red – which came into the game with the nation’s third-best penalty killing unit – is 91 for 99 on the kill this season.
But the one penalty it didn’t kill off put some pressure on in the third. Brown got a goal from the blue line by freshman Emma Pearson – the first of her career – to cut Cornell’s lead to 3-2 with 6:30 left in the game.
Cornell responded to the Bears’ threat with the game-icing goal less than three minutes later. Jenner picked up her fourth point of the evening with a centering pass to Barley-Maloney in the crease. Moore tipped the puck briefly, but it came free to Barley-Maloney who earned her second point of the night by chipping the puck over Moore for the fourth Big Red tally.
“Nothing gets easier from now on,” Saulnier said. “It’s really important that we continue to do what we’ve been doing, and I think we’ll be successful.”
Cornell gets little rest before its next game, a challenging Tuesday-night affair with No. 6 Mercyhurst. The Big Red and Lakers face off at 7 p.m. in Lynah Rink.
