On Friday, No. 8 women’s hockey will begin its final weekend of the first half of the season trying to stop a troubling trend: The Red can’t seem to win on Fridays. Trying to explain the recent phenomenon, in which Cornell has lost its last three Friday night games before winning convincingly the next day each time, is difficult.
“The thought, I guess, is that for whatever reason it takes us a while to get into game mode.” said head coach Doug Derraugh 91’. “That’s something we definitely tried to address in the way we were practicing going into the weekend, trying to be as game-like as possible. … It’s certainly an interesting situation.”
Cornell (10-3-1, 6-2-0 ECAC) will attempt to break out of its Friday doldrums against a difficult opponent: No. 9 Quinnipiac. The next day, the Red will take on another top-15 ranked team in No. 11 Princeton. The two teams represent the toughest challenges Cornell has faced this season — at least in terms of national ranking — and each squad will be relishing the chance to take down the league’s pre-season favorite.
“Two of the best teams in the country coming into town this weekend, it will be a real test to see where we’re at right now,” Derraugh said.
More Power During Even Play:
Cornell’s trio of identical weekend splits has not been the only confounding part of the Red’s recent play. In the month of November, 15 of the team’s 26 goals came either on the power play or shorthanded. To put that 58 percent clip in perspective, in its two previous seasons Cornell scored 19 and 23 percent of its goals while up or down a skater.
While Cornell’s second month of play would certainly have finished worse than 4-3-1 without the nation’s best power play, the Red’s comparative struggles to score during five-on-five play have presented Cornell’s coaching staff with a unique test. In his 20 seasons behind the bench, Derraugh said he has never seen a team with this big of a gap between its power-play and even-strength offenses.
“We’ve been trying to figure out ways to find more offense five-on-five and [so we] looked at different things that we do systematically, but also is there some combinations that would allow us to create more offense five-on-five — and hopefully continue to also have three lines that are strong defensively too,” Derraugh said.
One of the changes Cornell has made is shifting freshman forward London McDavid from left wing to center. While Derraugh knows how difficult playing center as a freshman can be due to its onerous defensive-zone responsibilities, he thinks McDavid is up to the task.
“She’s shown us throughout her first three months here that she’s a really smart player, and also has a lot of speed, and so we want to give her a bit of time,” Derraugh said. “But we feel that she’s in a spot now where we trust her on both ends of the ice, and feel that she can help us more on both ends of the ice in the center position.”
Scouting The Bobcats
Cornell will begin the weekend by attempting to break its Friday winless streak against No. 9 Quinnipiac (13-4-1, 4-3-1 ECAC). Like the Red, the Bobcats began the season scorching hot, but have recently fallen back down to earth. After starting the year with eight wins in a row, Quinnipiac has just two wins (and only one in regulation) in its last six games.
Leading the Bobcats offensively is Kahlen Lamarche, whose 21 goals are the most in Division I. The junior’s dominant start to the season is somewhat surprising considering she registered just 25 goals combined in her first two seasons in Hamden.
“With any team you're playing you have to understand there’s certain players that have a certain skillset that you need to be aware of,” Derraugh said. “You make your team and your players aware that when those players are on the ice you do your best to limit their opportunities.”
Thanks in large part to Lamarche (her 30 points are double the next highest skater), Quinnipiac’s offense is averaging 3.4 goals per game — sixth most nationwide and second most in ECAC Hockey (behind only Cornell). In net will likely be Felicia Frank, a sophomore who has started all but one game so far this season. Frank’s 13 wins are second most in the country, and her .940 save percentage is sixth best. As a team, Quinnipiac has been stingy defensively, allowing 1.6 goals per game, which is equivalent to Cornell’s mark.
Scouting The Tigers
While Quinnipiac has hit a recent rough patch, Princeton (9-4-0, 6-2-0 ECAC) enters the weekend on a roll. In November, the Tigers knocked off No. 10 Clarkson, swept the Bobcats in a home-and-home weekend and lost just once. Despite losing Sarah Paul — last season’s leading goal scorer — to Ohio State, 2024-2025 ECAC all-rookie forward Mackenzie Alexander (16 points) and 2025 Patty Kazmaier Award finalist Issy Wunder (12 points) have ensured that Princeton’s offense remains dynamic.
“They’ve got a really skilled team, I think one of the most skilled teams in the league,” Derraugh said. “Very gritty too.”
The Tigers also boast newly-named ECAC Hockey Goaltender of the Month Uma Corniea, who earned the award after posting a 5-1-0 record and a 0.950 save percentage in November. The Tigers — who in past seasons have been let down by their defense — have flipped the script so far this year and enter the weekend allowing 1.8 goals per game (seventh best in the nation), over half a goal less than last season.
One explanation for Princeton’s improved defense is the team’s change in leadership. Courtney Kessel, who spent four seasons as an assistant with the Tigers, joins the program coming off of two seasons leading the PWHL’s Boston Fleet. Interestingly, Kessel and Derraugh’s relationship goes back to her playing days. Kessel, a 2010 second team all-american with the University of New Hampshire, was coached by Derraugh when she played for team Canada in the early 2010s.
Cornell will take on Quinnipiac Friday night at 6 p.m. in the team’s annual Do it For Daron game. Fans are encouraged to wear purple in support of the organization’s goal of promoting open conversations about youth mental health. On Saturday, Cornell will face Princeton at 3 p.m. Both games will take place at Lynah Rink and be streamed live on ESPN+.
Eli Fastiff is a senior editor on the 143rd editorial board and a member of the class of 2026 in the College of Arts and Sciences. You can follow him on X @Eli_Fastiff and reach him at efastiff@cornellsun.com.
