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Women's Hockey October 4, 2012

Knights and Saints Open NCAA Women's Hockey This Weekend

Seniors Hailey Wood and Danielle Skirrow will look to help lead the Knights to success in their final collegiate campaigns - photo by Gary Mikel
Women’s Hockey will be at the forefront in the North Country this weekend as two of the top-rated teams in the early-season national polls battle in a home-and-home series. The Golden Knights of Clarkson University, who are coming off a 22-10-5 campaign last season, take on defending ECAC Hockey Tournament champion St. Lawrence University in non-conference action. The North Country rivals play at Cheel Arena on Saturday afternoon (3:00 p.m.) after battling at Appleton Arena in Canton on Friday night (7:00 p.m.).

Former Clarkson players from Clarkson and St. Lawrence will play in an Alumni Game at 12 noon on Saturday at Cheel Arena.

♦ Follow the Knights live on the internet
♦ USCHO.com National Poll
♦ ECAC Hockey Preseason Coaches' Poll


The Knights, guided by co-head coaches Matt and Shannon Desrosiers and assistant Matt Kelly, opened the program’s 10th Division I season last Saturday with an overwhelming 14-0 exhibition victory over Ottawa PWHL. Fourteen letterwinners return from last year’s squad, which was one of the best in ECAC Hockey. The Knights skated to the program’s fourth 20-win season and placed third in the conference with a 15-5-2 ECAC Hockey mark. Clarkson graduated a hard-working five-member senior class last May, but five gifted freshmen will help overcome that loss.

Clarkson, led by junior captain Carly Mercer (Exeter, ONT) and senior assistant captain Hailey Wood (Lethbridge, ALB), will need to be in top form this season as it faces perhaps the most challenging schedule in the program’s history. The Green and Gold will play 11 games against teams that made last year’s NCAA Tournament, beginning with the opening-weekend series against St. Lawrence.

The ECAC’s Goaltender of the Year in 2011-12, junior Erica Howe (Ottawa, ONT) will backstop the Knights’ stingy defensive effort. Wood will anchor a strong defensive unit that brings back five regulars from last year. Senior Danielle Skirrow (Trenton, ONT) and juniors Jamie Lee Rattray (Kanata, ONT) and Mercer powered the Knights’ offense last season and should be at the top of the charts again in 2012-13.

Selected as Clarkson’s Most Valuable Player, Howe was the key reason for the Green and Gold’s success last winter. Playing in all, but 47 minutes, Howe posted a .927 save percentage, 1.75 goals-against average (sixth in Division 1) and a .662 winning percentage. She tied for fifth in the nation in shutouts (7). Sophomores Emily Horn (Hamilton, ONT) and Jenna Boss (Little Canada, MN) could also see action in the Clarkson goal.
Junior Vanessa Plante (Riviere-du-Loup, QUE) and three sophomores, Jennifer Shields (Ingersoll, ONT), who was named Clarkson’s Rookie of the Year, Taylor Gedig (Kelowna, BC) and Daniella Matteucci (Fruitvale, BC) should be even stronger this season after helping the Knights post the fifth-best scoring defense in the nation (1.78 gpg) in 2011-12. Talented freshmen Erin Ambrose (Keswick, ONT), who participated in Canada’s National Women’s Team September Camp/Fall Festival, and Renata Fast (Burlington, ONT) will play a pivotal role on the Clarkson defense this winter.

Skirrow has emerged as a productive offensive force and was second on the team in goals with 17. She netted a team-high 10 power-play goals (tied for 7th in the nation) and also collected a team-high five game-winners.  After two productive seasons for the Knights, Rattray is ready to breakout and emerge as one of the top offensive players in the country. Rattray, who also participated in Canada’s September Camp/Fall Festival, averaged over a point per game in 2011-12 with a team-high 19 goals along with 19 assists through 33 games. Mercer continues to develop into one of ECAC Hockey’s most promising forwards. She was the Knights’ leading scorer last year after earning Clarkson’s Rookie of the Year honor in 2010-11. She tallied 40 points, including a team-high 26 assists, last winter and played a leading role on the Knights’ eighth-ranked power play (34-159, 21.4%) with eight goals on the man-advantage.

Three juniors, Brittany Styner (Calgary, ALB), Vanessa Gagnon (St. Constant, QUE) and Shelby Nisbet (Wiseton, SASK), have made significant strides in their careers and will be counted upon to be among the Knights’ most reliable players up front. Sophomore Christine Lambert (Thetford Mines, QUE) will supply another key component to the Knights’ offense along with three promising freshmen. Olivia Howe (Moose Jaw, SASK), Shannon MacAulay (Mt. Herbert, PEI) and Cayley Mercer (Exeter, ONT) bring in excellent credentials and will help make up for the loss of the graduated seniors.

St. Lawrence tuned up for the weekend series by defeating McGill in overtime, 5-4,  in an exhibition game in Canton on Wednesday night.

St. Lawrence leads the all-time series against Clarkson 15-7-4. The Saints are currently on a four-game unbeaten streak in the rivalry (3-0-1), but the Knights did put a halt to a three-game slide with a 1-1 tie at Cheel in their last meeting (1/21/12). 
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