Bulldogs and Big Red Square Off In Pivotal ECAC Matchup
A decisive early season ECAC matchup between the Yale Bulldogs and the Cornell Big Red is taking place on Friday.
The Bulldogs are undefeated on the season and currently ranked No. 3 in the country for women's hockey. The Big Red are also having a spectacular season thus far, and are currently ranked No. 10 in the country.
The blue and white have been an absolute wagon this season, knocking off opponent after opponent. Most recently Yale defeated Minnesota in Las Vegas. The win bumped them from No. 5 to No. 3 and moved Minnesota from No. 3 to No. 5.
The Bulldogs are led offensively by gifted freshman forward Jordan Ray. Ray has 10 points in eight games playing an important role for the Blue and White offense. Sophomore forward Anna Bargman and senior forward Ella Hartje have also been offensive threats tallying eight points a piece on the season.
There are brick walls in hockey, and there are also stone walls. In my opinion a stone wall is better, and that is exactly what Pia Dukaric has been for the Bulldogs.
Dukaric may be the best goalie in the entire country this season. In eight games, Dukaric has a .963 SV% and a .9918 GAA, which is an unbelievable statline from the blue and white netminder.
The blueline is led by Russian defenseman Vita Poniatovskaia. The sophomore has six points on the season and benefits from plenty of ice time. She quarterbacks the power play which has helped her have a good start this season.
The Bulldogs’ bench boss, Mark Bolding, is in his third season with the program and has an excellent squad this year. A 51-24-1 record all time for Bolding will only get exponentially better if his squad can get the heater going.
The USCHO No. 10 Cornell Big Red are an interesting opponent for the Bulldogs on Friday night. The Big Red are coming off a rough weekend in the Smashville Showcase. They battled Northeastern and Princeton, bringing in a loss and a tie on the weekend.
Needing a bounce back weekend, the Red and White will need to rely heavily on leading point producers Gillis Frechette and Izzy Daniel.
Frechette is leading the Big Red with 18 points in 10 games. She has been an excellent playmaker with 12 of the points being assists. Daniel 16 points in 10 games thus far in her Senior campaign.
Rory Guilday has been the most productive defensemen for Cornell this season. She has 8 points in 8 games this season. Like her team, Guilday had an off weekend in Nashville, with no points in the two games. She needs to get back on track to help her team get back in the win column.
Cornell has a duo of netminders that have seen action this season. Deanna Fraser and Belle Mende have both played multiple games and could be in the blue paint Friday night.
The teams square off at Ingalls Rink, the historic Yale Rink known as “The Whale,” which should be rocking for this conference matchup.
The Bulldog wagon should be able to continue their winning ways against the Big Red and stay undefeated on the season.
Hayden Lewis is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email lewis1818hayden@gmail.com.
