There will be no rest for the weary Bulldogs. After losing a pair of nail-biters against No. 6 Boston College and Boston University, the Yale women’s ice hockey team will have its hands full against St. Lawrence and No. 5 Clarkson this weekend.
The Elis (0–2–0, 0–0–0 ECAC) will head to Canton, N.Y., on Friday to match up against St. Lawrence (2–6–0, 1–1–0). The Elis lost to St. Lawrence 5–1 twice last season. In the Nov. 11, 2012, matchup last season, forward Tara Tomimoto ’14 got the Bulldogs on the board with an early goal in the sixth minute — her first since coming back from an injury after more than a year’s absence — but Saints’ forward Abby McRae had a hat trick to lead her team to victory.
This year, the Saints come into the game having lost three of their last four, but goalie Jaimie Leonoff ’15 said that the Elis are determined not to overlook them.
“Their ranking is not reflective of their skill, just like ours isn’t really reflective of our skill,” Leonoff said. “They’ve had a tough schedule.”
The Saints have already played against three top 10 schools, No. 3 Cornell, Clarkson and No. 6 Boston College, and have dropped a total of five games to them.
The Elis are no strangers to top-ranked competition themselves, having recently lost a close game against Boston College 4–3. Despite coming up just short against the Eagles, the Bulldogs remain focused on improving as a team.
“There are no moral victories,” forward Janelle Ferrara ’16 said. “We played well against both teams, but we’re not satisfied with the loss. We have to keep working hard.”
On Saturday, the Bulldogs will travel north to Potsdam, N.Y., to take on national powerhouse Clarkson University (6–2–1, 1–1–0). The Elis will attempt to respond to Clarkson’s impressive combination of size, physicality and speed, according to Leonoff.
“[Speed] is probably one of our biggest strengths as a team,” Leonoff said. “That’s one thing we’ll definitely focus on.”
Last year, the Elis lost both games to the Golden Knights. Yale fell 4–1 on the road on Nov. 9, 2012, then dropped a 1–0 decision at home on Jan. 12.
Yale gave up three goals in the first period on the road last November, including two in the first five-and-a-half minutes, but the Elis remain confident that they can compete against anyone.
“All of us think we’re more than capable of coming out of this weekend with four points,” Ferrara said. “Both games are going to be a good test for us; hopefully, we come out with the win.”
The Elis will play St. Lawrence on Friday at 7 p.m.