Ice Hockey Hosts #5 Clarkson In Season Opener

Syracuse vs. Clarkson
Game Details	Tuesday, Oct. 6 \| Syracuse, N.Y. \| Tennity Ice Pavilion \| 7 p.m.
Game Coverage	Live Coverage: Stats \| Video Twitter: @cuseice Instagram: @cuseice Facebook: /cusewice
Syracuse Links	Notes \| News \| Roster \| Schedule
Clarkson Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule

SYRACUSE, N.Y.- The Syracuse women's ice hockey team hosts No. 5 Clarkson on Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. inside Tennity Ice Pavilion to open up the 2015-16 campaign.

The Orange returns majority of its team back from a season ago, including leading point scorers Stephanie Grossi, Melissa Piacentini, Alysha Burriss, Jessica Sibley and Nicole Renault. Grossi led the team with 21 assists as a freshman last year while Piacentini continued her stellar career, registering a team-leading 18 goals as a junior.

Senior goaltender Jenn Gilligan is back in between the pipes for the Orange after finishing the 2014-15 campaign with 11 wins and 750 saves.

The team has a tough task ahead of them for its season opener, starting off the year against No. 5 Clarkson (2-0-0). The Golden Knights are 9-1-0 overall against Syracuse that included two wins last year over the Orange.

"We have a tremendous amount of respect for Clarkson and I think that respect factor gives our kids the motivation to prepare," head coach Paul Flanagan said. "When going up against one of the top teams in the country, we will have to be prepared both physically and mentally. We've had some good battles in the past against Clarkson and we play these games to get ready and see where we are as a team."

Clarkson is coming off two wins over Flanagan's former team, St. Lawrence. The Golden Knights opened up their season with a 4-0 win on Friday night before coming from behind on Saturday, prevailing 3-2. Clarkson trailed St. Lawrence by two goals headed into the third frame on Saturday, but scored three unanswered goals to come away with the win.

Cayley Mercer currently leads the Golden Knights with four points that include a team-leading two goals and two assists. Savannah Harmon is right behind Mercer with two goals and an assist. Olivia Howe also has three points this season, scoring a goal on top of dishing out two assists.

Both live video and live stats can be accessed via Cuse.com or by clicking on the links above.

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Players Mentioned

Alysha Burriss

Jenn Gilligan

Stephanie Grossi

Melissa Piacentini

Nicole Renault

Jessica Sibley

Syracuse University Athletics