Cornell's Jillian Saulnier Logs Career-High 6 Points in Win over Syracuse

The Cornell Big Red continue to keep pace with the Harvard Crimson and Quinnipiac Bobcats in the highly competitive ECAC conference.

A January 15 match versus CHA squad Syracuse resulted in a historic night for Jillian Saulnier, who established a career high in points.

Within the first eight minutes of the contest, the Big Red already held a convincing 3-1 lead.

Erin Barley-Maloney logged the first score of the evening at the 2:27 mark. Jessica Campbell and Morgan Richardson earned the assists on the play. For Richardson, it marked the first NCAA assist of her career.

Brianne Jenner scored two unanswered goals (at 5:20 and 7:37) to extend Cornell’s lead. Richardson earned the assist on Jenner’s first goal to earn the first multipoint game of her career.

Only 20 seconds after Jenner’s second goal, the Syracuse Orange got on the scoreboard when Jacquie Greco buried the puck past Big Red goaltender Lauren Slebodnick.

Before the period ended, Cornell added to its lead.

Campbell scored at 14:47 with Cassandra Poudrier and Barley-Maloney contributing the assists. With 32 seconds remaining in the first frame, Saulnier also scored. She ended the period with three points. Jenner also logged three points in a dominating period for Cornell.

Although Syracuse faced a 5-1 deficit, the Orange enjoyed two power-play opportunities in the second stanza. In addition, the Orange defense held the Big Red scoreless throughout the first 14 minutes of the period. Despite their best efforts, the Orange were unable to add any goals to the scoresheet.

The lone power-play goal of the second belonged to Cornell as Hayleigh Cudmore gave the Big Red a 6-1 advantage. Saulnier and Campbell provided the assists, and the lead was all but insurmountable.

With 1:04 remaining, Saulnier logged her second goal of the night as Syracuse goaltender Jenesica Drinkwater was overwhelmed by Big Red's high-octane offense.

While Syracuse outshot Cornell by a 5-4 margin in the third, Jenner completed the hat trick by logging her third goal past Drinkwater at 14:13. It was Jenner’s fifth point of the contest with assists going to Laura Fortino and Saulnier. In addition, Jenner added to her own cause by winning a remarkable 14 of 18 faceoff opportunities.

In Cornell's 12th win of the season, Saulnier’s six points (on two goals and four assists) stand as a career high. With the victory, Cornell improves to 7-0 at home, while its all-time record against Syracuse stands at 4-1-0.