The ninth season of Clarkson University Women’s Hockey officially opens up this weekend when the Golden Knights make two short road trips to begin the 2011-12 campaign. Clarkson, guided by fourth-year co-head coaches Matt and Shannon Desrosiers, and assistant coach Matt Kelly, play at the University of Vermont in Burlington on Friday afternoon, beginning at 3:00 p.m. and then take on archrival St. Lawrence University in a non-league contest at Appleton Arena in Canton, beginning at 7:00 p.m.

With a strong mix of veteran experience and youthful talent, the coaching staff feels that the Green and Gold have the potential to challenge for the top spot in ECAC Hockey and make a return to the NCAA Tournament after a one-year absence.

The Knights posted a 14-17-6 overall record in 2010-11, but buoyed by the play of an emerging freshman class, Clarkson was a formidable foe in the second half. The Knights, who finished sixth in the league standings with a 10-8-4 mark, went 7-3-3 to close out the regular season. Clarkson then took ninth-ranked Dartmouth to the limit in the ECAC playoffs in Hanover, NH before falling in overtime in the series deciding third game.

Sixteen letterwinners return, led by six seniors who have enjoyed great success at Clarkson. The Class of 2012 has compiled 53 wins, made three postseason appearances, and has skated in an ECAC Championship game and the NCAA playoffs through their first three years in Potsdam. The coaching staff has also brought in a highly-touted freshman class that shows the promise of last year’s outstanding rookie crop.

The Knights fined tuned their play prior to the start of the season with a convincing 6-0 victory in an exhibition contest against the Whitby Wolves (PWHL) on Saturday afternoon at Cheel Arena. Six different players scored goals for the Green and Gold and all three Golden Knight goaltenders played to combine for the shutout over Whitby. Clarkson scored two goals in each period while outshooting the Wolves 49-12.

Senior defenseman Danielle Boudreau (Whitby, ONT) and last year’s leading scorer, sophomore Jamie Lee Rattray (Kanata, ONT) led the offense with one goal and one assist each. The Knights’ Class of 2014, which came on strong down the stretch last season picked up where they left off, combining for four goals. Along with Rattray, Carly Mercer (Exeter, ONT), Vanessa Gagnon (St. Constant, QUE) and Brittany Styner (Calgary, ALB) also scored for the sophomores. Freshman Christine Lambert (Thetford Mines, QUE) capped off a solid showing by the Clarkson rookies with a goal.

Sophomore Erica Howe (Ottawa, ONT) started in the Clarkson goal and made 5 first-period stops. Freshman Jenna Boss (Little Canada, MN) turned aside all four shots she faced in the second stanza, and rookie Emily Horn (Hamilton, ONT) posted three saves over the final 20 minutes as the Knights blanked the Wolves.

Clarkson leads Vermont in their all-time series 13-1-2, and has gone 3-1-1 against St. Lawrence in their last six meetings to cut the series defict against the North Coutry rival to 7-13-3.