Following a weekend without any games, the Clarkson University Women's Hockey team will close out the 2015 portion of its schedule this weekend when the Golden Knights welcome Colgate and Cornell to Cheel Arena. Clarkson faces off against the Raiders at 7:00 p.m. on Friday and then takes on the Big Red in a 4:00 p.m. contest Saturday evening.

Led by eighth-year head coach Matt Desrosiers and second-year assistant coaches Britni Smith and Meghan Duggan, the Green and Gold have a 14-2-2 overall record, with their .833 winning percentage tied with Quinnipiac for the best in ECAC Hockey. However, Clarkson has struggled in conference, going 2-2-2 so far in league games, putting it in sixth in the conference.

Offensively, Clarkson has been paced by junior assistant captain Cayley Mercer. Mercer has a team high 27 points on 13 goals and 14 assists. Mercer has notched at least one point in 15 of Clarkson's 18 games. She has been both a scorer and a provider this season, with two hat tricks as well as a three assist game and four other games with a pair of helpers. Mercer sits at 93 career points and will be the tenth player in Clarkson history to reach 100 career points, joining teammate Erin Ambrose as well as her sister Carly Mercer '14.

One area where Mercer does not lead the team is in plus/minus. Mercer's +21 is second on the team, trailing senior assistant captain Olivia Howe, who is +22. Howe has 20 points this season, scoring nine goals and handing out 11 assists. She has scored four game-winning goals which is the second best total in the nation. Howe also has a chance to break into the 100-point club, as she currently sits at 83 career points.

Howe's classmates have all played big roles in Clarkson's success the past three years and this season is no different. Senior captain Shannon MacAulay has seven points on three goals and four assists and is tied for the team lead with 20 blocked shots. Senior assistant captains Erin Ambrose and Renata Fast have both missed time this season, Ambrose through injury and Fast through her participation in the 4 Nations Cup with Team Canada. However, when on the ice both have been major contributors. Fast has a goal and six assists for seven points while Ambrose has six points on two goals and four assists.

Junior Genevieve Bannon and sophomore Savannah Harmon are third and fourth respectively in points. Bannon has 16 points on four goals and twelve assists. She also leads the team with 137 face-offs won. Harmon has four goals and ten assists so far this season. Harmon is first on the team in power-play scoring with one goal and five assists on extra man opportunities.

Sophomore goaltender Shea Tiley has been amongst the best goaltenders in the nation this year. Tiley is fourth in the country with a 1.24 goals against average and tenth in save percentage at .939. Her winning percentage of .812 is fifth in the nation and fourth with five shutouts.

Clarkson is sixth in the country in both scoring offense and defense. Only Wisconsin, Boston College, and Minnesota rank higher than the Golden Knights in both categories.

Clarkson is 3-1-2 against ranked teams this season. The Green and Gold have defeated Boston University twice as well as knocking off Princeton, while tying Harvard and Dartmouth. The only loss of those games came at the hands of Quinnipiac, who also ended Clarkson's run of seven straight home victories to open the season. Overall, Clarkson is 8-1-0 at home this year.

Colgate comes into the weekend with an 8-3-5 overall record and a 0-1-4 conference record, putting them in a tie for eighth in ECAC Hockey. The Raiders have tallied most of their wins at home with a strong 5-1-2 home record paired with a 3-2-3 road mark. Colgate is coming off a 3-0 win against Mercyhust on November 25th. Colgate is tied for eighth in scoring offense nationally (3.06 goals per game) and tenth in scoring defense (2.12 goals allowed per game). IT is also in the top ten in penalty kill with its 86.7 mark ninth best in the country.

Clarkson leads the all-time series against the Raiders 13-7-4. The recent matchups between the two squads have been marked by Clarkson dominance. The Golden Knights have won nine of the last 12 meetings, including both games last season. The last Colgate win in the series was in 2012 when the Raiders left Cheel Arena with a 2-1 victory. Erin Ambrose has been dominant against Colgate, racking up a goal and 11 assists in just six career games.

After appearing in six straight ECAC Hockey Championship finals, including winning titles in 2014, 2013, 2011, and 2010, the Big Red have started this season off slowly. Cornell is 5-5-2 overall and 1-2-2- in conference, tying it for eighth in ECAC Hockey. Cornell is still winless at home, losing three and tying twice there. It has notched four road wins to just two losses away from home and has added a neutral ice victory. However, the Big Red is coming into the weekend hot, riding a season-high three game winning streak. The last two of those were wins over Boston University and Vermont which earning Cornell the Windjammer Classic title.

The series between Clarkson and Cornell has been an evenly matched one. Each team has taken twelve wins from the other with three ties as well. Cornell has had Clarkson's number recently, winning six of the last nine meetings. The two teams have met in the postseason the past two seasons, with Cornell winning 1-0 in the 2014 ECAC Championship and 3-1 in the 2015 ECAC Semi-finals. Both of those games took place in Cheel Arena and Clarkson has now lost three consecutive home games against the Big Red.