The Clarkson University Women's Hockey team officially opens its 13th season of Division I play this weekend with a non-conference, home-and-home weekend against its arch-rival. The Golden Knights host St. Lawrence University on Friday at 7:00 p.m. in the first of 18 regular-season games at Cheel Arena. The Knights then take on their North Country neighbor at Appleton Arena in Canton on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. to close out the weekend.

Following up on its NCAA Championship season of 2013-14 the Clarkson enjoyed another successful campaign last winter. The Golden Knights overcame the loss of a talented senior class which was a major part of that title-winning season and skated to a 24-11-3 overall record, falling just one win short of reaching the Frozen Four in 2014-15. The Green and Gold claimed a share of the ECAC Hockey regular season title last season with a 16-4-2 conference mark, earned the number one seed in the league playoffs for the second year in a row and made its third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.

The Knights return 15 lettermen, including their top four scorers from an offense that ranked 12th in the nation, two of the premier defensemen in the league and an all-star goaltender. With a veteran-laden roster and another group of talented freshmen added to the mix, eighth-year head coach Matt Desrosiers, recipient of the ECAC Hockey Coach of the Year award the past two seasons, and assistants Meghan Duggan and Britni Smith should have Clarkson, ranked fifth in the national preseason polls, poised to make another strong run for ECAC Hockey and NCAA supremacy this winter.

Led by captain Shannon MacAulay and assistant captains Erin Ambrose, Renata Fast, Olivia Howe and Cayley Mercer, the Knights will face a 34-game slate, featuring the 22-game ECAC Hockey schedule. The Green and Gold, who have posted four straight campaigns of 20-or-more wins, got an early jump to the season with an exhibition win over Canadian college foe McGill University on September 26 in Potsdam.

Four different Golden Knights scored goals and a pair of goaltenders combined for the win as Clarkson defeated McGill 4-1 in its opening contest. MacAuley led the way with a goal and an assist, while Brielle Bellerive and newcomers Emma Keenan and Kelly Mariani also added goals. Shea Tiley and McKenzie Johnson combined for 17 saves in goal for Clarkson.

St. Lawrence comes into the weekend with a 0-1-1 record already this season. The Saints opened by hosting a weekend series against Northeastern. The two teams skated to a 2-2 tie on Saturday afternoon and then saw Northeastern win a wild 9-5 gaame on Sunday. St. Lawrence was picked to finish fifth in the preseason ECAC Coaches' Poll, the same spot that it finished in last season. The Saints won one of four matchups against Clarkson in 2014-15.

The all-time series stands at 17-17-4. The Knights have outscored the Saints 91-75 through 38 games and have shut out St. Lawrence six times, while being blanked just once in the rivalry. Clarkson is 8-0-2 against St. Lawrence in their last 10 meetings in Cheel Arena.

St. Lawrence comes into the weekend with a 0-1-1 record already this seasno. The Saints opened by hosting a weekend series against Northeastern. The two teams skated to a 2-2 tie on Saturday afternoon and then saw Northeastern win a wild 9-5 gaame on Sunday. St. Lawrence was picked to finish fifth in the preseason ECAC Coaches' Poll, the same spot that it finihsed in last season. The Saints won one of four matchups against Clarkson in 2014-15.