If the Big Green is weak anywhere, it is at the back, with a less-experienced netminder and a defense that isn’t quite as strong as last year’s.

That isn’t to say those players aren’t capable, though. Stephanie Cochran, who assumes regular duties between the pipes this year, held Harvard to just two goals in the ECAC finals and the defense returns as a mostly intact unit, now one year older and wiser.

Up front, Dartmouth is anchored by a pair of Canadian Olympians—Cherie Piper and Gillian Apps.

Flanking the Big Green’s offense, the duo wrought havoc on opposing goalkeepers last year as freshmen, combining for 67 points despite not playing a full slate of games.

Dartmouth also has a strong contingent outside its national team members that will prove difficult to handle regardless of the Canadians’ presence.

Tri-captain and forward Sarah Clark, the team’s third-leading goal scorer last season, will provide leadership at the front. Five of the Big Green’s top seven point scorers return to the ice this season.

Katie Weatherston’s 47 points last season tied her for second on the school’s all-time points list for freshmen. With one year under her belt, Weatherston will be even more dangerous.

The X factor is junior tri-captain Megan Walton, who was severely limited in her play last year due to injury. She returns to action at full strength this season and hopes to reproduce a campaign more similar to her freshman year in which she scored 32 points, assisting on 22 scores.

St. Lawrence

Unlike the Big Green, St. Lawrence’s strength lies at the back, where senior goaltender Rachel Barrie anchors the Saints’ defense.

Barrie, a member of the Canadian National Under-22 team, was tapped for the second time last year as the ECAC’s top goaltender, thanks in large part to her three shutouts on the season.

With a 2.07 goals against average and a .925 save percentage for her college career, sneaking the puck past Barrie is no easy task.

Directly in front of her, captain Lindsay Charlebois and Laurie Ross return as St. Lawrence’s most effective defensive pairing, fresh off a +24 plus-minus rating a season ago.

On the attack, forward Gina Kingsbury, a member of the Canadian national team, leads the Saints down the ice, one-seasoned removed from tying for third on the team in scoring in spite of her absences for national team play.

“She is an amazingly skilled player,” McAuliffe says.