Women’s hockey off to strong start, men look to rebound

Women’s Hockey

Six games deep in the winter season and the Princeton women’s hockey team has already won five games.

The Tigers (5-1 overall, 3-1 ECAC) started the season on the road with a dominant doubleheader performance against Mercyhurst College, outscoring their opponents 5-3. The Orange and Black, ranked No. 10 in the nation,went on to win two crucial conference games, beating Yale 4-3 and shutting Brown out with a 3-0 victory.

The team was stunned by a last-minute loss in their home opener against Cornell last weekend but bounced back quickly with a 3-2 triumph over Colgate the following day. Freshman forward Karlie Lund made her mark, scoring two goals in the game, while senior goaltender Kimberly Newell stopped 32 out of 34 shots on the goal.

With a doubleheader coming up against Quinnipiac this weekend, the team will be looking to continue dominating on the ice. The Tigers will play on Friday in Connecticut and at home on Saturday.

Men’s Hockey

Men’s hockey (1-3 overall, 0-2 Ivy League) has not yet achieved the success it was hoping for thus far, but the team can still fulfill its goal of a turnaround.

The Tigers opened the season falling to Yale, only to secure a decisive victory over University of Maine the following day, and has since suffered tough losses against Cornell and Colgate. Starting junior goalie, Colton Phinney, was ranked one of the best goaltenders in the nation last year, with a save percentage of 91, and the team is looking to him for support in the coming games.

With two major conference showdowns against Dartmouth and Harvard this weekend, freshman forward Ryan Kuffner said the team will be looking to “increase our scoring, play better defensively, and pick up our speed against opponents in order to be successful.”

The team’s strength this season has been its speed and systems, which Kuffner credited to relatively new coach Ron Fogarty.

“Our goal is to maintain some consistency and make the biggest turnaround in program history,” Kuffner said.

With both games at home at Baker Rink this weekend, the Tigers are excited to be on some familiar ice. On Friday, the men’s team is set to play Dartmouth, and the men will showdown against the Harvard Crimsonon Saturday.