There may be only one weekend left in the regular season, but don't tell that to the women's hockey team.
Even though the Eastern College Athletic Conference calendar says that the league playoffs officially begin next weekend on the higher seeds' home ice, Princeton's playoff run unofficially begins tomorrow night and Saturday afternoon at Baker Rink.
The math is simple. Get two points — a win or a pair of ties — and barring a Cornell sweep, the Tigers (11-11-5 overall, 9-10-3 ECAC) will move on to the postseason.
Anything less, though, and Princeton's season is over.
The Tigers currently sit just one point behind idle Niagara (17-12-3, 10-12-2), which completed its regular season slate last weekend. But by virtue of a loss and a tie to the Purple Eagles, the Tigers would lose the tiebreaker and be left out of the playoffs if they can only manage to tie this weekend.
"They're focused," head coach Jeff Kampersal '92 said of his team. "They know exactly what to do. It's just a matter of getting it done."
Yet while Princeton controls its own destiny, it will take a monumental effort for the Tigers to keep their season alive.
Final Exam
Standing in Princeton's way are Harvard (18-4-3, 15-4-3) and Brown (19-3-3, 17-2-3) — the nation's top two teams.
The Tigers first test will come tomorrow night against the No. 2 Crimson. Harvard, which defeated Princeton, 7-1, Dec. 5 in Cambridge, Mass., boasts one of the nation's top offenses — scoring 4.64 goals per game.
The defending national champion Crimson are led by a core of national-team caliber players. Heading that group is junior forward Tammy Shewchuk — the ECAC's second leading scorer. Shewchuk has tallied 31 goals and 35 assists in just 21 games — an average of over three points per game.
The Tigers must also prepare for the league's third-leading scorer — sophomore forward Jennifer Botterill (24 goals, 29 assists) — as well as junior forward Angie Francisco (14 goals, 32 assists) and sophomore defender Angela Ruggiero (16 goals, 28 assists).
Saturday afternoon, the Tigers will have to prepare for an entirely different kind of team. No. 1 Brown is paced by a balanced offensive attack, with 11 different skaters having amassed double-digit point totals.
The Bears' strength, though, lies in its defensive play. Brown has allowed just 32 goals this season —an average of just 1.28 per game. Between the pipes is arguably the conference's best netminder — senior Ali Brewer — who leads the league in goals against average and winning percentage, and is second in save percentage.
The Bears overcame an early deficit to defeat Princeton, 4-2, Dec. 4 in Providence, R.I.
"We match up differently against each team," Kampersal said. "We need a strong defensive effort, and have to take care of our own end first. We've done a good job of outshooting our opponents this year, and we just need to capitalize on our chances when we get them.
"The keys to each game are definitely goaltending and for our big players to finish their chances, and to have our power play working."
Details, Details
A week ago, Princeton implemented a new power-play scheme which found mixed results. The Tigers scored both their goals in a 2-1 upset of Providence with the extra skater, but went 0 for 6 with the man advantage the following day in a loss to Northeastern.
Princeton — which defeated then No. 3 New Hampshire Feb. 11 — has shown that it can beat one of the nation's best. Moreover, aside from the blowout at the hands of Harvard earlier in the season, the Tigers have made every game close.
The pressure, though, will be on this weekend.
"There's no panic. Hopefully there's not really a sense of urgency — but more of a passionate, desperate feeling," Kampersal said.
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