Though the loud speaker blared the "Mission: Impossible" theme throughout the game, the women's hockey team found little difficulty overcoming Boston College as it glided to a 4-1 victory Sunday at Baker Rink. With this win Princeton (1-2-1 overall, 1-2-1 Eastern College Athletic Conference) redeemed its disappointing 3-2 loss the day before to Dartmouth by getting off to an early lead and maintaining it until the end.
Princeton let no time go to waste when it took to the ice Sunday against the Eagles (2-3 overall, 1-3 ECAC). Only one minute, 25 seconds into the game junior forward Melissa Deland — with assists from freshman forward Lisa Rasmussen and senior forward Lucy Firestone — found the net for the Tigers.
"It's always important to get the first goal and get off to a good start," head coach Jeff Kampersal '92 said. "That's what we did today. We were able to get the momentum going early on."
Sophomore defender Laura Hays scored an unassisted goal eight minutes later, giving Princeton a 2-0 lead over the Eagles.
The second period got underway just as quickly. At 1:29, junior forward Andrea Kilbourne, assisted by senior forward Abbey Fox and sophomore forward Nikola Holmes, tallied a goal and extended Princeton's lead to 3-0.
Despite many attempts throughout the game, Boston College would not find the back of the net until the third period. The Eagles scored what would be their only goal of the day with 13:18 left in the game.
The Tigers would use their momentum from the previous periods to play down to the wire. With 7:54 remaining on the clock, Princeton found another scoring opportunity. On a power play, Holmes — assisted by Fox and Anderson — slid the puck past Boston College goalie Amy Coletta, clinching a 4-1 victory and Princeton's first win of the season.
"We just went out against B.C. and we were happy with the effort," Kampersal said. "You always fear a let down after a loss. But the girls did a good job and grinded it all out and came away with the win."
In its season opener Saturday afternoon, Princeton did not find its momentum until the third period. The Tigers watched as No. 1-ranked Dartmouth (4-0 ECAC) skated to an early 3-0 lead. Dartmouth forward Lauren Trottier scored the Big Green's first goal on a power play at 11:09 into the first period. Two minutes later, when Princeton was short a player due to a penalty, Dartmouth increased the lead to 2-0. The Big Green later added their third and final goal on a power-play opportunity at the beginning of the third period."Saturday we played our heart and souls out," Kampersal said. "The penalties against Dartmouth definitely hurt us and stopped our momentum."
Princeton finally upped the intensity with 7:59 left in the game when Rasmussen, assisted by junior defender Aviva Grumet-Morris, drove the puck into Dartmouth's net, putting the Tigers on the score board for the first time all day. Forty seconds later Princeton netted yet another goal, this time by Holmes. The scoreboard remained 3-2, however, as the Big Green defense kept Princeton from mounting any last minute efforts to tie the game.
The Tigers hit the road next weekend when they travel to New Haven, Conn., where they will face Ivy rival Yale Saturday.
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