Women's hockey prepares for contests against Ivy League foes

The countdown has officially begun for the women's hockey team. With only eight games remaining in the regular season Princeton needs to turn in key wins this weekend as they shoot for the Eastern College Athletic Conference playoffs.

The road to the playoffs, however, is getting slippery for the squad as it makes its final attempts toward making the tournament.

Princeton (10-9-2 overall, 2-5-0 Ivy League), however, looks to this weekend's games against No. 4 Brown and No. 2 Harvard with hopes of finding some solid ground. The Tigers' first opportunity comes against Brown on Saturday when they take on the Bears for the second time this season. Sunday afternoon Princeton will face off against the Crimson, also for the second time this year.

Currently ranked ninth in the ECAC and fourth in the Ivy League, Princeton plans to focus all its efforts on earning a spot in the playoffs. In order to receive a bid, the Tigers will need to win at least five of their remaining eight games.

Princeton will be the underdogs in both games this weekend as Harvard and Brown currently rank second and third, respectively, in Ivy League standings. The Tigers will also have memories of the past haunting them as they take the ice this weekend. Last time Princeton faced these league-leaders on the road, it suffered 4-0 losses in both games.

Another potential burden that has continued to plague the Tigers throughout the season is the team's inability to get control early in the game. Last weekend Princeton got off to a slow start before suffering a 3-1 loss to No. 1 Dartmouth.

"This weekend is definitely going to be a challenge for the offense," head coach Jeff Kampersal '92 said. "We got caught in the transition last weekend and we're going to need to step it up. We feel prepared and hope to see more momentum in our plays this weekend."

In addition to increasing their momentum, the Tigers must also fill the void left by freshman forward Gretchen Anderson. Anderson, who stands in 18th in the ECAC in goals scored and is the fourth highest-scoring freshman in the league, will be out for the remainder of the season due to mononucleosis.

"It's going to be a real challenge this weekend, especially with Gretchen out," Kampersal said. "We're going to have to juggle a bit and step up the offense even more in order to compensate."

Defensively, the Tigers will look to freshman Megan Van Beusekom and sophomore Sarah Alquist in goal. Ranked eighth and 17th, respectively, in the ECAC, the Princeton netminders will have to provide a strong backbone against high-scoring teams like Brown and Harvard. These two squads have not only exhibited strength and endurance throughout all three periods of a game, but also throughout the entire season.

Brown will be entering the rink Saturday riding a four-game winning streak, while a confident Harvard squad that boasts an eight-game winning record will also pose additional threats to the Tigers.

"It's going to be a really big weekend for us," sophomore forward Melissa Tilney said. "At this point we're right on the cusp and every game is crucial as we aim for the playoffs. We really need to set the tone early in order to truly be in the game from the start."