Yale upsets w. hockey; Mercyhurst visits next

Not again.

For the second time this season, the women's hockey team defeated one of the best teams in the country. The first time it was an upset of conference rival Harvard (22-2-1 overall, 12-2-0 Eastern College Athletic Conference). This time it was Dartmouth (18-5-2, 10-3-1). Both wins, however, as important as they were, were immediately belittled by a loss coming soon thereafter.

Back in January, the team came off the Crimson victory and dropped a very winnable game to a less talented Brown team. This time, the Big Green upset was followed in a similar fashion, as Princeton (18-7-0, 11-5-0) fell in Wednesday's contest against Yale (12-12-3, 8-8-0) by a score of 3-1.

The Tigers got out to an early 1-0 lead when senior forward Gretchen Anderson got Princeton on the board after one and a half periods of tough scoreless hockey. Anderson, who leads the team with 27 goals, slipped the puck under Yale goalie Sarah Love off a rebound at 14 minutes, 19 seconds in the second.

The lead would evaportate, however, as the Bulldogs scored a goal at the 17:53 mark. The goal came during a two-man advantage power play for Yale after the Tigers got into penalty trouble.

The remaining two Eli goals were both scored very early in the third period. The eventual game winner was scored only 11 seconds into the frame. The insurance goal followed just 55 seconds later.

Princeton was unable to score again, even after pulling sophomore goaltender Roxanne Gaudiel with 3:17 remaining. Although the Tigers managed to outshoot the Bulldogs in the game, 32-20, it wasn't enough to secure a victory.

The disappointing letdown certainly comes as a surprise to many who follow the team closely. The Tigers have been playing some of their best hockey of the season in the past three weeks. In fact, the Saturday win against Dartmouth actually completed Princeton's third-consecutive weekend sweep, having taken care of Vermont on Friday by a score of 3-1. The Tigers manhandled the Big Green in a 5-2 victory.

With the win, Princeton's ECAC ranking looked solid as the team inched closer to front runners Harvard and St. Lawrence. The Crimson and the Saints have two and three losses in the league, respectively, compared to the Tigers' four. Dartmouth and Brown both had three losses as well, but have played fewer games.

Now with five conference losses, Princeton has some ground to make up. With only four games left on the schedule, if the Tigers want a high finish they will have to win out and will need a little help.

The first two of those games come this weekend in Princeton against Mercyhurst (22-4-4, 10-0-0 College Hockey America). No. 8 Princeton has enjoyed a good history against the No. 7 Lakers. The Tigers are 4-1-1 all-time against Mercyhurst, including a 1-0-1 record last season.

The Tigers' main advantage against the talented Mercyhurst squad could be that the Lakers haven't played in two weeks. Exposing that rust may be a strategy for Princeton, who will have to overcome fatigue after playing three games in the past five days.

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Sophomore forward Samantha Shirley and junior linemate Teresa Marchese-Del Monte lead Mercyhurst in points with 31 apiece and present the biggest challenge for the Tiger defense.