Princeton travels to upstate New York

While Princeton fans praise junior goaltender Roxanne Gaudiel as peerless at her position, this weekend's games against Cornell (3-16-3 overall, 3-12-1 Eastern College Athletic Conference Hockey League) and Colgate (12-13-2, 5-7-2) will put that claim to the test.

Coming off a split at home this past weekend, the No. 9 women's hockey team (13-6-5, 6-5-2) will hit the road again tonight, traveling to upstate New York for weekend play. There, Princeton will face Colgate goaltender Brook Wheeler, the one ECACHL goalie who has matched Gaudiel's play this season.

First, however, the Tigers will begin their weekend set in Ithaca, taking on against Cornell. Traditionally, Princeton has controlled the series against the Big Red, winning nine straight and 12 of the last 13 meetings. Cornell's play this season provides little evidence that this routine will be broken. The Big Red has lost seven Ivy League games in a row and is winless in its last seventeen games. The Tigers emerged from the season's first match-up against Cornell with a 2-0 victory.

Youth appears to be the Big Red's biggest weakness, in addition to its primary strength. This season, freshmen have contributed to 39 percent of Cornell's total points, headed by forward Brianne Schmidt, who leads the Big Red with eight goals and 14 total points. At the same time, Cornell's place in the standings suggests a lack of veteran leadership.

Battle of the netminders

The quality of Princeton's competition will take a major step up on Saturday when Colgate visits Baker Rink. The Raiders sit two points behind the Tigers in the standings, and though Princeton has never lost in the teams' 10 all-time match-ups, Colgate represents nothing less than a worthy foe.

The Raiders are made more imposing by the recent return of star goaltender Brook Wheeler, who — after missing seven straight games to injury — returned to the ice in impressive fashion last Sunday, stopping 43 shots in a 3-0 win over No. 7 Mercyhurst.

Factor in Gaudiel, and Saturday night's game is bound to be a battle between the league's elite netminders. Wheeler and Gaudiel are tied for first in the ECACHL with goals against averages of 1.70 per game, and Gaudiel is second only to Wheeler in save percentage — .934 to .937.

The last meeting between the two resulted in the first scoreless tie in the history of Princeton women's hockey, with Wheeler and Gaudiel making 35 and 23 saves, respectively.

Princeton's balanced scoring attack will look to make a repeat performance as difficult as possible for Wheeler. Princeton is led by sophomore forwards Laura Watt, who leads the team with 14 assists, and Kim Pearce, who tops the Tigers in goals with 13. Sophomore defenseman Dina McCumber has also stepped up her offensive game of late, notching three of her 12 assists on the season in the past two games.

Aside from their position at the top of the Princeton leader board, what these three Tigers share in common is confidence that their goalie will consistently back them with nearly-flawless play. They may be able to return the favor this weekend, as a Princeton offensive explosion could propel Gaudiel past Schmidt into the top spot among the league's goalies.