Women's hockey hosts Wayne State

Though any game could result in an upset, the women's hockey team has a definite advantage on paper this weekend against visiting Wayne State (6-8-2 overall).

The Tigers (8-3-2 overall, 5-1-1 Eastern College Athletic Conference Hockey League) sit in second place in the ECACHL and boast four of the top 10 point-scorers in the league, not to mention the third-best goalie in the country and the reigning national freshman player of the week.

But that doesn't mean head coach Jeff Kampersal '92 isn't concerned with the specifics of this weekend's two-game series, the first time Princeton and Wayne State have met since 2002.

"We expect them to come to Baker Rink and compete," Kampersal said. "I hope we match their intensity."

That intensity will not require a shift in strategy: after winning four games against Mercyhurst, Cornell, Colgate and Quinnipiac, Kampersal is not about to mess with a winning formula.

"We don't do too many things differently," Kampersal said. "We might make adjustments depending on the teams we play, but we just want to be aggressive all over the ice."

The Warriors will come up against a focused and prepared Princeton squad, but Wayne State has been known to match its opponents with equal ferocity. The Warriors have outshot their opponents by 20 percent on power plays and average more than two goals per game.

The team still relies on Kampersal's detailed strategy — working on the power play and penalty kill and playing to individual strengths rather than to overarching team goals. Kampersal is excited about his team's play over the past few weeks and knows that the Tigers will continue to play at their highest level of competition.

"Our power-play success has been the biggest improvement since the beginning of the season," Kampersal said. "Our players have a good understanding of what they have to accomplish against particular penalty kills."

Princeton is used to facing higher-seeded opponents, and now would seem to be a perfect time to sit back and maintain the success the Tigers have already achieved. But for Princeton, that is an unthinkable prospect. Kampersal and the Tigers can taste the glory, and this weekend they are not planning on letting the Warriors stand in their way.