Brown pulls out shocker in semifinals

The women's hockey team celebrated Friday, as it took home three Eastern College Athletic Conference Hockey League awards on Friday night: head coach Jeff Kampersal '92 was named Coach of the Year, freshman forward Annie Greenwood took Rookie of the Year and Princeton (21-7-4 overall, 8-3-1 ECACHL) won the Turfer Athletic Team of the Year Award in its inaugural season. But jubilation quickly turned to disappointment as the team that took the trophies on Friday was sent home from the ECACHL tournament on Saturday after a 1-0 loss to Brown (15-12-5, 5-3-3).

The Tigers headed into Saturday's matchup brimming with confidence. Across the ice, a relatively unheralded Brown squad waited to face a Princeton team that had not lost since Feb. 3 against St. Lawrence. The Bears were largely unrecognized during the presentation of awards, but it soon became clear that they were undaunted by Princeton's accolades.

Brown's goaltender, O'Hara Shipe, was the key to the Bears' victory as she completely shut out the vaunted Tiger offense. The ominous signs came early in the first period, when senior forward Sarah Butsch tried to sneak in a shot while the team was playing shorthanded. Shipe easily brushed the puck aside near the post.

Later in the first, after the conclusion of the penalty, Princeton appeared to take control of the game. The Tigers kept possession of the puck and attacked the Bears' goal, firing off three shots. Princeton's best opportunity came when senior forward Tarah Clark redirected a pass from freshman forward Christina Foster towards the goal. But Shipe managed to hold off the furious volley and kept the score knotted at 0-0 going into the second period.

The Tigers' offensive efforts meant that senior goaltender Roxanne Gaudiel had little work early in the game. Brown only managed five shots on goal in the first frame, none of which posed a serious threat. But the Bears broke through in the second on a breakaway. After a Princeton shot was denied, Hayley Moore took the puck and shot a laser to Rylee Olewinkski. Olewinkski outraced Princeton's defense, then faked forehand before quickly reversing her stick and shooting backhand past Gaudiel to put Brown up 1-0.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, the one-goal margin was all that Shipe needed. Princeton put even more pressure on her in the second period, but she blocked all of the Tigers' 19 shots.

In the first two periods, Princeton had already worked for 28 shots on goal, compared to only 12 for the Bears. The Tigers controlled the puck for vast stretches of time and seemed to be communicating well and passing effectively. The team headed into the third without altering tactics — everything seemed to be going so well that Princeton simply considered itself unlucky.

Of course, Shipe would have something to say about that. Though the Tigers were unrelenting in the third period, peppering the goal with another 14 shots, Shipe held up. Princeton was forced to play without Gaudiel in the final minutes in the hopes of forcing overtime. The closest call came on junior defense Dina McCumber's slapshot, which blazed towards the goal with five seconds left in the game.

Smelling the shutout, Shipe coolly snuffed out the shot and with it, the Tigers' hopes of an ECACHL title. Harvard defeated Brown in the finals yesterday.

Princeton still has hope for a berth in the NCAA Tournament's eight-team field. If they get in, the Tigers will have a shot at redemption — and another chance to show off their award-winning skills.

Despite the loss, the Tigers' accomplishments this season have been impressive. The team took its first undisputed Ivy title since 1992 and took a surprising second-place finish in the ECACHL — behind only perennial powerhouse St. Lawrence. The Tigers featured an aggressive offense energized by Greenwood's addition and a daunting defense spearheaded by the stellar goaltending of Gaudiel.

Meanwhile, Kampersal has served as the brains of the operation. In his 10th season with the Tigers, he was recognized with the greatest individual award that a coach can be given in ECAC hockey. He has averaged more than 15 wins a season at Princeton, and has been even better over the past four years — compiling 76 victories, an average of 19 a year.