Princeton heads to Frozen Four

It would be safe to say that the women's hockey team is currently on fire. The Tigers sport an impressive nine-game winning streak that they will look to extend in the semifinal round of the Eastern College Athletic Conference Hockey League (ECACHL) playoffs this weekend.

No. 5 Princeton (21-6-4 overall, 15-3-2 ECACHL) has a lot of confidence going into the semifinals, which are commonly known as the Frozen Four. The Tigers advanced to the semifinal round after beating Colgate in two games last weekend, and they will travel to Canton, N.Y. — the home ice of top-seeded St. Lawrence — to take on Brown (14-12-5, 10-6-4).

Princeton, however, has proved to be anything but frozen as of late. The last time the Tigers lost was Feb. 3 at St. Lawrence. They have racked up 104 goals this season, 52 more than all of their opponents combined. More than a third of them came on the power play. According to head coach Jeff Kampersal '92, the power play is an integral part of any hockey game, but also something that no team can ever perfect.

"The power play is always a weekend by weekend thing," Kampersal said. "We have a good understanding of what we are trying to accomplish, and it's just a matter of everything clicking."

Though the power play may not always click for Princeton, there certainly are aspects of the game that do. senior goaltender Roxanne Gaudiel. Gaudiel's save percentage for the entire season is .926, and she recorded her fourth shutout last weekend against Colgate.

Another thing the Orange and Black has going for it is experience in close game situations. It took a late third period goal by senior forward Sarah Butsch to propel the Tigers past Colgate with a 5-4 victory in the deciding game of the series. This ability to come through under tight circumstances is crucial.

"We had to play our best to beat Colgate," Kampersal said. "When we did not play our best, Colgate made us pay. We learned that we need to play the full 60 minutes. But we have played in tense games all year, so I feel that our players have the necessary experience."

Last weekend's quarterfinal matchup also showed the variety of sources that Princeton has for putting the puck in the net. Six different Tigers scored goals last weekend, including freshman forward Christine Foster, who had a hat trick in Friday's game. With production coming from all angles, Princeton should feel confident in its ability to score in the playoffs.

It is going to take more stellar performances, however, to beat Brown. The semifinal round only consists of one game, as opposed to the quarterfinals, which is bestof-three. This means there is minimal room for error.

The Tigers are 1-1 against the Bears this season, who are coming off of a two-game sweep of Dartmouth in the quarterfinals. Brown is coached by Digit Murphy, who is in her 17th season at the helm. Goaltender Nicole Stock is only a freshman, but she is already proving that she can be a force in the net.

Whatever the Bears have to offer this weekend, the Tigers will be ready to match it. A nine-game winning streak can certainly help a team with its confidence level and momentum.

"I think momentum is something you need to revisit each weekend," Kampersal said. "As it stands now, all four teams are fighting for their hockey lives."

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Along with Princeton and Brown, St. Lawrence and Harvard round out the Frozen Four. Both games will be played Saturday, with the Tigers facing off at 4 p.m. The winning teams will go on to fight for the league trophy in the finals on Sunday.

For Princeton to extend the winning streak to 10, the team will need to play with the firepower it has exhibited all season. If the Tigers can blaze through the Frozen Four, national glory will be within their reach.