Harvard, Dartmouth present an early test for No. 9 Tigers

Way back on Oct. 27, the No. 9 women's hockey team sent a powerful message to the rest of the college hockey world by upsetting No. 3 St. Lawrence 6-5 at Baker Rink.

This weekend, seven unbeaten games later, Princeton (8-0-2 overall, 8-0-1 Eastern College Athletic Conference Hockey League) will once again have a chance to prove its mettle against top-quality competition, squaring off against No. 6 Dartmouth (7-3, 7-1) on Saturday night and No. 7 Harvard (7-1, 7-1) on Sunday afternoon.

As one of only two undefeated teams left in Division I hockey — the other being No. 1 Wisconsin — Princeton is looking to jump its Ivy League rivals in the polls, and two wins this weekend will go a long way toward accomplishing that goal. Coming off big wins at Colgate and Cornell in which the Tigers exhibited their patient play, suffocating defense, and their explosive offensive qualities, the team may appear to be underdogs on paper, but its play so far this year tells a very different story.

Not only has Princeton yet to lose, but it has given up more than two goals only twice this year, while scoring more two points in six of 10 games. In addition, the nature of the wins reflects the versatility of the team. The Tigers have not only proven that they are capable of a run-and-gun offensive style that produces a surfeit of goals in a short amount of time — seven goals in two periods against Union — but also that they have what it takes to protect their net with a slim lead, as they did last weekend against Cornell.

Saturday's showdown will mark the first of two regular-season meetings between Princeton and Dartmouth. Last year the Tigers beat the Big Green 3-1 on the road and 7-2 at home, two losses that Dartmouth will undoubtedly be looking to avenge.

Led by forward Gillian Apps and freshman phenom forward Sarah Parsons, the Big Green is a dangerous offensive team. But the Tiger defense, led by seniors Dina McCumber, who missed the early part of this year with an injury, and Laura Watt, who leads all defenders with 10 points, appears more than up to the challenge.

In addition, the recent outstanding play of sophomore goaltender Kristen Young and freshman goaltender Brittany Parisi has given head coach Jeff Kampersal '92 two reliable options in net. Kampersal has switched between the two with relative ease this season, and both have equally risen to the challenge.

The Crimson's lone loss this season came at the hands of the same St. Lawrence team that the Tigers upset earlier this year, but Harvard cannot be overlooked. The Crimson has scored the most goals in the ECACHL, allowed the fewest and has the highest power-play percentage and the best penalty killing percentage.

Sporting a balanced attack led by forward Jenny Brine and solid goaltending from Brittany Martin, the Crimson has handled most of its opponents with relative ease; however, the Tigers will counter by spreading the puck and finishing rebounds, two things that worked to perfection during their trip to upstate New York last weekend.

In Princeton's 1-0 victory over Cornell, senior forward Kim Pearce scored the Tigers' lone goal by following her own shot and burying the rebound. The next night against Colgate, junior forward Brittany Salmon scored Princeton's game winner on a rebound, finishing a shot from junior forward Liz Keady for the Tigers' third and final goal.

Parisi made 11 saves in that first game, the first shutout of her collegiate career, and Young's 37 saves against the Raiders were instrumental in Princeton's victory.

In sports, numbers rarely lie, and the Tigers' undefeated record holds true to their play so far this season. Relatively untested? Perhaps. But overrated? Absolutely not. The Tigers belong among the elite in college hockey, and this holiday weekend the stage is set for them to prove what they already know, and what the rest of Division I will soon discover: Princeton is here to stay.