W. Hockey splits with Wayne St.

When the women's hockey team arrived in Detroit on Friday for its weekend series with Wayne State, temperatures were close to 10 degrees. Just a few hours later, the Warriors greeted the Tigers with an equally icy reception, starting their two-game set by defeating the Orange and Black 4-2. The next night, however, a fully acclimated Princeton squad bounced back and defeated Wayne State 1-0, ending the team's five-game losing streak.

Indeed, before the weekend began, the Tigers (9-5-2 overall, 8-2-1 ECACHL) had lost their past four games, but to label it a slump would have been an exaggeration. Two weeks ago, the Tigers dropped games to rivals No. 5 Dartmouth and No. 6 Harvard, both of which were ranked higher than Princeton.

The following weekend the Tigers lost twice to Mercyhurst, the team unanimously considered the best in the country. One of those defeats, a 1-0 overtime loss to the Lakers, featured some of the best hockey the Tigers have played all year and left a lot of optimism coming into this weekend's showdown with the Warriors (6-10-0).

Halfway through the second period Friday night, it looked as though Princeton was poised to grab that elusive win. After a scoreless first frame, the Tigers received goals from senior Kim Pearce and sophomore Annie Greenwood in the second. Just when it seemed like Princeton would go into the break with a 2-0 lead, the Warriors scratched their way back into the game. With only one minute, 10 seconds remaining in the period Wayne State scored a 5-on-3 power play goal that brought it within one and shifted the momentum for the rest of the game.

Warriors win in third

When the third period began, the Tigers came out flatfooted, and the Warriors were quick to take advantage. Just 3:18 into the final frame, the Warriors tied the score, only to take the lead less than five minutes later. For the final 10 minutes the Tigers were unable to come up with an equalizer and an empty net goal with 17 seconds left iced the game for good.

For Princeton, the 4-2 loss reflected a lot of the troubles that have plagued it in recent struggles. The Tigers outshot their opponent 39-19, but it was the special teams play, both offensively and defensively, that crushed the team. Wayne State was 2-4 on the power play, while the Tigers were a measly 0-5. In its two games against Mercyhurst, Princeton went 1-11 on the power play while allowing the Lakers two goals on the man advantage, as well as surrendering two shorthanded goals.

Saturday night, however, the Tigers were a different team as they took the ice in Detroit, this time dominating the special teams battles that were such a struggle for them in previous games. With 6:43 left in the second period, the Warriors, already 0-2 with a man advantage, got their third power play of the game. Junior Marykate Oakley, however, did not let Princeton's lack of a fifth skater get in the way of her scoring the game's first and only goal. Following the shorthanded tally, the Tigers put together a stellar defensive effort, fending off four more Warrior power plays en route to their second shutout win of the season.

Even though the Warriors edged the Tigers in shots Saturday night, sophomore goaltender Kristen Young was more than up to the challenge, stopping all 26 pucks that came her way.

For Princeton, the victory was a positive end to the first half of its season. At 8-2-1 in ECACHL play, the Tigers sit comfortably in third place in the conference and are poised to make a run for the title. They have the next three weeks off, before returning to action at home on Dec. 30 and 31, when the team hosts No. 9 Ohio State.