Princeton drops two crucial league matchups

The sequence played out exactly how the women's hockey team would have wanted it.

With a little more than 14 minutes to play in their Dec. 31 game against No. 9 Ohio State (12-8-2 overall, 7-7-2 Western Collegiate Hockey Association), junior forward MaryKate Oakley picked up the puck in her own zone and sent a backhanded clear off the glass. Junior forward Brittany Salmon picked it up with senior defenseman Laura Watt streaking down the far side of the ice. Salmon held the puck long enough for the Buckeye defenseman and goalie to commit, then slid it to Watt, who stuffed it into the gaping net.

Alone, the play stood as a game-winning goal in the Tigers' 2-1 victory, but perhaps more importantly, it represented exactly what the Tigers (10-8-2, 8-4-1 ECAC Hockey) need to do to be successful: utilize their speed in transition and find ways to generate quality scoring opportunities at any junction in the game.

The victory, the team's only win in four games over break, may have been the highpoint of the last few weeks, but the Tigers' 1-3 record did not reflect the quality of their play. Faced against a set of very tough opponents — two home games against the ninth-ranked Buckeyes, then a road trip to No. 5 Harvard (14-3-1, 11-2-0) and No. 4 Dartmouth (14-2-1, 12-1-0) — the Tigers held their own, even dominating for long stretches of play. At times, the team struggled to gain momentum out of the gate, allowing its opponents to take control of the games early on, and also had trouble making the most of the many opportunities that such a skilled team creates for itself.

The Tigers opened the break on Dec. 30 with a home game against Ohio State — the first of their two meetings. The Buckeyes got off to a fast start and scored the game's first goal early in the first period. Ohio State added another goal in the opening seconds of the third period, but suddenly down by two, the Princeton offense sprang to life.

Two minutes and 43 seconds into the final frame, junior forward Liz Keady stole the puck in the Buckeye zone and scored her fifth goal of the season, an unassisted tally. Just two minutes later, with the Tigers on the power play, senior defenseman Dina McCumber tied the score on a shot from the point. McCumber's goal, her third of the season, was assisted by sophomore forward Annie Greenwood and senior forward and captain Kim Pearce. Princeton, feeding off momentum, continually applied pressure for the rest of the period, but with 9:10 left in the game, the Buckeyes took the lead for good with a 3-2 advantage.

When the game ended, the Tigers had outshot their opponent 34-16 and 21-4 in that final period, yet were unable to put away their chances. Of those four Buckeye shots, two went for goals, the difference in the game. There was little question who had the better of play in the third period, or the game for that matter, but the final score is all that matters, and Princeton had provided little to show for its efforts.

The following night the Tigers avenged that loss with a 2-1 victory over the Buckeyes. Watt opened the scoring in the first period on a power-play goal from freshman Melanie Wallace and McCumber. Standing at the point, McCumber received a pass from freshman forward Melanie Wallace and brought the puck down the far boards. Turning toward the net, the five-foot, five-inch defenseman eyed Watt crashing the net and fed a pass across the crease to far post, where Watt was waiting to net her third goal of the season. Ohio State tied the game in the second period with a five-on-three power-play goal, but Princeton would not be deterred. 5:52 into the final frame, Princeton took the lead on Watt's second goal of the game, and the defense held on for the win.

Freshman goalie Brittany Parisi made 25 saves in the game, her fifth win of the season. For Princeton, the victory marked a return to the national top 10, claiming the No. 10 spot previously held by Ohio State.

Following the games against Ohio State, Princeton's final non-conference games of the season, the Tigers prepared for the resumption of the ECAC Hockey schedule. Widely regarded as the most competitive conference in the nation, the ECAC currently holds four top-10 teams — Dartmouth, Harvard, St. Lawrence and Princeton — and the Tigers' were going up against the best the conference had to offer.

Back in November, the undefeated Tiger hosted the Big Green and Crimson at Hobey Baker rink and were dealt their first two losses of the season — a 5-0 loss to Harvard and a 6-3 loss to Dartmouth. This road trip set up as a great chance for Princeton to avenge those losses and possibly gain some ground on the only two teams ahead of them in the ECAC.

Last Friday's showdown at Harvard — played in Bright Hockey Center, a rink where Princeton has not won since 1996 — echoed the same troubles the Tigers experienced in the first Ohio State game. Princeton outshot the Crimson 30-23 in the game but was held scoreless for just the third time all season.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

Harvard scored twice in a span of two minutes in the second period, then added an empty-netter to seal the victory, but the real story was the Tigers' inability to convert their scoring chances. Down 2-0 going into the third period, Princeton took control of the game, firing 17 shots in the final frame, but was unable to get a goal. The loss, the Tigers' second to the Crimson this season, was Princeton's third conference loss of the year.

The following night, the Tigers drove up to Hanover, N.H., to take on a No. 4 Dartmouth team that beat them 6-3 earlier this year and was unbeaten in eight straight games. Dartmouth scored twice in the first period, and similarly to the previous night, the Tiger offense took two periods to finally get going.

Down 2-0 in the third, Princeton pulled to within one when Greenwood and McCumber teamed up to feed Pearce on a breakaway. The Tigers fought hard to equalize the score, but were unable to find the net, and Dartmouth iced the game with an empty-netter with a minute left on the clock.

For the Tigers, the four games left a lot to be worked on, namely converting opportunities and starting games with the same intensity with which they finish them. In the four games combined, Princeton outshot its opponents 55-22 in the final frame, and scored first in only one, the 2-1 victory over the Buckeyes. The team received solid play from all ends of the ice throughout those games and even outplayed some of the best teams in the nation, but was unable to provide the goals to show for its efforts.

The team was home last night against travel-partner Quinnipiac and will continue ECAC play next weekend with games at Rensselaer and Union.