Home-ice advantage up for grabs at Baker Rink

It's hard to say whether the women's hockey team is hosting its final pair of regular season games or is holding a convention aimed at dental hygiene and fresh breath this weekend as the Tigers face off against Colgate at 7 p.m. this Friday and skate against the Cornell Big Red the following afternoon at 4 p.m.

Currently ranked fifth in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Hockey League (ECACHL) standings, Princeton (14-10-3 overall, 12-6-2 ECACHL) rests just one point behind the fourth-ranked Colgate Raiders (14-13-2, 13-6-1) and far ahead of the Big Red (3-21-2, 3-16-1). Home-ice advantage in the quarterfinal round has already been guaranteed to Dartmouth, who claimed first place in the league after sweeping Colgate and Cornell last weekend, and to Harvard and St. Lawrence, who are vying for second place.

The fourth spot, however, is still up for grabs. Wins against the Raiders and the Big Red this weekend would allow Princeton to clinch this position and earn home-ice advantage.

The Tigers understand the importance of this weekend and how its outcome will affect their playoff chances, but they plan to focus on each individual game before thinking too far ahead.

"The games this weekend are huge," said senior forward and co-captain Kim Pearce, "[though] I wouldn't necessarily say that home-ice advantage is the motivating force for these upcoming games. ... While it is nice to play at home, we will be ready to play any team, anywhere."

"Any team, anywhere" will begin with Colgate this Friday evening at Baker Rink. If there's any truth to the saying that history tends to repeat itself, then good results should come the Tigers' way against the Raiders.

The Tigers are unbeaten in the all-time series against the Raiders with a record of 11-0-2 and defeated them 3-2 in November. Colgate's offensive strength comes mostly from underclassmen as sophomore forward Sam Hunt leads the team with 18 goals and 33 total points while sophomore forward Elin Brown and freshman forward Katie Stewart each have 22 points.

Cornell struggled this season and has only earned seven points in the conference, but the Big Red will still provide solid competition for the Tigers. Despite being shutout in its last game against top-ranked Dartmouth, Cornell played admirable defense and was led by senior goaltender Beth Baronik, a three-time ECACHL Goaltender of the Week who made 38 saves in the loss.

To ensure a pair of victories, the Tigers will need to feed off the momentum created last weekend with a win against Clarkson and a tie against St. Lawrence. Freshman Melanie Wallace created a lot of that energy. She was named the ECACHL's Rookie of the Week after her four-point performance over the weekend, which included the game-winner against Clarkson and a third-period goal that salvaged a tie for the Tigers against the Saints. Sophomore goaltender Kristen Young and her freshman counterpart Brittany Parisi have also played important roles in the net and boast save percentages of 91.1 and 90.4, respectively.

Senior leadership will be important as the Tigers head into the playoffs, and this is the last opportunity the seniors have to make their mark before they hang up their skates, but they understand how important the underclassmen are to the team's success.

"The underclassmen play a vital role on this team," said Pearce. "The freshmen have [especially] progressed over the course of the season by adjusting to the pace of a Division I game, and more importantly they have gained confidence in their play. The more confident they are on the ice, the better they play."

Heading into this weekend, the Tigers hope that confidence will translate into home-ice advantage in the playoffs.