Tigers tie twice to open year

There was a sense of deja vu for the women's ice hockey team on Friday, as the Tigers skated to a 2-2 stalemate against Boston College for the third consecutive year. This year, however, the result tasted a little bit sweeter, with the tie against the Eagles representing an even showing against the No. 7 team in the country.

Two days later, Princeton fought to a much less satisfying stalemate, struggling to control the puck in a 1-1 tie against Quinnipiac.

The Tigers (0-0-2 overall) hit the Baker Rink ice hard Friday, opening their season with a power-play goal by senior forward Marykate Oakley just one minute, 10 seconds into the first period. The feeling of success was short lived, however, as the Eagles (3-0-1) struck back with a vengeance, dominating the puck for the remainder of the period. Boston's offense found the back of the net twice during the first period and continued to own the ice through the second period.

"The first three minutes of the game were crucial for us," head coach Jeff Kampersal '92 said. "We needed to take advantage of the fact that BC was probably going to be tired from their trip early in the game. But they were all over us for the rest of the first period."

With Princeton's defense struggling to get the puck away from its goal and Eagle goalie Molly Schaus, who holds a .966 save percentage, acting like a human wall, Boston seemed sure to come away with a lead. But the Tigers responded, managing to even up the score midway through the period with their second power-play goal of the night. Junior forward Annie Greenwood set up the beautiful play, passing the puck to Oakley behind the net. Oakley then fed the puck to senior forward Brittany Salmon, whose position right next to the goal allowed her to shoot it under Schaus, tying the game 2-2.

After Salmon's goal knotted the game at two, neither team could muster a goal for the rest of the contest. The Tigers were able to cling onto the tie thanks in large part to junior goalie Kristen Young, who finished the night with 26 saves, 12 of those in the third period. Young was subsequently named the Eastern Conference Athletic Association Hockey League Goaltender of the Week.

"It was a great start," Kampersal said. "We'll take the good and learn from the bad. Our team needs to break the puck out better and use the boards more effectively. Defense was good tonight, but they've got to get better."

The Tigers returned to Baker Rink the following day to host Quinnipiac (1-1-1). Though Princeton outshot the Bobcats 65-34, the Tigers found the back of the net only once.

After playing a scoreless first period, Princeton managed to break away with a lead 4:10 into the second when Oakley found Greenwood, who connected for her first goal of the season. Though the Tigers led the Bobcats in attempted shots 45-14 by the end of the second period, it was Quinnipiac who scored next during a power play in the third, evening the score at1-1.

"I think shot-wise we were definitely dominating the game," senior captain and forward Lizzie Keady said. "But 50 percent of the time our shots were being blocked, and a lot were off target."

The Tigers realize that there is much to improve on from the game.

"We need to get better at getting the puck in the net and utilizing our scoring opportunities," Keady said. "We also can't be taking as many penalties. It ruins the flow of the game when you have a man down."

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Though the Tigers experienced several close calls during the third period and overtime — including one fortuitous moment when the Bobcats missed on a wide-open net — neither team was able to score again, and Princeton hobbled away with its second tie in as many games to open the season.

The Tigers take the ice again this Friday when they host Clarkson at Baker Rink, hoping to find the back of the net more successfully and earn their first win of the season.