Princeton defeats No. 1 New Hampshire

The bigger they are, the harder they fall, and this weekend the women's hockey team (3-3-2 overall, 1-3-1 Eastern College Athletic Conference Hockey League) toppled goliath New Hampshire (9-2-0) with a colossal crash.

The Wildcats entered the game with an eight-game winning streak and the confidence of a 20-0-1 record against the Tigers over the last 21 seasons. Princeton completed a weekend sweep with its 2-1 win against the No. 1 New Hampshire team on Sunday, having outplayed Boston University for a 4-2 victory the day before.

Competing at the Wildcats' rink, Princeton hit the ice with a vengeance, taking a 1-0 lead 14 minutes, 1 second into the first period.

Though New Hampshire outshot the Tigers 6-2 during the first period, Princeton's second shot became the only goal of the frame when senior forward Sonja Novak's centering pass from deep right bounced off the Wildcats' goalie and slowly crossed the goal line.

"At the end of the game they took more shots, but generally speaking, it was a pretty even game," senior captain and forward Lizzie Keady said.

"We definitely used our speed to our advantage on their rink, which is big, and made them work a little to keep up."

Firing 10 shots to Princeton's five, New Hampshire seemed to be fighting its way back into the game during the second period. Though junior goaltender Kristen Young managed to keep the puck out of the net throughout most of the third period, a power play goal by the Wildcats with only 1:20 left on the clock tied up the game.

Princeton regained the lead early in the third frame however, taking an assist crossed towards the left post from senior forward Brittany Salmon, Keady tipped the puck into the upper net, breaking the deadlock 3 minutes into the period.

"The goal was one where doing the simple things right leads to making big things happen," Keady said. "Brittany made a breakout down the ice and gave me a great pass. Everything went really smoothly, and I was able to just crash into the net."

Young denied 21 of the 22 shots she faced during the game to preserve the Tigers' one-goal lead, and her superb weekend performance earned her the ECAC Goaltender of the Week for the second time this season.

"[Our] defense did a good job of clearing out the front so I would be able to see the shots coming," Young said. "But we definitely came out really strong during the third period. We were playing the No. 1 team, and we knew we had a chance to knock them down. There was no way we were losing."

After suffering a three-game winless streak last week, Princeton was intent on lifting itself out of its losing rut. Fortunately for the Tigers, their speed and strength proved too much for Boston University (2-6-2) to handle when the two teams met for the first time Saturday in Boston.

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Though possession of the puck flew between the two opponents throughout the first period, sophomore forward Melanie Wallace scored the first goal, sneaking a shot past the Terriers' goaltender with 11:52 left in the period.

Though Boston managed to even up the score early during the second period, its lead did not last long, as the Tigers pulled ahead again when Keady scored on a power play three minutes after the Terriers' goal.

While Princeton seemed to be poised for a win going into the third period, Boston once again tied the game with a shot from the back.

"We came out with a lot of intensity during the first five minutes; the second period was not so great," Keady said. "Both of BU's goals were scored by defensemen, so we were absolutely having a breakdown in the D-zone. Basically, we were struggling [to get] people ... in the right spot at the right time."

The Tigers kept constant pressure on the puck during the final period, and junior forward Christine Foster scored the game-winning goal four minutes in. Holding on to the lead throughout the rest of the frame, Princeton found a second opportunity to score when Boston received a penalty and decided to pull its goalie in order to retain a five-on-five match up.

Junior forward Annie Greenwood scored an empty-net goal with just 39 seconds remaining on the clock, adding insurance to the Tigers' victory.

Cornell will pose a challenge next Friday at Baker Rink, and Princeton will have to prove that its ability to beat the giant was based on more than just luck in order to top the Big Red.