Tigers tie up UConn two times

Sitting right at .500 both overall and in ECAC Hockey, the women's hockey team knows it is running out of time to boost past the break-even point and improve its shot at a league championship.

Returning from a 27-day break over the holidays, Princeton (7-7-4 overall, 5-5-1 ECAC Hockey) failed to improve its record but picked up a pair of impressive ties against No. 9 Connecticut (13-4-3). The Tigers went into the two-game set with the confidence of having won their last seven games against the Huskies, and though their offense struggled to net goals, Princeton certainly showed it could hold its own against a top-ranked opponent.

"We definitely didn't go into the game expecting to win," senior forward and captain Lizzie Keady said. "[Connecticut] is ranked pretty high, and in general we haven't really walked over any teams this year."

Princeton hit the ice with a vengeance Friday, outshooting Connecticut 36-18, including a 15-5 advantage in the second period of play. Despite dominating the puck throughout the game, the Tigers were unable to get past the fast hands of Huskies' goaltender Brittany Wilson. The game ended in overtime as a scoreless tie, marking Princeton's third consecutive shutout.

"In general we played pretty well," Keady said. "We needed to capitalize on opportunities in the offensive zone more, but we broke the puck out well and killed off penalties."

Though the night ended without a victory, several of the Tigers showcased their powerhouse talents during the match. Senior forward Marykate Oakley dominated the offensive zone and led Princeton during the match with eight shots on goal. Oakley has led the Tigers in scoring with 17 points in the last 16 games.

Junior goaltender Kristen Young displayed her skills in the net, making 18 saves to record the shutout.

After Friday's 65 scoreless minutes, Princeton and Connecticut continued their stalemate Saturday, holding each other to under 10 shots on goal in the first period.

"For the second game, we changed our special teams around and tightened up our penalty kill," Keady said. "But in general we only made small changes because we played the first game pretty well."

Though the Tigers again outshot the Huskies 35-13 during the match, Connecticut broke through with the first goal of the game eight minutes into the second period. The goal marked the end of Princeton's shutout streak, which lasted a total of 238 minutes, 42 seconds. Young played in the net for every minute of the streak and now ranks second in school history behind only Roxanne Gaudiel '06, who once held foes scoreless for 257:54.

The Tigers came out hot during the third period, dominating the possession of the puck and outshooting the Huskies 12-1 during the frame.

Senior forward Brittany Salmon finally broke through Connecticut's goalie to tie the game at 1-1 with 11:50 remaining in the third period by taking advantage of Connecticut's weak defense to crash into the net.

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"In their defensive zone they pack it in and are pretty stationary," Keady said. "We definitely took advantage of that by cycling the puck and walking off the boards. When we get those kind of chances, we need to finish, which was something we were struggling with."

Despite going into overtime, neither team was capable of connecting with the back of the net, ensuring Princeton's second consecutive stalemate.

The Tigers face off against Ivy League rivals Yale and Brown next weekend at Baker Rink, their first meeting with these opponents since their October exhibition matches. As Princeton draws near the conclusion of its season, the Tigers' even weekend should give them hope that they are more than their mediocre record would suggest.