Weekend split kills chance of home ice

The Tigers (13-10-6 overall, 11-8-3 ECAC Hockey) experienced a seeming disintegration of their game during Friday’s demolition at the hands of No. 6 St. Lawrence (25-8-1, 18-3-1), 9-2. Despite this, Princeton managed to pull itself back together for Saturday’s match against No. 9 Clarkson (22-7-5, 13-6-3), scraping by with a 2-1 win.

Splitting these final games placed the Tigers fifth in the league, eliminating their chances of earning home-ice advantage for the championships. Though Princeton has experienced a season filled with ups and downs, bouncing between great wins and devastating losses, the ECAC Quarterfinals will be its last chance to prove its powerhouse potential.

The Saints hit the ice with a vengeance Friday, scoring the game’s opening goal only 48 seconds into the match. Just two minutes, 35 seconds later, St. Lawrence forward Lisa Batchelor batted another one into the back of the net, clearly proving to the Tigers that the Saints were there to win.

Despite St. Lawrence’s early lead, Princeton settled in and managed to prevent the Saints from scoring during the rest of the period. This recovery, however, was short lived, as St. Lawrence went on to score five goals during the second period.

The Tiger defense failed to come up with an answer to Saints forward Marianne Locke, who came up big again and again for the Saints. After netting two goals in the second period and scoring another in the final stanza, Princeton’s players shook their heads in awe.

“They really took it to us,” senior forward Marykate Oakley said. “But we didn’t help ourselves with penalties. If you give a good team power plays, they are gonna capitalize, and they did.”

With their seemingly unstoppable offense firing relentlessly at the Tigers’ goal, the Saints continued their hot streak into the third period, scoring 4:54 into the period. Despite the eight-point gap that stood between Princeton and any hope of success, the Tigers regrouped and reenergized during the third.

Playing mostly for pride, junior forward Annie Greenwood and junior defenseman Monica Brennan scored a goal apiece.

This final surge, however, proved to be too little, too late. Locke’s final goal of the night, with five minutes remaining in the third period, firmly established the Saints as victors.

“It was not a good game,” Oakley said. “There is no excuse for us. We didn’t execute, we turned the puck over, and we didn’t win our battles. We just didn’t show up to play.”

After Friday’s difficult defeat, Princeton skated into its match against Clarkson looking to avenge itself and prove its status as a powerhouse team.

As the Tigers and the Golden Knights wrangled in the first period, the match looked to be a possible repeat of the St. Lawrence game. Clarkson dominated play, holding a 14-4 lead in shots. One of those shots, off the stick of defenseman Katie Morrison, made its way into the net, notching the Knights’ first goal of the game with 45 seconds remaining in the period.

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The Tigers, however, proved unwilling to go without a fight. Senior forward Brittany Salmon found the back of the net 2:04 into the second period, knotting the game 1-1.

The score remained tied until 16:54 into the third, when Princeton had a three-on-one rush during which sophomore defenseman Stephanie Denino flew down the ice and scored her first goal of the season. Despite pulling its goalie in the final minute and outshooting the Tigers 28-17, Clarkson was ultimately unable to even up the score.

“Obviously it was a nice confidence boost after the St. Lawrence game,” Oakley said. “It was a really good game. Clarkson is a gritty team, they battle hard, and they are quick. But we skated harder, won our battles and just left it all on the ice.”

Princeton will return to Clarkson for the ECAC Quarterfinals this weekend, where the Tigers will have to put an end to this roller coaster ride of a season and finally show some consistency if they want to make it to the ECAC Championships.