Women's Hockey: Three losses belie promising start

The season is “looking promising,” senior forward and tri-captain Monica Brennan said.

Princeton (1-3 overall, 0-2 ECAC Hockey League) dropped the opener 3-0 but rebounded to take the next day’s matchup with the Huskies, 4-1. The three-goal win over UConn (5-3-2) was particularly impressive: Last season, the Tigers matched up with the Huskies twice on the road and returned home with two ties.

A week later, Princeton hosted conference foes No. 6 Dartmouth (2-0, 2-0) and No. 3 Harvard (2-0, 2-0), falling 3-2 and 6-4.

The losing record, though, does not faze the Tigers’ leaders.

“The season has been pretty good,” Brennan said. “We are a little disappointed … with this last weekend, [but the UConn win] was really important.”

Senior goalkeeper and tri-captain Kristen Young weathered a serious assault in Princeton’s season opener against the Huskies. UConn controlled the puck for much of the game and outshot the Tigers 36-23. Despite shutting out the marauding Huskies for the first 34 minutes of the game, Young ultimately gave up three goals.

Princeton looked much sharper in the next day’s rematch. Young allowed only one goal on 30 shots, and the Tigers’ offense maximized its opportunities.

Less than four minutes into the game, freshman forward Charissa Stadnyk scored the first goal of her collegiate career to give Princeton an early lead. Second-period goals from senior defenseman Katherine Dineen and freshman forward Danielle DiCesare gave the Tigers a daunting 3-0 advantage heading into the final period, and Princeton held on for a 4-1 win.

The victory over the Huskies “showed them we could play, even though we are a young team,” Brennan said.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, matching up against two more top-10 opponents to close out Fall Break was not a formula for success.

The Big Green built a commanding 3-0 lead before Princeton responded in the conference foes’ Halloween matchup. Freshman forward Heather Landry spearheaded a valiant comeback effort in the final 20 minutes, posting two goals to make the final margin close, but the team could not overcome its early deficit.

One day later, the Tigers found themselves engaged in a veritable shootout against the Crimson. Harvard forward Liza Ryabkina opened up the scoring with a goal seven minutes into the game.

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After a relatively quiet first period in which only one goal was scored, the two squads combined for four goals in the second period and five in the third. Ryabkina notched a hat trick on the day, scoring a goal in every period to pace the Crimson to a 6-4 victory.

Princeton once again staged a late comeback attempt, as freshman forward Paula Romanchuk, sophomore defender Sasha Sherry and junior defender Maddie Endicott scored the last three goals in the 6-4 loss.

Despite the defeats, the Tigers’ strengths became quite clear during the first two weekends of play. Last year’s squad graduated five seniors, including scoring leader Marykate Oakley ’08. This year, Princeton will have to rely on its depth and its underclassmen: The Tigers’ roster includes seven freshmen and four sophomores.

On the offensive side of the puck, the team’s youth has served it well. Two collegiate rookies — Landry and Stadnyk — and Sherry share the team lead in goals scored with two apiece. Sherry has also tallied three assists on the season, bringing her team-leading point total to five. Princeton’s attack has appeared quite formidable early in the season, as the team has scored 10 goals in its last three games.

The Tigers are optimistic that their explosive young offense, combined with a knowledgeable veteran in the crease, will be enough for a deep run into the ECAC tournament.

“Everyone is in new roles this year, so … it’s good to have that senior leadership,” Brennan said of her goalie and fellow captain.

Young has started every game so far, boasting an impressive .910 save percentage and a 3.42 goals-against average.

Speaking of the team’s future, Brennan sounded guardedly optimistic.

“We need to do the little things right and eliminate the little mistakes. We need to capitalize better,” Brennan said. “We always skate hard for 60 full minutes. Our strongest asset is our speed, and that’s how we beat teams.”