Women's Hockey: Princeton pulls away late

Princeton (4-6-1 overall, 2-4-0 ECAC Hockey) dominated the early possession, with Quinnipiac (2-15-1, 1-4-1) only rarely entering the Tigers’ zone in the first 10 minutes of play. Princeton has never lost to Quinnipiac, with the only tie out of seven meetings coming in October 2007.

Princeton’s early pressure led to a few quality scoring opportunities, and the Tigers took advantage four minutes, four seconds in the first period. Junior forward Julie Flynn netted her first goal and first point of the season, assisted by freshman forward Charissa Stadnyk.

The Bobcats put together their own offensive effort as Princeton was forced to penalty kill when freshman forward Paula Romanchuk was called for roughing in the 11th minute. Thirty seconds later, Quinnipiac’s Chelsea Illchuk squeaked one by senior goalie Kristen Young, sparking Quinnipiac to increased fervor. Though the shot count in the first was only 10-9 in favor of Princeton, shot quality resoundingly favored Princeton, forcing Quinnipiac’s goalie to make some quality saves to keep the Bobcats in contention.

“They [Quinnipiac] are a stingy team,” head coach Jeff Kampersal ’92 said. “We knew they could defend well and that we would have to work hard. These mid-weekers are always tough, not ideal for stellar hockey.”

The second period began with similar offensive domination by Princeton. After a Romanchuk penalty at 5:13, the freshman returned to the ice and immediately atoned with a goal at 7:35. The puck sat just behind Quinnipiac’s goalie, and Romanchuk came in from the side and knocked it in. The goal, assisted by junior forward Melanie Wallace, was Romanchuk’s sixth of the season, brining her season point total to 11, the second best on the team. The shot discrepancy was much more pronounced in the rest of the period, as the Tigers outshot the Bobcats 13-6 in the second period alone, better reflecting Princeton’s offensive dominance in the first two periods.

Just as Princeton seemed to have the match wrapped up and with less than 10 minutes to play, Quinnipiac tied the game at two. The Bobcats’ shot was slightly deflected, and the puck slid past Young at 11:01 in the third, putting pressure on the Tigers for the first time since early in the second period.

“I was the opposite of happy,” Kampersal said.

Princeton quickly stepped up its game to match Quinnipiac’s challenge, as junior defenseman Stephanie Denino scored her first goal of the year to regain the lead at 14:34. Senior forward and tri-captain Christine Foster and senior forward Annie Greenwood picked up assists.

Before the Bobcats could regain composure, freshman Julie Johnson put in the Tigers’ fourth goal of the night, effectively icing the victory with less than four minutes to go. The goal was assisted by Denino and Foster, giving each their second point of the game. From there, it was just a matter of time before Princeton claimed victory.

Throughout the match, the Tigers maintained control, took advantage of their opportunities and locked down Quinnipiac at the end to preserve the win. Though the game-tying goal in the third added some pressure, Princeton quickly stepped up and met the challenge.

Princeton outshot Quinnipiac 36-20 and won the faceoff battle 34-22 while spending less time in the penalty box than the Bobcats and getting help from Young’s 18 saves. Despite the win, the match was too close for comfort for Kampersal.

“We need to do a better job getting the puck to the net,” Kampersal said. “Our power play and penalty killing need to be better for this weekend.”