Women's Hockey: Landry tallies pair in victory

After fighting hard but falling to Dartmouth, 4-1, on Friday night in Hanover, N.H., the women’s hockey team redeemed itself in impressive fashion Saturday, earning a 2-1 overtime win against Harvard in Cambridge, Mass.

“The Dartmouth and Harvard games were two very different games for us. On Friday night, we didnít battle enough and found ourselves adjusting to the tempo they set,” senior defender and captain Stephanie Denino said.

Dartmouth took control early in the first period with two goals. The Tigers came back briefly in the second when junior defender Laura Martindale scored with an assist from junior defender Sasha Sherry.

The Big Green bounced back after the lone Princeton goal, scoring a goal in each of the second and third periods. The final goal scored by Dartmouth was on an empty net.

“We were lacking in execution and did not control the blue lines well enough,” Denino said.

After Friday night’s tough loss, the Tigers knew they needed to come out strong against Harvard on Saturday, and they executed, winning 40 of the 71 face-offs and blocking Harvard from controlling the puck during any of the Crimsonís power plays. This time, the Tigers took control of the puck early and made it their game.

“Games against Harvard are always very intense and emotional because of the perpetual rivalry between our schools,” Denino said. “We came out flying and dictated the pace of the game.”

Harvard scored with one minute, 26 seconds remaining in the third period to tie the game after pulling the Crimson goalie. In overtime, sophomore forward Heather Landry stole the puck at the blue line and skated for a breakaway that won the Tigers the satisfaction of beating their longstanding rival on Crimson ice.

“Our intensity and focus were high from start to finish,” Denino said. “And winning in their rink is always one of the best feelings.”

Princeton struggled to kill off penalties against Dartmouth, but the Tigers turned that around in the Harvard game. In addition to shutting Harvard down on Crimson power plays, Princeton took advantage of its own by scoring its only goal in regulation on the power play.

Both Landry and sophomore goalie Rachel Weber had strong performances.

“Rachel also had an incredibly solid performance in nets,” Denino said. “With every big save, we came out stronger and with more energy. Landry’s OT breakaway goal was also huge for us. It truly sent the message that we had no intention of backing down or giving up the two points.”

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Landry’s history against Harvard is impressive: She scored the only goal for Princeton in the teams’ matchup last season.

Landry is currently tied for second on the team in points, with nine. Sophomore forward Paula Romachuk also has nine. Sophomore forward Danielle DiCesare leads the team with 12 points on four goals and eight assists. Weber and freshman Cassie Seguin have also been impressive in goal. Weber has three wins and a 2.02 goals-against average. Seguin has two wins and a 1.64 goals-against average.

With an emotional weekend behind them and an impressive victory under their belts, the Tigers will need to find a way to maintain their energy and intensity in upcoming games against Cornell and Colgate on Nov. 20 and 21.