Women's Hockey: Princeton hoping to stay undefeated in conference

Coming off back-to-back shutouts one week ago, the women’s hockey team looks to stay undefeated in league play against Dartmouth and Harvard this weekend.

The Tigers (4-1-1 overall, 3-0-1 ECAC Hockey) will play Dartmouth (1-2-1, 1-2-1) in Hanover, N.H., on Friday. They will then travel to Cambridge, Mass., to play Harvard (2-2-0, 2-2-0) on Saturday.

The Tigers beat both teams when they squared off last January, the first time in the last four years that Princeton defeated the Big Green and Crimson in the same series.

In that series, Princeton trumped Dartmouth in a decisive 4-1 victory. The Tigers in that game had particularly good shooting, finding the back of the net several times. They hope to replicate that performance this year.

“As we look forward to this weekend’s Harvard and Dartmouth games,” junior defender Sasha Sherry said. “We want to continue our offensive cohesiveness. This includes getting all our shots to the net, making smart passes, moving the puck quickly, driving to the net out of the corners, bouncing on rebounds and battling relentlessly.”

Since the start of the season, the team has been emphasizing the importance of cohesiveness and constant energy until the end. These will be no less important this weekend as they take on two strong teams.

In the game against Harvard last January, Princeton pulled out a tight win with a final score of 1-0. Not only did the Tigers find holes for their own shots, but they eliminated any chances for Harvard to score a goal on them. The Tigers know that this is going to be a tough series, so a positive outlook will be key.

“We need to be confident going into all games. That is where we know we will get the wins,” Sherry said at the start of the season. “We need to know we are good and play that way.”

The team looks to its goaltenders to make a positive contribution to the games this weekend. Both goalies, freshman Cassie Seguin and sophomore Rachel Weber, have been crucial to the team’s success thus far. After posting a strong effort that garnered her ECAC Goalie of the Week honors last weekend, Seguin will aim for another impressive performance on the road.

“Our goaltending has been superb, and as we face teams with more offensive firepower, it’s great having confidence between the pipes,” Sherry said.

So early in the season, even with an impressive record, the Tigers know there are still some aspects of their game that they need to work on.

“On defense, we are looking to improve our breakouts, get our shots to the net and not be blocked on the point,” Sherry said.

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“We will need to play aggressive and keep the opposing forwards to the outside,” she added.

Going into this weekend, Princeton is confident, thanks in large part to its recent success and its ECAC Hockey record.

“The team is feeling strong right now, and this upcoming weekend will be a great test.” Sherry said.

The Tigers know they are going to have to play hard and fight every minute for the win, but if the last two weekends are any indication, they are ready to take on two talented squads.