Women's Hockey: Princeton expected to roll vs. league foes

Heading into its final weekend of regular-season play, the women’s hockey team has a close focus on the games ahead.

The Tigers (12-11-4 overall, 10-6-4 ECAC Hockey) will play Brown (2-20-4, 0-17-3) and Yale (10-14-3, 8-11-1) at Baker Rink this weekend. Though the Tigers shut out both teams last time around, they know that both sides have gotten stronger since then.

“Even though Brown and Yale are lower in the rankings than us statistics-wise, they are going to be tough competition for sure,” freshman goalie Cassie Seguin said. “Brown is a hard-working team, and we need to keep in mind that they won’t go down without a fight. Yale, in the same sense, is fighting for their playoff lives and needs this win against us.”

In November, the Tigers beat Brown 5-0 for Seguin’s second-straight shutout. Princeton performed well, outshooting Brown by 20. If the Tigers can repeat that performance this weekend, they should have a good chance at pulling out a win.

Though Princeton topped both Brown and Yale last time they played, the Tigers cannot be sure that this weekend’s story will be the same, Seguin explained.

“One of the things I have learned playing in this league is that any team can show up on any day,” she said. “We need to be ready for anything and everything.”

Against Yale last time, Princeton won 4-0 in Seguin’s first career shutout, outshooting the Bulldogs by six and capitalizing on power plays.

The Tigers know that both of their opponents will be looking for victories, especially since they have little to lose.

“Both of these teams want wins against us this weekend, and we need to be prepared,” Seguin said.

Wins against Brown and Yale this weekend would be crucial for the Tigers, as they would help secure a home-ice advantage in the playoffs.

“We still have a good shot at home ice for the playoffs,” Seguin said. “So we need to play our best to get the best playoff path for us.”

Instead of focusing on their opponents, the Tigers have been working on their own preparation this week.

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“This weekend, our team needs to focus on playing one shift at a time,” Seguin said. “We’ve done all the preparation up until this point, so now all that’s left is to execute.”

To grab two wins, the Tigers will need to hit the ice strong. If they do so, they could gain significant momentum and confidence heading into the playoffs.

“Each one of us really [needs to] gives it our all each time we step on the ice — including warm-ups, shifts at the beginning of the game and shifts at the end — we need to be willing and ready to give it our all and do our jobs,” Seguin said. “If everyone contributes [to] what we can do, then we are going to be successful.”

Following the games this weekend, Princeton will turn its attention to the playoffs. Though all the players know this is coming, they have been keeping a very game-to-game attitude.

“Right now, our goal is to take it all one step at a time and eventually make the playoffs,” Seguin said. “As much as we want that home ice, we have to stay in the present moment and worry about the games this weekend.”

The Tigers will face Brown at 7 p.m. tonight and Yale at 4 p.m. on Saturday, both in Baker Rink.