Women's Ice Hockey: Romanchuk, DiCesare to lead squad against league’s best

After a rough opening stretch to its season, the women’s hockey team (3-4 overall, 3-2 ECAC Hockey) returned from its weekend on the road with two wins. Without much time to prepare, the Tigers jumped right into game play three weeks ago. In its opening exhibition game versus McGill, Princeton had a slow start that caused it to fall behind early and never score for the equalizer, ending the game with a 4-3 loss. The next day, Princeton hosted Yale and Brown for an Ivy League preseason round robin in which the Tigers beat the Bulldogs 4-2 but fell to the Bears 3-0.

The team began its first weekend of the official season on the road, traveling to compete against Northeastern and Providence. The Tigers dropped both games to open their season with two losses, something that has not happened since 1992.

This year’s team hopes to perform with more consistency and success than last year’s team did. The Tigers finished the 2009-2010 season with an overall record of 13-14-4, ending a nine-year streak of finishing with a record above .500. The team was ranked fifth in the final ECAC Hockey standings, with a conference record of 11-7-4.

In the second weekend of the regular season, the Tigers hosted fellow ECAC Hockey teams Colgate and No. 2 Cornell. Princeton recorded a win in its first conference game against the Raiders but lost the following day to the Big Red. During fall break, the Tigers were on the road and played three league games, falling to Quinnipiac but rallying to beat Rensselaer and Union. Princeton has five non-conference and 17 ECAC Hockey games left on its schedule.

“The team is looking good so far this year,” junior forward and co-captain Paula Romanchuk said. “Something that we need to work on for the whole year is consistency. We need to expect our best effort and performance every game. Another thing that could use a little more work is our power play. In order to win games, we’re going to have to capitalize on our opportunities.”

Jeff Kampersal ’92 enters his 15th season coaching the women’s team. Commenting on his team’s performance after seven games, Kampersal said, “I am proud of the team’s competitiveness. We all can get better individually and as a team, but the players are battling each practice, each weekend.”

The Tigers have 15 returning players on this year’s roster and welcome five new freshmen to the team.

“The chemistry of the team is great on and off the ice,” Romanchuk said. “We lost a great group of girls in our seniors last year, but our freshmen are stepping up very well and are meshing well with the rest of the team. Chemistry is a huge part of any team, so it’s something we value and believe will help us be successful.”

Kampersal said that despite only having three seniors, “We have a team full of leaders; every one contributes.”

Three of Princeton’s four leading offensive players from last season — Romanchuk, junior forward Danielle DiCesare and sophomore forward Corey Stearns — are back again this year. Six different players have contributed to Princeton’s total of 11 goals this season.

Freshmen forwards Sally Butler, Denna Laing and Olivia Mucha have already emerged as key contributors to the Tigers’ offense.

“All five of our freshmen have made a significant impact,” Kampersal said. “They are smart, they listen, they are learning, and they like to play.”

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Sophomore goalie Cassie Seguin has earned a save percentage of 0.917 with 187 recorded saves. With her experience from last year, Seguin will be more confident behind the net as she helps her team navigate the challenging ECAC Hockey.

“Every game this year is key,” Romanchuk said. “Our league is very competitive, so we need to be ready each and every game for a battle for those two points.”

To contribute to the team’s success, Romanchuk said that her goals are “to be the best teammate I can be on and off the ice. I want to lead through my actions and encourage others to do their best and have pride in what they accomplish.”

The Tigers will take to the ice Friday night at Baker Rink against Dartmouth.