Women's Hockey: Princeton hosts Quinnipiac in ECAC quarterfinal

In its last 15 games, Princeton has had 13 victories and has scored three or more goals 12 times, and junior goalie Rachel Weber has shut out six opponents.

The Tigers have once again made their way into the ECAC Hockey tournament and are looking to burst out of the first round for the first time in five years. Fourth-seeded Princeton will host fifth-seed Quinnipiac (20-11-3, 12-9-1) in a best-of-three series this weekend at Baker Rink.

The Tigers fought hard to secure home-ice advantage in the first round and hope to maintain the same level of play as they had at home during the regular season into the playoffs. They have dominated at home as of late and have taken eight of their last nine home games, winning by an average of 3.1 goals. The Bobcats, on the other hand, have struggled on the road with a 4-4-1 record in their last nine road games.

The series should be a battle, as the two teams split their meetings this year. The Bobcats overcame a two-goal deficit and blew out the Tigers 5-2 in early November, but Princeton took revenge with a 3-0 victory in early January. With Quinnipiac and Princeton ranked second and third, respectively, in goals allowed, it will be tough to break through either team’s defense.

“We both have strong goalies, and we both have a few very talented forwards,” senior defender and co-captain Sasha Sherry said. “The game will definitely be back and forth. Both teams will be battling to the end.”

Look to the freshmen on both teams to provide the offensive firepower, as they often have throughout the year. Forward Kelly Babstock, Quinnipiac’s freshman sensation and Rookie-of-the-Year finalist, leads the league with 29 goals and is tied for first in assists with 25.

Princeton has a more balanced offensive attack, but its freshman fleet of forwards, Sally Butler, Denna Laing and Olivia Mucha, are the Tigers’ top goal scorers. Butler and Mucha lead the squad with nine goals each while Laing, as well as junior forward and co-captain Paula Romanchuk, follow closely behind with eight.

This season, Princeton has blanked then-No. 5 Boston College 3-0 in Baker Rink and beat then-No. 10 Harvard 3-2 in Cambridge. While they struggled earlier in the year, the Tigers always remained confident in their skills. Princeton has shown that it can compete with the best and simply looks to continue doing what it has been doing on the ice.

“Practices haven’t been much different than they’ve been all season. We don’t need to change our game at all,” Romanchuk said. “We just need to focus on what we’ve been doing right recently, which has made us so successful in the second half of the year. If we stick to our game plan and do what we do well, then it will be a great weekend of hockey.”

It will be the last time that the Tigers’ seniors, defender Laura Martindale, forward Caroline Park, and defender and co-captain Sasha Sherry, compete for Princeton if the Tigers are unable to pull out the series against the Bobcats. The teams hit the ice on Friday at 7 p.m. in Baker Rink.

“Playoffs are always a little more exciting, and hopefully we’ll get a decent crowd at Baker so it should be a great atmosphere,” Romanchuk said.

Check back around game time for our live blog of the playoff action!