Women's Hockey: Hosts upset No. 10 Harvard, rank 3rd in ECAC

Just like last year, the women’s ice hockey team did not allow the three-week winter break to cause a slump. Competing in four tough games, the Tigers recorded three ties and one win.

Right before the new year, Princeton (7-9-4 overall, 6-6-2 ECAC Hockey) visited Ohio State for a doubleheader. The teams were even in both games through regulation and overtime, tying 2-2 and 1-1. Back in Baker Rink this weekend, the Tigers hosted conference foes Harvard and Dartmouth. A 3-0 victory over the No. 10 Crimson and a 2-2 tie against the Big Green propelled Princeton into third place in the league’s standings.

Harvard (9-5-1, 6-3-1), ranked 10th nationally heading into this weekend’s game, had its four-game win streak snapped by the Tigers on Friday night. Senior goalie Rachel Weber tallied 20 saves, earning her third shutout of the season. The Tigers outshot the Crimson 26-20 and had a 26-21 advantage on the face-offs.

“We won our face-offs, stayed out of the penalty box and limited giveaways,” sophomore forward Sally Butler said. “[Senior forward] Paula Romanchuk did a great job, winning 13 of 16 draws.”

An early goal by Harvard was disallowed, and the visitors were not able to convert any of their other shots. Princeton regained the momentum with a power-play opportunity in the opening period. The Orange and Black got on the scoreboard at 18 minutes, 32 seconds in the first period when senior forward Heather Landry’s shot rebounded to Butler, who put the puck into the back of the net.

Neither squad added points in the second period, as the Tigers’ defense killed two penalties and limited the Crimson to seven shots.

At 3:06 in the third period, Butler netted another goal, bringing her season total to 11. Just like the first goal, Landry’s shot rebounded out for Butler to collect and score. Harvard committed five penalties in the third period, giving Princeton recurring power-play opportunities. The hosts converted one at 13:26, when senior forward Danielle DiCesare tipped in freshman defender Ali Pankowski’s shot to put the Tigers ahead 3-0. Tough and disciplined defense by Princeton for the remainder of the game secured the shutout.

Saturday afternoon, the Tigers faced off against Dartmouth (8-5-2, 6-3-2) in another important conference game. Though two shots got past her, Weber still put on an impressive performance to help Princeton earn a 2-2 tie. With 39 saves against the Big Green, Weber has a season save percentage of .933, the fourth-best mark in the league. She also leads the ECAC in saves, with 560.

The Tiger squad killed penalties well again on Saturday, preventing the Big Green from scoring on all 10 power plays. Princeton had two leads during the game, but the visitors answered each time.

The first Tiger goal came at the end of the first period. Romanchuk sent a pass from the top of the circle to sophomore defender Gabie Figueroa, who put the puck past Dartmouth goalie Lindsay Holdcroft. The Big Green leveled the score at 1-1 at 17:05 in the second period.

Halfway through the final period, Princeton took the lead again when Pankowski assisted freshman forward Brianna Leahy on a power play. With less than three minutes remaining, however, Dartmouth converted a breakaway to force overtime. Sophomore forward Denna Laing almost clinched a dramatic win for the Tigers, but her shot was saved at the buzzer.

One week earlier, Ohio State and Princeton both entered a two-game series weekend coming off of two straight losses. In the first game, both teams scored on power plays in the second period. Ohio State was on the scoreboard first, converting a rebound within the first minute of the frame. But Figueroa scored her first goal of the season off an assist from DiCesare to tie the game at one. Butler scored Princeton’s second goal at 16:41 to force overtime, but neither team was able to steal a victory. Weber was strong in net, recording 38 saves, including three key overtime stops. Ohio State won a friendly shootout 2-1, but the game was recorded as a tie.

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The next day, the two teams faced off for a second time and again finished with a tie. For the second straight game, Butler scored the equalizing goal for the Tigers. Laing assisted Butler, who converted her own rebound in the second period to tie the game at 1-1. A career-high 44 saves by Weber kept the Tigers in the game, killing two penalties in overtime. This time, Princeton won the friendly shootout 2-0.

“Weber continues to do an amazing job,” Butler said. “Her confident play in net gives us a chance to win every night.”

The Tigers will go back on the road this weekend, facing two more conference rivals, Colgate and Cornell, before taking two weeks off for finals.