Following a 4–3 victory over Rochester Polytechnic Institute in overtime on Friday, the No. 16 Tigers (3–3 overall, 3–1–1 Eastern College Athletic Conference) faced off on the ice against the No. 29 Union College Chargers (4–6–2 overall, 0–4–0 ECAC) at Baker Rink.
After losing their first two games of the season to the University of Connecticut, Princeton started off conference play strong with a victory against Brown, only to fall 3–4 to Yale in a nail-biting showdown that stretched into overtime.
Fresh from Friday’s success, the Tigers played fast and furious in the first period, responding swiftly to each of Union’s plays as the Chargers kept them on the defensive. Five minutes into the first half, Princeton received a penalty for having too many players on the ice, allowing Union to begin a power play. Junior goalkeeper Uma Corniea worked to block shots and turn the puck around, making four saves in a row before the play ended.
“I think we took away the positives from yesterday, but obviously, every point matters in our league, and I think we take that seriously, so we definitely brought some more urgency today to try and put [Union] away early,” senior forward and captain Issy Wunder told The Daily Princetonian after the game.
That sense of urgency was visible on the ice as the clock ticked down. With five minutes left in the first period, the Tigers kept the puck in possession by Union’s goal, intercepting the Chargers’ attempts to turn play back down the ice and taking eight shots on goal. However, a penalty on first-year forward Riley Sorokan resulted in another power play for Union, putting the pressure once again on Corniea, who managed to keep the goal clear throughout the rest of the half, which ended 0–0.
The Tigers didn’t let the game remain scoreless very long, with Wunder taking a shot on goal less than a minute in, only to convert the rebound into a swift assist to sophomore forward Mackenzie Alexander. She scored Princeton’s first goal of the game.
“We like burying rebounds and playing three games, so I think that's what was really important, putting pucks in the net and attacking,” Alexander told the ‘Prince.’
Union won the next faceoff, but just a few seconds later, the Tigers intercepted the puck with Sorokan. First-year defender Catie Collins passed it back up the ice to sophomore forward Hannah Fetterolf. She scored, bringing the count to 2–0 Princeton.
“We’re trying to be faster with our puck movement every game,” Wunder told the ‘Prince.’ “As we get more and more chemistry with the [defense], with the forwards, the faster we can move those pucks, the faster we can score.”
The Chargers responded by turning the action on the ice back down towards Princeton’s goal. They scored before the first five minutes of the period were up. Both teams jockeyed to maintain possession as play moved rapidly across the ice. Corniea blocked two shots from Union. First-year and sophomore defenders Megan Healy and Brooklyn Nimegeers each took a shot against the Chargers.
Halfway through the period, Princeton once again intercepted the puck after Union won a faceoff and turned it into a goal. First-year defender Ellie Dimatos turned possession around, swiftly passing the puck to Fetterolf. She whipped it to junior defender Gabby Kim to send it straight into the net. The Tigers led 3–1.
“We speak about quick transitions a lot,” Alexander said in a post-game interview. “So we want to look for the cross ice pass and it works; quick transitions are really important.”
Kim brought Princeton to a strong two goal lead, but with half a period to go, the Tigers couldn’t get comfortable. They took several more shots on goal, with sophomore defender Rosie Klein taking two shots in a row.
Union began to regain momentum and took several shots on Princeton’s goal. However, they received a penalty for holding, which allowed the Tigers to begin a power play. Klein and Alexander both attempted shots against the Chargers, but both were blocked. Still, the Tigers didn’t falter in their offensive push. Klein took the puck up the ice to Wunder, who swiftly spun it toward Alexander for her second goal of the game.
“We grew up together, [and] we[’ve] known each other for a while, so we have some good chemistry. I think, being on the same line, we always tend to look for each other,” Alexander said. “Izzy is really good at getting into good spots, and feeding me [the puck] and vice versa.”
The Tigers received a penalty shortly after their power play ended, giving the Chargers an opportunity to begin a push of their own. Union took three shots that Fetterolf and junior defender Teja Gatfield helped block. The period concluded with Princeton up 4–1.
Union won the faceoff at the top of the third, final period and immediately took the action toward Princeton’s goal. Shortly after, Union earned another power play and converted the opportunity to their second and final goal of the game, making the score 4–2 Tigers.
Princeton wrapped the game up soon after. Gatfield sent the puck to first-year forward Sawyer Fleming, who scored her first goal of the season. The Tigers led 5–2, which they maintained for the rest of the game.
“I think it meant a lot to put a few pucks in the net,” Alexander said to the ‘Prince.’ “[It] makes us feel more confident going into a big weekend against Clarkson and St. Lawrence.”
The Tigers have another set of back-to-back home games at Baker Rink at the end of the week, where they will play No. 8 Clarkson on Nov. 7 and No. 9 St. Lawrence on Nov. 8, respectively.
Leela Hensler is a staff news writer and contributing sports writer for the ‘Prince’ from Berkeley, Calif.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
Read More
In April, USG offered the U. a proposal on upperclass dining. They were surprised instead.
Kian Petlin and Gray CollinsOver the summer, USG members attempted to meet with University Services to discuss their proposal as well as a major report by the Huron Consulting Group on the state of campus dining. In August, the University abruptly cancelled.
Over the summer, USG members attempted to meet with University Services to discuss their proposal as well as a major report by the Huron Consulting Group on the state of campus dining. In August, the University abruptly cancelled.
Future Humanities Institute to weigh HUM sequence expansion, hoping to be hedge against budget pressures
Aitana CamponovoPrinceton’s Humanities Initiative plans to establish the Humanities Institute in Fall 2027, which will expand the study of humanities for undergraduates.
Princeton’s Humanities Initiative plans to establish the Humanities Institute in Fall 2027, which will expand the study of humanities for undergraduates.
New Jersey facing ‘existential’ election, Sherrill’s number two Dale Caldwell ’82 says
Luke GrippoThe Daily Princetonian sits down for an interview with Democratic Lt. Gov. candidate Dale Caldwell '84 on the eve of the New Jersey governor’s election.
The Daily Princetonian sits down for an interview with Democratic Lt. Gov. candidate Dale Caldwell '84 on the eve of the New Jersey governor’s election.