No. 6 Princeton women’s ice hockey (20–7 overall, 15–5–3 Eastern College Athletic Conference) went on an intense two-series streak against Dartmouth (4–20–3, 2–14–3) and Harvard (13–12–3, 7–10–3) this past weekend. While the Tigers claimed their fifth straight overall win against the Big Green, they lost the lead in a heated third period against the Crimson.
Defeating the Big Green
On Friday night against Dartmouth, it was a one-sided matchup, where the Tigers’ offensive pressure enabled them to score several uncontested shots.
The Tigers controlled the puck for all three periods. Coupled with their strong defensive presence, Princeton prevented the Big Green from finding scoring opportunities, allowing Dartmouth with only 17 shots on goal compared to Princeton’s 41.
Just two minutes after the opening buzzer, Dartmouth defender Meredith Jensen, fired a rapid shot with no traffic; however, it was quickly recovered by junior goalkeeper Uma Corniea. Moments after, first-year forward Riley Sorokan responded with an assisted goal, giving the Tigers an early 1–0 lead.
The shot appeared to disrupt Dartmouth’s rhythm as, despite the frequent back-and-forths, Princeton dictated possession of the puck for most of the first period. With less than two minutes remaining, Dartmouth’s Jensen received a minor penalty, giving Princeton a power play. By the end of the period, Princeton’s superiority became clear, doubling Dartmouth in shots on goal.
During the second period, the Big Green returned to full strength and set their sights on scoring their first goal of the game. In an intense one-on-one matchup between a Dartmouth forward and first-year Catie Collins, Dartmouth nearly made this a reality, but the puck was deftly secured by Corniea.
Yet, Dartmouth soon earned another opportunity. Halfway into the second period, sophomore forward Angelina DiGirolamo was penalized, allowing the Big Green to begin their five-on-four power play and a chance to even the score. But just a few minutes later, Big Green forward Cally Dixon was given the same call, putting an abrupt end to their edge. Meanwhile, the Tigers continued to dominate in possession, and their unmatched synergy paved the way for an unassisted goal by senior forward Issy Wunder to give Princeton a 2–0 lead.
A mere 30 seconds later, Wunder capitalized on an open goal off of a rebounded buck to extend the Tiger lead further to 3–0.
“We have worked on being quick in transition all year,” Wunder said to The Daily Princetonian postgame. “I think having an attack mentality is crucial to capitalize when the chances come. Some games you’ll only get one or two grade-A chances, but if everyone is doing their job and in position, then we can take advantage.”
Dartmouth’s struggles were evident on both ends of the ice, as they had yet another power play but continued to run dry. Throughout the entire third period, the Tigers continued forcing turnovers and ended up scoring two more goals before the final buzzer, sweeping the Big Green.
Coupled with Corniea’s timely saves and the team’s coordination, the Tigers were once again able to shut out Dartmouth, extending their win streak once more against the team.
With a blowout victory and heightened team morale, the Orange and Black then travelled to Cambridge for their game against Harvard.
Harvard on the road
Yet, Saturday’s game proved to be a much tougher battle. Despite ranking ninth in the ECAC, the Crimson’s impenetrable defense and impressive goalkeeper Ainsley Tuffy made it difficult for the Tigers to find any open shots.
After several back-and-forth possessions and scoring attempts, sophomore defender Rosie Klein missed a shot from center ice, but the puck was quickly rebounded by senior forward Jane Kuehl to put it home, giving the Tigers a 1–0 lead.
However, a Harvard forward responded immediately, slipping past defenders and finishing with a highlight-reel backhand. Countering immediately, freshman defender Megan Healy fired a shot from the point, allowing Princeton to take a 2–1 lead by the end of the first period.
Combining the Tigers’ pinpoint accuracy with their unbreakable defense, it seemed that they would emerge victorious for a second time.
As the second period began, the Crimson turned up the forecheck, momentarily disrupting the Tiger defense. Their sudden change of tempo ultimately proved fruitful as Harvard blasted the puck through traffic, slipping it right through the five-hole for the goal. The game was tied once again at 2–2.
Without a lead, the Tigers upped their defense and hindered the Crimson from finding a line. Harvard soon followed suit, and with strong defensive plays on both sides, neither team had a clear opportunity to score.
As the third period unfolded, the Tigers had trouble in breaking through Harvard’s goalkeeper Ainsley Tuffy. 1-on-1 shot attempts by Wunder and senior forward Emerson O’Leary were quickly gloved by Tuffy, and any offensive effort seemed futile.
Then, as the Crimson gained possession, forward Ella Lucia capitalized on a feed, snapping a shot right past Corniea. With less than five minutes left of play, the Tigers sought to send the game to overtime.
But despite Crimson defender Bella Finnegan being penalized and the Tigers running a six-on-five play at the end, the Orange and Black failed to convert, handing them an unfortunate loss.
“Harvard played with pace and continued to be a threat on turnovers,” Head Coach Courtney Kessel told the ‘Prince.’ “Their goalie played a great game. We got away from the little details of our game.”
Back at Hobey Baker Rink, Princeton women’s ice hockey will face another league game as they play No. 2-seeded Yale on Friday at 6 p.m.
Andrew Kang is an assistant Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to sports[at]dailyprincetonian.com
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