Princeton University Athletics
2000-01 Princeton Women's Ice Hockey Outlook
February 06, 2001 | Women's Ice Hockey
Feb. 6, 2001
As Jeff Kampersal begins his fifth year as coach of the Princeton women's hockey program, he looks forward to the opportunity of leading a team made up entirely of his recruits. Kampersal is excited to coach a team full of players he sought out and brought together-a team he constructed. However, one important piece of the building block will be absent-two-time second-team All-ECAC defender Annamarie Holmes. Holmes was selected to the U.S. national team that will train in Lake Placid for the 2000-01 season.
Although the loss of Holmes will be significant, the Tigers return leading scorer Andrea Kilbourne, also a two-time second-team All-ECAC player. Kilbourne and three other current Tigers were chosen to participate in the 2000 USA Hockey Women's Festival last August. Kilbourne was then selected to play on the U.S. under-22 national Team where she competed in a three-game series in Calgary alongside Holmes. Junior defender Aviva Grumet-Morris, sophomore forward Nikola Holmes, Annamarie's younger sister, and freshman Lisa Rasmussen also represented the Tigers at the festival. Grumet-Morris, Nikola Holmes, Rasmussen and Kilbourne participated in a week-long national-level identification, training and development camp and also were a part of daily practices.
Kampersal would like to see the four players build on their experiences at the festival and create the nucleus for the 2000-01 Tigers.
Despite the national attention on his players, Kampersal has some guarded optimism about the upcoming season.
"Missing the playoffs last year was really disappointing," he says. "With the exception of two games, we bat-tled every time we took the ice, but we just didn't get the job done. This year we will miss Annamarie, but it will give some of our other players an opportunity to raise the level of their game. With added depth due to our talented freshman class and playing with a sense of purpose, we look forward to getting back to the playoffs."
Forwards
The only loss up front is Danya Marshman, who was hurt most of her senior season. Leading the offense will be Kilbourne, who earned All-Ivy first-team and All-ECAC second-team honors last year (18-20-38 points).
Nikola Holmes, all-rookie ECAC in 2000, will also be a strength up front (13-13-26). Abbey Fox, who was fourth on the team is scoring last year (9-15-24), will also have a significant impact after having a sensational junior year.
Princeton will look for leadership from senior forward Lucy Firestone. A smart, reliable player, Firestone plays many roles for the Tigers. Melissa Deland and Jess Fedderly add toughness and speed to the lineup.
Sophomores Melissa Tilney and Laura Kornhauser are two hard-working wingers that provide depth and character. Versatile Sarah Brownlee will be a pivotal player because of her ability to play forward and defense. Kampersal expects a trio of freshmen-Rasmussen, Gretchen Anderson and Susan Hobson-to make an immediate impact on offense.
Rasmussen is a prototypical power forward who uses her strength and long reach to create scoring opportunities. Anderson is a crafty goal scorer with a wealth of skill and talent. Once in scoring position, Anderson knows how to find the back of the net. The Tigers will look to Hobson to add toughness and grit to the lineup. She is a smart player and a good stickhandler.
"With the addition of our freshmen and the improvements our current players have made, we will have a more balanced attack this season," says Kampersal.
Defense
The most noticeable difference this year will be on the blue line. In addition to the loss of Annamarie Holmes, the Tigers will miss three-year captain Dani Holtschlag, one of the more reliable players in Princeton history.
Leading the way on defense will be Grumet-Morris and senior Laura Hays. Grumet-Morris brings toughness and skill to the blue line, while Hays plays with game-sense and heart.
Junior Wanda Mason is the reliable and stabilizing force of the defensive corp. Kampersal hopes to see a healthy Jen Neil return to the lineup after missing her entire freshman year with a shoulder injury.
Freshman Angela Gooldy will be forced to play a major role in the
Tigers defense due to the absence of Holmes. Gooldy is a strong, mobile player with a good shot. Sarah Fox, another newcomer and younger sister of assistant captain Abbey, will look to improve and gain playing time as the season progresses.
Goaltender
The Tigers goaltending situation is strong, as freshman Megan Van Beusekom joins sophomore Sarah Ahlquist, who was a second-team All-Ivy selection last year. Ahlquist had an outstanding rookie season, recording a 2.41 goals-against average-the third lowest single-season mark in Princeton history-and an .888 save percentage while posting three shutouts.
Van Beusekom is a tall, strong, competitive goalie who will push for the starting job right away. She played her midget hockey with the renowned Minnesota Thoroughbreds, along with current Tigers Holmes and Fedderly.