Princeton University Athletics
2001-02 Women's Ice Hockey Outlook
January 02, 2002 | Women's Ice Hockey
Last season was a mix of success and frustration for the Tigers, who had only three seniors on the roster. Princeton was a young team that competed hard every game and enjoyed a successful season despite suffering a series of one-goal losses. This year the battle-tested Tigers look to build upon some of the big wins of last season and bring an added resiliency to the ice.
This season experience will be the key. When Princeton takes the ice it will be a hungry, veteran-laden team, bolstered by the addition of five freshmen, and focused on winning. Princeton will have great leadership in place with four seasoned veterans in the senior class, all of whom are important contributors for the Tigers.
But one of the key components of this team will be missing. By far the biggest challenge for the Orange and Black this season will be to overcome the loss of Andrea Kilbourne, the team's leading scorer each of the past three seasons. Kilbourne and Tiger teammate Annamarie Holmes were named to the 25-player roster of the 2001-02 USA Hockey women's national team and will each take the academic year off. They were also teammates on the 2000 U.S. under-22 national team. Holmes left Princeton at the end of her junior year in 1999-2000 to join the 2000-01 national team. Over the past three years Kilbourne has continued to assert her place among the nation's elite. She was a three-time second-team All-ECAC selection and was a top-10 candidate for the 2001 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award.
The Tigers must face the fact that they will be without two top players for the upcoming season, but that is the reality of an Olympic year. A number of teams will be missing key players and that could make a difference in how the season unfolds for some programs.
Absent players will not be the only difference in the college hockey landscape this season. Four teams have been added to the ECAC Division I women's ice hockey league, and those additions have forced an alteration in the layout of the ECAC. Colgate and Vermont will join the league after a jump from the Division III ranks, while Connecticut and Quinnipiac will be in their first seasons at the varsity level. In 2000-01 the ECAC Division I league was made up of 13 teams, which meant that each of those teams had to play a demanding 24-game conference schedule. With the recent additions, the 17-team conference has now been separated into divisions of nine and eight teams respectively. Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, St. Lawrence and Yale join Colgate and Vermont in the group of nine. The group of eight contains Boston College, Maine, New Hampshire, Niagara, Northeastern, Providence, Connecticut and Quinnipiac.
"With the split in the ECAC the league has a new look," said coach Jeff Kampersal. "Last year's 24-game conference schedule was really intense since every game was important. This year the games will still be important, but different. We will have only 16 league games, and will be facing some new teams and traveling to new buildings. But we are still going to be able to keep up our rivalries with teams like Providence, New Hampshire, Boston College and Maine. Nonetheless, our team will be ready no matter who we play."
Forwards
returning - 7
lost - 4
newcomers - 4
Princeton lost Abbey Fox (10g, 21a), the team's second-leading scorer, and Lucy Firestone (1g, 4a) to graduation, but the biggest void will left by the departure of Kilbourne, who was expected to dominate opponents this season. Kilbourne, who had a hand in 65% of the Orange and Black's total offense last season, will leave a lot of room for the forward lines to step up and make significant offensive contributions this season to offset those losses.
Despite a slow start last year, sophomore Gretchen Anderson went on a tear and ended up having a great first season for the Tigers. Anderson finished third on Princeton's scoring charts with 25 points (13g, 12a), including five multiple-point games, and was named to the ECAC all-rookie squad. Anderson also participated in the 2001 18 & 19 U.S. Development Camp.
Junior Nikola Holmes, a member of the 1999 U.S. under-22 team, finished fifth on the team in scoring with 12 points (6g, 6a) and should have a significant impact this winter. In the 1999-2000 season Holmes was selected to the ECAC all-rookie team.
Senior co-captain Melissa Deland and classmate Jessica Fedderly will be looked to for toughness and leadership up front. Deland's strength is her aggressive forechecking, and Fedderly, who is an assistant captain this year, is a very reliable forward defensively who also scored some big goals last season. Lisa Rasmussen and Susan Hobson, both sophomores, had strong first-year campaigns and should be key cogs in Princeton's offense. Hobson brings grit to the Tiger lineup. Rasmussen participated in the 2000 U.S. National Team Festival and the 2001 18 & 19 U.S. Development Camp and is considered one of the better American-born players in her age group.
Sophomore Sarah Fox is a hard-working winger who brings depth and character to the forward lines.
Kampersal expects the incoming freshmen to contribute to the offense right away.
Two members of the rookie class, Eliza Golden and Briana Bennett will provide more depth. Golden, a 18 & 19 U.S. Development Camp attendee, played her junior hockey with the Polar Bears, a midget team that has won several national championships. Bennett's older brother Dave is a senior on the men's team.
Becky Stewart and April Brown also will jump into the lineup. Stewart is an outstanding skater, who can play both forward and defense extremely well, possesses great vision and has the ability to finish around the net. Stewart gained valuable experience by participating in the 2000 U.S. National Festival as well as the 2001 18 & 19 U.S. Development Camp. Brown is another extremely tough competitor who has the ability to skate at any position. She has stickhandling skills and can shoot with power.
Defense
returning - 3
lost - 2
newcomers - 1
The defense lost Laura Hayes to graduation, but senior co-captain Aviva Grumet-Morris will be back to anchor the blue line this season. Grumet-Morris, a 2000 U.S. National Festival participant, was an honorable mention All-ECAC and second-team All-Ivy selection in 2000-01 after she finished seventh among conference defensemen in scoring and fourth on the Tigers scoring charts with 19 points (4g, 15a). She possesses a deadly shot from the point that produced all four of her goals, with each coming when the Tigers were skating with a man-advantage.
Senior assistant captain Wanda Mason is the reliable and stabilizing force of the defensive corps and will help lead that unit. Mason's ability to make smart plays is an asset to the Tigers. Sophomore Angela Gooldy played a major role in the defensive scheme last season and will be expected to do so again. Gooldy has strength, a powerful shot and has the ability to be a dominant defenseman.
The Tigers will look to incoming freshman Katherine Maglione, whose older brother Matt is a blueliner for the men's team, to fill the hole left by Hayes. Maglione, who has participated in the USA Hockey Junior Development Program over the past three years, is a solid offensive and defensive defenseman, who is extremely tough in the corners and in front of the net. She has the ability to move the puck well and possesses the mobility to join the rush when necessary.
Goal
returning - 2
lost - 0
newcomers - 0
Princeton will have an outstanding 1-2 combination between the pipes this season. Junior Sarah Ahlquist and sophomore Megan Van Beusekom split the netminding duties last year and pushed each other for time all season. Ahlquist finished the season with a .903 save percentage, a 1.91 goals-against average and a 9-3-0 record. Although her record was 4-10-3, Van Beusekom had an outstanding freshman year. She made 19 appearances and finished the season with a .906 save percentage and a 2.59 goals-against average. Ahlquist and Van Beusekom should remain competitive, which will only benefit the Tigers.