Princeton University Athletics
Women's Hockey Visits Harvard and Brown
January 27, 2005 | Women's Ice Hockey
Jan. 27, 2005
Princeton, N.J. - The ninth-ranked Princeton women's hockey team returns from a 20-day break for exams with this weekend's ECAC Hockey League contests at No. 6 Harvard and Brown. The Tigers have games in hand on each team and will look to gain position in the race for home ice in the playoffs. Currently the Tigers sit sixth in the league, six points out of fourth, the final home-ice playoff spot.
Princeton earned a split at No. 5 St. Lawrence and Clarkson in its last two games, but those were played on Jan. 7 and 8, exactly three weekends ago. Harvard, which is also on the same test schedule as Princeton has not played since Jan. 11, while Brown had a two-game series at Minnesota on Jan. 14 and 15. The other team involved in the weekend series is Yale, and the Bulldogs visited Ohio State on the 14th and 15th.
Princeton currently sits sixth in the league standings with nine points. Brown is five points ahead of the Tigers in fifth, but Princeton has three games in hand on the Bears. Princeton will have to climb to fourth in the standings to secure home ice in the playoffs. To do that, Princeton will likely have to catch and pass Yale, which is seven points up with two games in hand. The teams do however meet once late in the season. Princeton enters the game having lost just once in its last nine contests, going 6-1-2 in the span and only allowed an opponent three goals once in that span. The Tiger defense is currently ranked fourth in the nation, allowing just 1.56 goals per game, which outranks all ECAC Hockey League teams. The defense is anchored by junior goaltender Roxanne Gaudiel, who ranks fourth in the nation in save percentage and sixth in goals-against average.
Offensively, the sophomore trio of Laura Watt, Liz Keady and Kim Pearce leads Princeton. Watt leads the team in assists and points, but has dropped back to defense in the wake of injuries to junior defender Chrissie Norwich and senior defender Becky Stewart. Pearce leads the team in goals with 10.
The Tigers begin the weekend Friday night at Harvard. Princeton is 24-30-1 all-time against the Crimson and is 10-17 in games at the Bright Hockey Center. Harvard posted a 3-0 win in the game earlier this season at Baker Rink and has shutout the Tigers in the last two meetings, dating back to last season. Princeton posted a 6-3 win early last season at home.
Harvard is 10-6-1 overall this season and is 9-1 in league games, with the lone loss coming at the hands of Yale. Harvard has won four of five games after a four game skid in late November/early December.
Princeton continues its trip Saturday afternoon with a 4 p.m., face-off at Brown. The Tigers earned a 3-2 win in the season's first meeting between the two teams. Princeton is 24-26-1 all-time against Brown and 13-13-1 at Meehan Auditorium.
Brown is 10-8-1 overall and 7-5 this season. The Bears enter the weekend with one win in their last six contests and that win came at Cornell. Brown lost to Colgate, Harvard and Minnesota twice, and tied Connecticut in that stretch.
Princeton returns to action on home ice next weekend for the first time in almost two months since facing Colgate and Cornell in early December. The Tigers host Clarkson on Friday night and St. Lawrence on Saturday afternoon.