Princeton University Athletics
Women's Hockey Returns to Action With Monday Night Game
December 31, 2005 | Women's Ice Hockey
Dec. 31, 2005
PRINCETON, N.J. - The seventh-ranked Princeton women's hockey team returns from a 22-day layoff to face Providence on Monday night at Baker Rink. The Tigers enter the game unbeaten in their last six games, the second-longest current streak in the nation. The game concludes Princeton's 10-game homestand.
Gametracker livestats will be available for the game, which begins at 7 p.m. Links can be found on the Princeton women's hockey schedule page.
The Tigers (9-3-3, 5-1-1 ECACHL) enter Monday's game ranked seventh in both national polls. Providence was listed in the others receiving votes category in both polls.
The game is Princeton's final non-conference game of the 2005-06 season. Princeton is 4-2-2 in non-league games to this point. Princeton's current six game unbeaten streak includes three non-league games, wins over No. 6 Mercyhurst and Wayne State, and also a tie against Wayne State. Providence will be the third Hockey East opponent for Princeton this season. The Tigers tied Boston College and defeated Vermont in the opening weekend of the season.
Princeton is currently fourth in the ECAC Hockey league standings, a single point behind a three-way tie for first between Clarkson, St. Lawrence and Harvard, although Princeton has a game-in-hand on Clarkson and St. Lawrence, and two on Harvard. Princeton has a two-point buffer between it and fifth-place Colgate.
Providence is currently the first-place team in Hockey East, a point ahead of No. 2 New Hampshire and two points ahead of Boston College. The Friars are 9-6-2 overall and 6-2-1 in Hockey East. PC is 2-4 away from home and has won once in its last four outings, a 4-2 win at Boston College on Dec. 4. Providence dropped its last game, 2-1 to Dartmouth, on Dec. 10, and enters tonight's game with the same layoff as Princeton.
Providence and Princeton have faced six common opponents this season. Princeton is 4-1-2 in game against those teams while Providence is 3-4-1. The teams record against each team is listed in parentheses: Boston College (PC: 1-0, PU: 0-0-1), Clarkson (PC: 0-1, PU: 1-0), Colgate (PC: 1-0-1, PU: 1-0), Dartmouth (PC: 0-1, PU: 1-0), Harvard (PC: 0-1, PU: 0-1), St. Lawrence (PC: 0-1, PU: 0-0-1) and Vermont (PC: 1-0, PU: 1-0). Princeton is 8-42-4 all-time against Providence, but has been chipping away at Providence's lead in the series over the past few years. Princeton is unbeaten in eight-straight with the Friars (4-0-4) dating back to a 4-4 tie early in the 2000-01 season.
Last season the teams played a two-game series to start the season that resulted in a 4-4 tie and a 4-1 Princeton win. In the tie game, Kim Pearce gave Princeton a 1-0 lead after one period, but after Providence went ahead 2-1, Pearce scored to make it 2-2. Then in the third, Providence scored twice more to make the score 4-2, but Pearce answered twice more, including an extra-attacker goal with 34 seconds remaining to forge the 4-4 tie. The next afternoon, Allison Ralph scored the game winner midway through the first in a 4-1 win. Liz Keady scored two goals in the win and Dina McCumber added one.
After Monday's game, Princeton plays only league games through the end of the season. The Tigers are on the road for the next seven games, including four during intercession. Princeton travels to Yale and Brown this coming weekend.