Princeton University Athletics
No. 7 Women's Hockey Faces Ivy Rivals Yale and Brown This Weekend
January 05, 2006 | Women's Ice Hockey
Jan. 5, 2006
PRINCETON - The seventh-ranked Princeton women's hockey team hits the road for the first time in nearly two months when it visits Ivy and ECACHL rivals Yale and Brown this weekend. Princeton enters the weekend fourth in the league standings, but stands just one point out of first place in the league standings.
Gametracker livestats will be available for both games. The puck drops for Friday's game at Yale at 7 p.m., while Saturday's at Brown game is slated for 4 p.m.
The Tigers (9-4-3, 5-1-1 ECACHL) are ranked seventh in both national polls. The team last played on Monday night when it had its six-game unbeaten streak snapped with a 2-1 non-league loss at home to Providence. Princeton outshot the Friars 31-19 in the game, but were held at bay by Providence goaltender Jana Bugden after the Friars took a 2-1 lead midway through the third period.
The game begins a seven-game stretch away from Baker Rink for the Tigers, who next play at home on Feb. 10. In the span, the Tigers play league games this weekend at Yale and Brown, and league games next weekend at Colgate and Cornell before taking 17 days off during Princeton's exam break. Princeton resumes play at Quinnipiac on Jan. 31 and has a league weekend at St. Lawrence and Clarkson before returning home.
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. Yale and Brown are both tied for seventh in the league standings with two wins and a tie. Yale is 4-7-2 overall while Brown is 4-7-1.
The Tigers are 45-8-1 all-time against Yale, including a 21-4-1 record in games played in New Haven, Conn. Despite the lopsided all-time series numbers, Yale has had the upper hand over the last few years, winning the last eight games, including four last season, two during the regular season and two in the playoffs. Yale is currently 4-7-2 on the season and enters the weekend with a win in its last game, 3-2 on Monday at Boston College. The game was Yale's first in more than a month dating back to a sweep at the hands of Mercyhurst the first weekend of Mercyhurst. Yale also has wins this season against Cornell, Harvard and Niagara.
Princeton is 26-25-1 all-time against Brown and is 14-13-1 all-time at Brown. Princeton swept the season series with Brown last season, defeating the Bears 3-2 at home in November and 4-3 in Providence in January. Junior Kim Pearce scored the game winner in the 4-3 win while junior Laura Watt scored the go-ahead goal in the 3-2 win.
Brown is 4-7-1 this season but hasn't faced an opponent since Dec. 6 when it shutout Connecticut 1-0 for its fourth win. Brown had lost the previous three games it played, falling to Niagara, Providence and Northeastern. Brown has additional wins this season over New Hampshire, Cornell and Dartmouth.
Princeton closes its intercession schedule next weekend at Cornell and Colgate, both of which the Tigers beat earlier this season at home.