Princeton University Athletics
Fifth-Ranked Women's Hockey Team Travels to Union
February 16, 2006 | Women's Ice Hockey
Feb. 16, 2006
PRINCETON - The fifth-ranked Princeton women's hockey team makes its final road trip of the 2005-06 regular season this weekend as it heads to the Albany area for two games at Union. Princeton is 4-0 all-time against Union and two wins this weekend would put the Tigers in excellent shape for a top-two seed when the ECAC Tournament begins in three weekends.
The Tigers (15-6-4, 11-3-2 ECACHL) climbed to fifth in the USCHO.com poll after last weekend's decisive sweep of Harvard and Dartmouth. It marked the first time that Princeton has ever been ranked that high in either national poll. The Tigers remained sixth in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll.
Princeton scored 13 goals last weekend to defeat Harvard 6-1 and Dartmouth 7-2 in games played at Baker Rink. The 13 goals equaled Princeton's previous high for goals in a weekend as Princeton also netted 13 when Cornell and Colgate visited Princeton in early December. The wins pushed Princeton's win streak to three games and the Tigers have now won six of seven games, with the lone loss coming on the road to the nation's second-ranked team, St. Lawrence.
Princeton started the weekend with a 6-1 win against Harvard. Sophomore Brittany Salmon started things with a goal in the first period and eventual game winner in the second period. Sophomore Marykate Oakley scored two goals and had an assist in the game, while senior co-captain Heather Jackson added three assists. Senior netminder Roxanne Gaudiel made 15 saves for the win in a game in which Princeton held a 49-16 shot advantage.
The following day Princeton scored three goals in a 4:07 span of the first period to jump on Dartmouth 3-0 and never looked back. Freshman Annie Greenwood had two goals and an assist in the game, while junior Dina McCumber added three helpers. Gaudiel made nine saves. Two Tigers received weekly honors for their performances. Oakley was named the league's player of the week for her three goal-one assist weekend, while Greenwood was named USCHO's player of the week, also with three goals and an assist.
With the weekend results, Princeton took over sole possession of second in the league standings. The Tigers sit two points behind first-place St. Lawrence with each team having four games left. Princeton is two points ahead of third-place Clarkson, which has a single-point edge on fourth-place Brown.
All eight playoff teams have been decided, but no team has clinched a single position, or home or road ice. Princeton can finish anywhere from first through seventh. The other teams are St. Lawrence (1-6), Clarkson (1-8), Brown (1-8), Harvard (1-8), Colgate (2-8), Yale (1-8) and Dartmouth (3-8). Cornell, Quinnipiac and Union will miss the league playoffs.
After these two games away from home, the Tiger close out the regular season next weekend at Baker Rink against Brown and Yale. Princeton's trip to Southern New England to play the pair in early January was the only weekend this season that Princeton did not win at least one game.
Princeton is 4-0-0 all-time against Union and is 2-0-0 all-time at Union's Achilles Center. Princeton has outscored Union 33-4 in the four meetings, winning by scores of 9-1 and 9-2 last season at home.
Union is 3-20-1 overall this season and 0-16 in league play. The Dutchwomen have dropped their last eight games after defeating Robert Morris 3-2 in overtime on Jan. 15. Last weekend Union was swept at Yale.
Following the Union games, Princeton closes out the regular season at home next weekend with Brown and Yale.