Princeton University Athletics
Women's Hockey Draws Two-Time Defending National Champion Minnesota in NCAA Quarterfinals
March 12, 2006 | Women's Ice Hockey
March 12, 2006
PRINCETON - The fifth-ranked Princeton women's hockey team earned the program's first-ever NCAA tournament berth on Sunday night when the selection committee awarded Princeton an at-large berth to the tournament field. The Tigers will visit the team ranked just ahead of them in the national polls, No. 4 Minnesota, the two-time defending National Champion, on Friday night at 7 p.m. Central Time at Minnesota's Ridder Arena.
Princeton is 21-7-4 on the season after falling to Brown 1-0 in the semifinals of the ECAC Hockey League championships on Saturday afternoon at St. Lawrence. Princeton and Minnesota are on the same side of the bracket as the tournament's top seed, No. 1 New Hampshire, who will host ECACHL-tournament champion Harvard in the first round. On the other side of the bracket, second-seeded Wisconsin will host Mercyhurst, while St. Lawrence hosts Minnesota-Duluth. The winners of all four quarterfinal games will meet in the national semifinals on Friday, March 24 at Ridder Arena.
Princeton and Minnesota have met five times with the Golden Gophers holding a 3-1-1 series advantage. The teams have not met since the 1998-99 season when Minnesota won 3-1 in Princeton on Nov. 28. The trip to the Midwest will be Princeton's first trip west of the state of Ohio since Princeton visited St. Cloud in early December of the 2000-01 season. Princeton has traveled to play the Golden Gophers on three times, most recently in December of 1997. Princeton is 1-1-1 all-time against the Gophers on the road.
Princeton and Minnesota have shared three common opponents this season. Princeton split a pair of games in November with Mercyhurst, while Minnesota swept the Lakers in October. The Golden Gophers split four games with Ohio State this season, while Princeton split a series against the Buckeyes early in the season. Lastly, Minnesota swept a series from Brown in November while Princeton was 1-2 in three games against the Bears this season. Be sure to stay tuned to GoPrincetonTigers.com throughout the week for more information on Friday night's game.