Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Rensselaer
.png&width=84&height=84&quality=100&type=webp)
Players Mentioned
Keady's OT Tally Sends Women's Hockey To Third Straight Win
February 01, 2008 | Women's Ice Hockey
A game the Princeton women's hockey team seemed to have control of fell apart in a blur of empty-net goals. One much-needed point in the ECAC standings, and potentially two, were hanging in the balance, and a fired-up Rensselaer squad was ready to build on its late-game momentum. Captain Lizzie Keady would have none of it, though. Her overtime wrister found the back of the net and sent the Tigers to a 4-3 overtime win Friday night at Baker Rink.
The win improved Princeton to 10-8-4, 8-6-1 in the ECAC, while Rensselaer fell to 11-11-4, 4-8-3. Princeton remained in fifth place in the league, and head coach Jeff Kampersal knows that every point from here on out is crucial.
"It would have been devastating if we let a point get away," he said afterwards. "Six teams could finish anywhere from fourth to ninth this year. We'd certainly like to finish as high as we can, but we definitely don't want to be on the outside looking in."
The two points seemed assured when Princeton scored twice in the third period to build a 3-1 lead. Junior Christine Foster knocked in her own saved shot for a 2-1 lead 9:27 into the third period, and Keady took a pass from Marykate Oakley behind the goal and fired in her seventh goal of the season.
A desperate Rensselaer team pulled its goal following a timeout with less than two minutes remaining, and the Engineers threw everything at Princeton goalie Kristen Young. A shot from the point was deflected in by Melanie Guillemette at 18:41, cutting the deficit in half and inspiring and already-excited Rensselaer team. Seventeen seconds later, Nicole McDonald rebounded a shot from Jamie-Lynn Stewart to even the score at 3 and stun the Baker Rink crowd. The score would remain that way through the final 62 seconds of the period, and Princeton got a chance to regroup before overtime.
"We were maybe a little shell-shocked, but we weren't down," Kampersal said. "They were upset at what happened, and they were ready to get back at it."
Princeton's overtime starters were on the ice more than a minute before overtime began, and their energy was felt immediately. The Engineers managed one shot on goal, which Young turned away with a shoulder save, and Keady scored the game winner through traffic with a wrister from the left circle.
Princeton held a 1-0 lead after one period, thanks to a power-play goal by Annie Greenwood 13:12 into the period. Rensselaer scored one in the second period, as Kendra Dunlop evened the score with her eighth goal of the season.
Princeton, which will host Union Saturday at 4 p.m., outshot Rensselaer 24-22 and converted on one of its two power plays. The Engineers, who held a 38-27 faceoff edge, was 0-for-3 on the power play.