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Weber Saves 37, Leads Women's Hockey To 4-0 Shutout Victory
January 29, 2011 | Women's Ice Hockey
With the cheesehead insignia painted on the back of her goaltending mask, there is little doubt who Hudson, Wis., native Rachel Weber will be rooting for on Super Sunday. If the Green Bay Packers can defend nearly as well as Princeton's junior goaltender did Saturday night, they'll be celebrating a fourth Super Bowl title.
Weber was simply brilliant in Princeton's first game back from the exam break, recording 37 saves in a 4-0 home victory over St. Lawrence. The score barely tells the story of a game that St. Lawrence controlled for long periods of play and ended with a 37-27 advantage in shots. Weber was up for the challenge, turning away all 37 shots for her ninth win of the season.
Princeton didn't put the game away until it scored twice in the final 80 seconds, including an empty-net goal by Olivia Mucha and a late breakaway by Heather Landry. It was Landry's second goal of the game; her first came on a deflection in front of the net with 7:45 remaining in the game that finally gave the Tigers some breathing room.
After a scoreless first period, St. Lawrence appeared ready to take the lead midway through the second. The Saints took three shots, including two at point-blank range, but Weber found a way to block all three. Princeton finally got the puck out of its own end, gained possession on the offensive end and shocked the Saints with a blue-line blast from Charissa Stadnyk. The line drive flew over the left shoulder of St. Lawrence goaltender Maxie Weisz, who likely was screened by a couple of Tigers in front of the net, and just under the crossbar for Stadnyk's first goal of the season.
That score breathed new life into the Tigers, who seemed to shake the rust of a three-week layoff away during the second period. St. Lawrence came out re-energized in the third and outshot Princeton 13-7, but Weber and the Tiger defense kept the shutout intact. After one particularly long stretch in the Princeton defensive zone that ended with an icing, Tiger head coach Jeff Kampersal took a timeout to give his defense a chance to get off the ice. That helped stymie another Saints' push, and when Landry tipped a low blast from Danielle DiCesare into the net, Princeton finally established control of a hard-fought win.
Princeton will look for the weekend sweep Saturday at 4 when it hosts Clarkson.