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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
No. 4 Harvard
Players Mentioned
Women's Hockey Blanks No. 4 Harvard, 1-0
January 31, 2015 | Women's Ice Hockey
Box Score
PRINCETON, N.J. (1/31/15) - The Princeton Tigers women's hockey team has played some very tough games against nationally-ranked teams in Hobey Baker Rink this season but had yet to win one - until this afternoon.
Junior goalie Kimberly Newell stopped all 32 shots she faced and Tigers' leading goal scorer Molly Contini scored the game's only goal midway through the first period as Princeton shutout Harvard, 1-0, to knock the Crimson out of first place in ECAC Hockey standings.
With the win the sixth-place Tigers remain within three points of securing a home-ice playoff series with three weekends remaining in the season.
Both teams were coming off overtime games the night before as Princeton tied Dartmouth 2-2 while the Crimson won a 2-1 decision at Quinnipiac. The extra time on the legs showed in the first period, with both teams managing just six shots each.
However it would be in that first period that Contini scored the eventual game-winning goal, and it would be all the Tigers needed. It marked Princeton's first win and first shutout of Harvard since the 2012-13 season and first win over a top-5 team this season. Though the Tigers have defeated a ranked team alreayd this season, then-ranked No. 8/6 Cornell in Ithaca in November.
Sophomore Hilary Lloyd stole the puck near the Crimson blue line and entered the zone, dropping a pass to Kelsey Koelzer. The sophomore defender fed a perfect cross-ice pass to Contini in the left face-off circle and the left-handed shooting winger sent a laser high into the net for her 14th goal of the year.
The second period was more of the same as both Newell and Harvard sophomore goalie Brianna Lain played well for their respective teams. Princeton outshot the Crimson, 10-9 in the period but Laing, the younger sister of former Tiger Denna Laing '14, finished with 20 saves for the game.
Princeton controlled play for the first 10 minutes of the third period, aided by two power plays, but could not get an insurance goal.
As expected the Crimson turned up the pressure late in the game, particularly on a late power play when Molly Strabley was sent off for cross checking with 7:29 to play.
Newell recorded three saves as Harvard controlled the puck in the Princeton end for nearly 30 seconds. Along with two block shots, the Tigers were able to keep the Crimson off the board. Newell's biggest save of the game came off a sequence when freshmen Lexie Laing (the third of the Laing sisters) and Karly Heffernan had back-to-back opportunities in the crease.
Harvard had one last opportunity in the closing seconds with the goalie pulled and an extra skater on the ice but Newell made a pad stop against the right post on Kalley Armstong. The Crimson had 17 shots in the third period compared to five for the Tigers.
With the loss Harvard (15-4-2, 12-3-1) slipped back into second in ECAC Hockey, one point behind Quinnipiac, which defeated Dartmouth 3-1 this afternoon.
Princeton (11-10-2, 9-6-1) was 0-4 against teams in the top 5 at Baker this year having lost to Clarkson, Quinnipiac and Minnesota (twice). The Tigers are three points behind Clarkson, St. Lawrence and Cornell, who are in a three-way tie for third between Qunnipiac and Harvard.
In the Ivy League race Harvard is now tied for second with Cornell with 10 points each at 5-2, while Princeton takes over first place at 6-1. All three teams have three Ivy League contests to play.
The Tigers have their fate in their own hands as they play their final home series of the season next weekend against Colgate and Cornell. Princeton then travels to Clarkson and St. Lawrence before wrapping up the season at Brown and Yale.