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Princeton University
No. 9 Cornell
Players Mentioned
Late Goal Lifts Princeton to 3-2 Win over No. 9 Cornell on Senior Day
February 07, 2015 | Women's Ice Hockey
Box Score
PRINCETON, N. J. (2/7/15) - With Princeton currently sitting in sixth place and two weekends remaining in the ECAC Hockey schedule there is a chance that this afternoon's game with Cornell could be the last one ever at Hobey Baker Rink for the Tigers' four seniors.
If that is the case it was a game they will not likely soon forget.
Senior defender Ali Pankowski tied the game with a blast from the point midway through the third and sophomore Hilary Lloyd scored the game-winning goal on the power play after rush by sophomore defender Kelsey Koelzer with 1:19 to play as the Tigers (13-10-2, 11-6-1) came from behind to defeat No. 9 Cornell, 3-2.
Princeton junior Kimberly Newell stopped 38 of 41 shots from the Big Red (14-8-3, 12-4-2 ECAC) for her third straight win.
One of four teams fighting for the top spot in a heated ECAC race, the Big Red came out flying in the first period, outshooting Princeton, 13-4. The only goal of the period came with 6:28 left and Cornell on the power play. Emily Fulton took a snap shot from the top of the right circle that caromed off a Princeton defender's leg and into the net.
The two teams would take turns dominating the action in the second period but both Newell and Cornell's Paula Voorheis, who finished with 30 saves, continually came up big.
The Tigers would finally get on the board with 3:28 left in the middle period when sophomore Cassidy Tucker scored her third goal of the season from in front of the Big Red net.
With the score tied 1-1 the Tigers took a penalty with 29 seconds left in the second period and Cornell would make them pay for it.
Princeton center Jaimie McDonell had two shorthanded chances in the opening seconds of the third, with Voorheis making a save on the first chance and the second shot going just wide, and Cornell quickly moved the puck up ice.
Jillian Saulnier's initial shot was wide but after retrieving the puck in the right corner she sent a cross ice pass to Brianne Jenner who found a wide open Fulton in the high slot and the senior blasted a shot for her second goal of the game and 19th of the season.
The score would remain 2-1 until Pankowski's goal with 11:33 to play.
Following a blocked shot by Koelzer the Tigers top line of Molly Contini, Lloyd and McDonnell moved the puck into the Cornell end. Contini passed the puck deep to Lloyd who found Pankowski at the right point and the senior unloaded a cannon shot through a maze of bodies and into the Cornell net.
The Big Red received their fifth power play of the night with 7:23 left but Princeton managed to kill the player advantage, getting two short-handed opportunities and then getting two big saves by Newell against Cornell's Cassandra Poudrier.
Princeton, after failing to score on its first four power plays, would make things count on its final chance.
With Poudrier sent off for tripping with 2:43 to play the Tigers turned up the heat but Voorheis was up to the challenge, making five saves, and it looked like the game was headed to overtime.
With time dwindling down on the power play Koelzer captured the puck just above the circle in her own zone and after battling her way past two Cornell defenders drove down the left wing boards and into the Big Red end. Feigning a shot to pull the goalie towards her she found Lloyd all alone and the sophomore connected for her fifth goal of the year. The assist was Koelzer's team-leading 18th of the season.
With the win Princeton increased its hold on the sixth spot in the standings over Dartmouth but the Tigers continue to face an uphill battle to earn a home playoff spot as the other four teams ahead of the Tigers - Harvard, Quinnipiac, Clarkson, and St. Lawrence - all won today.
With four games left Princeton is two points behind St. Lawrence for the fifth-place spot and three points behind fourth-place Cornell. The Tigers hold a tiebreaker edge on Cornell after sweeping the two-game season series but would have to pass both the Big Red and the Saints to earn a home playoff series.
The Tigers are in the thick of things in the six-team Ivy League race. With today's 7-1 win over Brown and a win over Yale last night Harvard is currently in first place with 14 points and has one game remaining against third-place Cornell. The Tigers are in second with 13 points and have two Ivy games remaining against fifth-place Yale and sixth-place Brown. Third-place Cornell has 10 points and two Ivy games left - next Friday's game against Harvard and then a game with fourth-place Dartmouth the following night. Both of those games are home games for the Big Red.
Princeton travels north to Clarkson and St. Lawrence next weekend before concluding the regular season at Brown and Yale the following weekend.