Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Cornell
Princeton's ECAC Schedule Heats Up as Tigers Host No. 5 Cornell, No. 4 Colgate
January 04, 2018 | Women's Ice Hockey
| Games 19-20: No. 5 Cornell & No. 4 Colgate at Princeton | |
| Game Times | Friday, Jan. 5 at 6 p.m. l Hobey Baker Rink |
| Saturday, Jan. 6 at 3 p.m. l Hobey Baker Rink | |
| Game Coverage | Live Video l Live Stats |
| Series Info | Princeton leads Cornell 44-35-4 (streak: 1 tie, 2 losses) |
| Princeton leads Colgate 28-9-3 (streak: 1 loss) | |
| Princeton | Roster l Schedule l Stats l |
| Cornell | Roster l Schedule l Stats l @CornellWHockey l 8-4-1, 6-2 ECAC/t-4th |
| Colgate | Roster l Schedule l Stats l @ColgateWIH l 15-3-1, 6-2 ECAC/t-4th |
EYE ON THE TIGERS
Princeton returned from the Christmas break going 1-0-1 against Boston University and are primed to make a run as it returns to league play this weekend. It will be a tough task as the Tigers begin the second-season stretch facing No. 5 Cornell and No. 4 Colgate. Overall Princeton is 5-9-4 and is 4-7-1 in the ECAC. The Tigers swept the ECAC Hockey weekly awards this week with senior captain Kiersten Falck being named Player of the Week, Sarah Verbeek earning Rookie of the Week and the reigning ECAC Goalie of the Year Stephanie Neatby claiming Goalie of the Week. Falck leads the team in points with 12, with 11 coming via assist. Juniors Karlie Lund and Stephanie Sucharda are next on the list with 11 points each. Sophomore Carly Bullock, the ECAC Rookie of the Year, follows up with a team-best nine goals and one helper. In goal, Neatby has a .918 save percentage and a 2.16 GAA.
SCOUTING THE BIG RED
With an 8-4-1 overall record, Cornell is ranked No. 5 in the latest USCHO.com poll. At 6-2 in the ECAC, Cornell and Colgate are both tied for fourth place in the league standings. This will be Cornell's first game in nearly a month, and Princeton looks to take advantage of its idleness. The Big Red split with travel partner Colgate its last time out, back on Dec. 1 & 2. Sophomore Kristin O'Neill sits atop the scoring column with 17 points on six goals and 11 assists. Freshman Madlynne Mills has more goals, a team-high of nine, and adds four assists for 13 points - as the seventh highest scoring freshman in the nation. Two defenders following on the scoring list with Jaime Bourbonnais collecting nine points and Sarah Knee with six. Junior Marlene Boissonnault has started in all 13 games and has a .925 save percentage and a 1.95 goals against average. It's defense and penalty kill are its two keys, with the second best penalty kill in the nation - allowing just four goals on 43 chances - and the fifth best scoring defense, holding teams to 2.00 goals per game.
THE PRINCETON/CORNELL SERIES
Princeton has a 44-35-4 edge in the series with Cornell, though the Big Red took a 3-1 game in Ithaca earlier this year. Cornell is unbeaten in the last three games with Princeton's last win a 5-0 shutout in Feb. 2016.
SCOUTING THE RAIDERS
Colgate is ranked No. 4 in the nation with a 15-3-1 overall record. The played to a 3-3 draw with Robert Morris the last time out on Dec. 9. It's three losses have been St. Lawrence, Minnesota Duluth and Cornell. It's offense is potent with 10 players with more than 10 points each, led by junior Shae Labbe and her 19 points. She has scored 10 times and adds nine assists. Junior Jessie Eldridge adds 19 points, while seniors Shelby Perry and Lauren Wildfang contribute 17 and 16 points respectively with each putting up 14 assists. Overall the team averages 3.68 goals per game, the third best in the nation. It's defense is legit as well, keeping teams to 1.74 goals per game, also third in the nation. The Raiders have a spectacular goaltender tandem in junior Julia Vandyk and sophomore Liz Auby. Vandyk has started in 12 of the team's 12 games and has a .926 save percentage and a 1.83 GAA, while Auby has a 6-1 record with a .924 save percentage and a 1.57 GAA.
THE PRINCETON/COLGATE SERIES
Princeton owns a 28-9-3 edge in the all-time series with Colgate, since the first meeting in 1980. The Raiders took a 2-0 game back on November 3 in Hamilton, N.Y., to halt Princeton's six-game win streak in the series. At home, Princeton is 16-4-1 in the series and has won the four games at Hobey Baker Rink, including a 7-2 game last year.
