Nation's top two teams keep w. hockey out of playoffs

An entire season hinged on a single weekend. The women's hockey team was on the bubble, and the Tigers needed only two points to gain a berth to the playoffs.

Those two points, however, had to be gleaned off Eastern College Athletic Conference leaders Brown and Harvard. The second-place Crimson and first-place Bears, however, proved to be too much for the Tigers this weekend, bursting Princeton's bubble.

Harvard (20-4-3 overall, 17-4-3 ECAC) nullified Princeton's offense Friday in a 6-0 shutout, and Brown (21-3-3, 19-2-3) outlasted the Tigers Saturday, 4-2.

Princeton (11-13-5, 9-12-3 ECAC) faced the Crimson first, hoping to come out strong and get the much-needed win. The Tigers played aggressively in the first period, showing a lot of hustle against Harvard. The Crimson had several chances in front of the net, and it finally converted with five minutes, 51 seconds left in the first period. In a crowd in front of the net, Crimson forward Kalen Ingram sent a wrist shot past freshman netminder Sarah Ahlquist to put Harvard in the lead.

Troubles continued for the Tigers heading into the next period. The Crimson extended its lead further, using precise passing and good stick-handling to set up deadly shots. Harvard forward Tracy Cantlin sent the puck flying into the upper left net 4:32 into the period, and Ahlquist was sent sprawling eight minutes later on another Crimson goal.

Three Harvard goals in the final period and an 0-for-3 showing on the power play by the Tigers capped off the dismal Princeton loss.

Last chance

Saturday's game would be the last one at home for senior captain Dani Holtschlag and senior assistant captain Danya Marshman, and the Tigers played like they had something to prove.

The Bears jumped out early to a 2-0 lead in the first period and then scored two more goals midway through the second to make it 4-0. But the Tigers wouldn't give up. Junior defender Annamarie Holmes scored a power-play goal with 4:33 remaining in the second period, and her sister, freshman forward Nikola Holmes, cut the Bears' lead in half with 1:28 remaining in the period.

Ahlquist made 11 saves in the third period to keep Brown from scoring any more goals, but Princeton couldn't add any of its own. The Tigers finished their season ninth in the ECAC.