Women's Hockey: Sophomores lead team to undefeated ECAC start

The sophomore trio is at it again. Led by sophomore forwards Olivia Mucha, Sally Butler and Denna Laing, the women’s hockey team swept two Ivy League opponents last weekend at Baker Rink to remain undefeated in ECAC Hockey play.

In a close 1-0 victory against Brown on Friday night, Mucha provided the only goal of the evening. On a power play in the second period, she finished a shot by Butler that was assisted by Laing for her third goal of the season.

In a heavily lopsided first period that saw eight shots on goal for Princeton (4-1-1 overall, 3-0-1 ECAC Hockey) and only one Brown attempt, senior goalie Rachel Weber barely saw the puck as the starting defensemen, freshman Brianne Mahoney and senior Charissa Stadnyk, stopped Brown (1-2-2, 0-2-2) from making it to the net.

While the Tigers continued to dominate the shots column, posting a final tally of 39 shots to Brown’s nine, they could not pull out more than one goal. Weber posted her first shutout of the season, however, so the hosts needed no more offense.

Fast forward to Saturday night’s game against Yale (0-7, 0-4), and it was once again a show of sophomore offense backed by a strong performance by Weber. In the first period, Laing scored her first of two goals, with Mucha and Butler both involved in the play again. The Bulldogs never regained their footing, as the second period yielded goals from Mucha, Laing and senior forward Paula Romanchuk, giving the Tigers a 4-0 lead.

In the third period, even more players got in on the scoring action, as junior forward Alex Kinney and freshman defender Ali Pankowski recorded their first goals of the season. Kinney quickly capitalized on a Yale goalie change, scoring on replacement Jaimie Leonoff, who came in for Genny Ladiges after the home team’s fourth goal. Nearly the entire team contributed to the 7-1 win, with goals coming from six different Tigers and assists coming from eight.

“It was especially nice to get a convincing 7-1 win over Yale,” Butler said. “Winning by more than a goal or two helps us build confidence.”

While the Tigers had no trouble scoring on Saturday night, they also had no trouble giving Yale an extra advantage. The Tigers spent a combined 16 minutes in the penalty box, compared to just two for the Bulldogs. The one Yale goal came off of a power play, eliminating Weber’s chance for another shutout.

Princeton is currently averaging 10.67 penalty minutes per game.

“One of the challenges for our team is staying out of the penalty box,” Butler said. “We have an excellent penalty kill unit, but more time spent in the box translates to less time spent in the offensive zone scoring against our opponents.”

With a quick front line, the Tigers want as much time in the offensive zone as they can get.

“Every member on the team has a solid hand in the success of every game,” Laing said. “Our line might have the hot hand right now, but it couldn’t be done without every little thing that comes before it.”

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Butler, Laing and Mucha have scored 11 of the team’s 17 goals this season. Butler and Laing lead Princeton with nine points apiece and Mucha is right behind at seven.

Princeton opened the fall break with a hard-fought weekend in upstate New York, tying Rensselaer 1-1 before beating Union 2-1.

The sophomore stars and the rest of the team will hit the road this weekend to continue ECAC play. The Tigers take on St. Lawrence on Friday night and Clarkson the following afternoon.