Ranked opponents continue to be kryptonite for Princeton women’s hockey.
The Tigers (8–9–4 overall, 6–6–2 ECAC) lost a hard-fought game Friday night against visiting No. 9 Colgate (20–5–1, 10–3–1) by a score of 3–1. The game dropped the Tigers to just 1–6–1 against ranked teams this season. Sophomore forward Annie Kuehl scored the lone goal for the Tigers, while senior goalie Rachel McQuigge stopped 34/37 shots that she faced. Eleri MacKay, Rosy Demers (power play), and Kalty Kaltounkova (empty net) scored for the Colgate Raiders, while goalie Kayle Osborne stopped 13/14 shots.
Colgate got off to a fast start when MacKay put one past Princeton’s McQuigge off of a feed from junior forward Darcie Lappan three minutes into the first period for a 1–0 lead. The score would stay that way for the remainder of the period, with McQuigge keeping her team in the game with a number of saves.
The Tigers would tie the game up in the second period after a flurry of penalties, when Annie Kuehl deflected a shot from sophomore defender Stef Wallace to knot the game at 1–1. First-year defender Dominique Cormier also picked up an assist on the play. The game did not stay tied for long, however, as Demers roofed a powerplay goal for Colgate after a Tiger penalty to make the game 2–1.
The third period was a physical battle, and neither team gave up a great chance for a fourth goal. The Tigers pulled the goalie for a sixth skater with a little over a minute left, but were stymied by the Raiders. With 23 seconds left, Kaltounkova buried an empty-netter to make it 3–1 and sealed the game for Colgate.
The Tigers begin a long string of road games on Feb. 1 at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (9–16, 5–10), before coming home on Feb. 18 against Brown (4–17–12, 4–11–1). Out of their remaining opponents, four of Princeton’s final eight games will be against teams currently below them in the ECAC standings, giving them a solid chance to turn things around before the season ends.
Ben Burns is an Associate Sports Editor at the 'Prince' who typically covers basketball, hockey, and soccer. He can be reached at bwburns@princeton.edu.