The Princeton women’s ice hockey team (4–4 overall, 2–4 Ivy League) secured its first conference win of the season with a 5–3 victory over Harvard (2–4, 2–1), and followed up the win with a road victory over Dartmouth (0–8, 0–6). After losing four consecutive games, the weekend sweep was a much needed reprieve for the Tigers to get the season back on track.
Kuehl and O’Leary lead Tigers over Crimson, 5–3
Just under three minutes into the first period on Friday, junior forward Jane Kuehl put Princeton on the board by catching Harvard’s defense off guard. After four consecutive shot attempts, Kuehl managed to light the lamp. The Tigers controlled the puck for most of the opening period, limiting Harvard’s offensive opportunities. Senior goalie Jennifer Olnowich made three key saves to keep the Crimson scoreless for the first period.
The second period saw Princeton capitalize on a power play less than a minute in. Harvard was penalized for tripping, giving Princeton the early man advantage. The Tigers wasted no time, as junior forward Emerson O’Leary extended the lead to 2–0, scoring on the power play after sharp puck movement by sophomore defensemen Gabby Kim and Kuehl, who assisted on the goal.
Despite falling behind, Harvard responded swiftly just four minutes later, when Harvard forward Gabi Davidson Adams snuck a shot past Olnowich to cut the deficit to one. First-year forward Angelina DiGirolamo restored the Tigers two goal advantage midway through the period, slapping a puck that found its way to her in the slot past the Crimson goalie. Before the period ended, O’Leary lit the lamp once again, scoring her second goal of the night. This made it a 4–1 game, giving Princeton a comfortable lead heading into the final period.
Just 13 seconds into the final frame, Harvard took another penalty as Antonina Dinges was called for hitting from behind. Princeton took immediate advantage of the power play yet again, this time on a deflection from junior forward Katherine Khramtsov to make it 5–1.
“Our power play is second best in the NCAA and our team plays with a lot of heart,” head coach Cara Morey told The Daily Princetonian. “However, we need to focus on defending well and staying calm under pressure.”
Midway through the period, the Crimson pulled one back, with forward Gwyn Lapp scoring off a well-executed play. Lapp’s goal came with an extra attacker on the ice, as Harvard pulled their goalie in a last-ditch effort to turn the tide. The goal was assisted by defenders Maria Pape and Mia Biotti, bringing the score to 5–2, giving Harvard a glimmer of hope as they continued to press forward.
In the final two minutes, Princeton faced additional pressure as sophomore defender Maggie Johnson was called for interference, putting the Tigers on the penalty kill. With the extra attacker put on the ice due to the goalie being pulled again, Kaley MacDonald scored a power play goal for Harvard with just 24 seconds left on the clock to cut the lead to two.
The late goal added drama to the closing moments, but Princeton’s defense held firm, effectively killing off the remaining seconds to secure the win. The Tigers were dominant in the shot department, outshooting the Crimson 40 to 19. Olnowich made 16 saves, many of which came during critical moments when Harvard was pressing to score.
O’Leary and Kuehl were the standout players for the Tigers, each contributing three points. “It was an incredible feeling to be able to score twice for them and ultimately help the team secure our first ECAC and Ivy win,” O’Leary told the ‘Prince.’ “This first conference win was really important for us — it helped us get the team back on the right track.”
The win marked an important first conference victory for Princeton as they look to build momentum in the ECAC. Their ability to execute on special teams, coupled with solid goaltending and contributions from key players, sets a promising tone for the rest of their season.
Princeton earns second consecutive win, beats Dartmouth 4–3
The next night, the Tigers tripped to New Hampshire looking to keep the momentum from the win over Harvard — and they just narrowly escaped a winless Dartmouth team with a one-goal victory.
Opening the scoring was junior forward Issy Wunder about 11 minutes into the first, on a highlight-reel worthy toe drag to the slot that ended with a backhander past Dartmouth goaltender Michaela Hesová. The goal was Wunder’s sixth of the young season.
Princeton 1, Dartmouth 0 | 11:08 (1st)
— Princeton Women's Ice Hockey (@PWIH) November 9, 2024
Wunderful from Wunder!
Issy Wunder kicks off the scoring in Hanover tonight to give the Tigers the first lead of the night!
💻 https://t.co/8oNejpY4SZ pic.twitter.com/PSlFRzS8Fb
Dartmouth responded in the final minute of the first with a goal off a neutral zone turnover from forward Lauren Messier, who fired a shot past Olnowich.
In the second period, the Tigers’ power play was lethal, scoring yet another goal on the man advantage courtesy of junior forward Sarah Paul. Paul’s eighth goal of the season came off a shot from the left circle, and gave the Tigers a 2–1 lead. This lead held into the final 20 minutes of play, as Princeton nursed a one goal advantage into the third period.
Dartmouth applied the pressure in the third, and eventually knocked down the door on a goal from defender Kenzie Bachelor just five minutes into the period. A point shot from the right side eluded Olnowich, and the Tigers were in danger of losing to a winless Big Green side.
But yet again, it was the Tigers’ power play that saved the day for Princeton, this time on a goal from DiGirolamo — her second of the weekend. DiGirolamo was in prime position in front of the net, receiving a cross ice pass from first year forward Mackenzie Alexander for an easy tap in.
Khramtsov later added the second goal of the weekend for her as well, finishing on a breakaway to give the Tigers a two goal lead late into the third. Despite the two goal lead, the pesky Dartmouth squad refused to back down, scoring a goal just 59 seconds later on a net front goal by forward Laura Fuoco.
The one goal lead late in the third set the stage for a dramatic finish and heroics from Olnowich in the Princeton net. In the final minute, a cross ice pass to Dartmouth’s Fuoco left her with plenty of net to shoot at, and Olnowich dove across to make an athletic save to rob Fuoco of the equalizer.
Princeton 4, Dartmouth 3 | 20:00 (3rd)
— Princeton Women's Ice Hockey (@PWIH) November 9, 2024
OLNOWICH SAVES THE GAME!
With a Dartmouth empty net and Princeton on the penalty kill, Jennifer Olnowich makes a SPECTACULAR diving save to seal the Tigers' victory! pic.twitter.com/12Yu2ecuIc
With the wins, the Tigers moved to .500 on the season and will next return home to play Colgate (11–3–0, 4–0–0) and Cornell (4–3–1, 3–1–0) on Friday and Saturday.
“We have a young squad, and getting players more experience will be key as we continue to grow and improve. Overall, I’m proud of our performance and I’m excited about the future as we build on this momentum,” concluded O’Leary.
Ark Bunyan is a Sports contributor and a contributing Audience creator for the ‘Prince.’
Cole Keller is a head Sports editor at the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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