Princeton women’s ice hockey (18–10–2 overall, 11–9–2 ECAC) defeated the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) Engineers (14–18–3, 7–13–2) in the first round of the ECAC playoffs 3–2 on Friday afternoon.
After falling to the Engineers just a week prior in regular season play, the Tigers found revenge.
“Losing to RPI in the last game of the regular season was definitely a wakeup call for us,” junior forward Emerson O’Leary told The Daily Princetonian. “It wasn’t the way we wanted to head into playoffs, but I think it fueled our motivation even more — there was a real sense of urgency and energy in the locker room to start playoffs on the right foot.”
“We know RPI out-worked us that game, and we were determined not to allow that to happen again,” Head Coach Cara Morey told the ‘Prince.’ “The loss certainly changed the players’ mindsets going into the playoff game.”
The Tigers began the first period with high energy, possessing the puck for the majority of the first few minutes and setting an intense tempo that would permeate the entire match. Over the course of the first 20 minutes of play, the Tigers outshot the Engineers 16–6.
Despite the Tigers’ spirited start, RPI found a way to strike first. Capitalizing on the last few seconds of a power play, the Engineers netted a shot into the top right corner of the goal off of a long, lateral pass from the opposite end of the ice. RPI led 1–0 with eight minutes left in the first.
From there, Princeton continued to dominate possession, win faceoffs, and keep the puck in their offensive zone. However, the Tigers had trouble finding shots on target.
Princeton’s first breakthrough came at the tail end of the first period. Following an intense RPI pursuit to goal, the Tigers flipped the possession and cruised down the ice. A quick face-off win and an inside pass from first-year defender Rosie Klein led to a nifty goal from fellow first-year forward Mackenzie Alexander, tying the game going into the first break.
“The first-years have been huge for us all season,” O’Leary told the ‘Prince.’ “They really showed up again on Friday.”
The second period mirrored the first, with Princeton dominating possession and outshooting the Engineers, though scoring was at a halt for nearly 15 minutes. The Tigers effectively killed an RPI power play, maintaining defensive composure and recapturing the momentum soon after.
With five minutes left in the period, Princeton capitalized on their offensive authority and netted their second goal off a forced turnover in the neutral zone courtesy of O’Leary. A pass from Alexander back to junior forward Issy Wunder split the Engineer defense and gave the Tigers their first lead of the game, 2–1.
Wunder’s goal was her 25th of the season, nearing her career-high of 27 that she set during her sophomore season.
“Issy has been a really important player for us this season both on and off the ice,” Morey told the ‘Prince.’ “She is a competitor and a leader and she has scored some important goals for us.”
The remainder of the second period proved to be a defensive stalemate, as did the first half of the third period. The Engineers opened the third period with their best showing of the game, keeping the Tigers on their toes and creating several scoring opportunities.
Ten minutes into the final period, the stalemate was broken and RPI tied the game. The goal was a classic, presenting itself off an Engineer face-off, followed by a quick pass to the slot and a sharp shot to the top corner.
Not long after, though, the Tigers found a way to get back on top. Capitalizing on a power play, Princeton executed a quick passing sequence that allowed Klein to nail a long, unstoppable shot down the middle and into the back of the net, reclaiming the lead.
The Engineers would not back down and continued to pressure the Tiger defense in the final minutes of the game. Despite this, the Orange and Black held strong, going on to win with a final score of 3–2.
The Tigers will move on to the second round of the ECAC tournament next week and will face Colgate (27–7–0, 18–4–0) away in a best-of-three competition starting Friday, Feb. 28.
“We are going to prepare the same way we do every week,” Morey told the ‘Prince.’ “Consistency is key and we will focus on playing well within our systems.”
“This week is all about fine-tuning and making sure we’re locked in on every detail,” O’Leary told the ‘Prince.’ “We’ll be focusing on playing a full 60-minute game, staying disciplined and tightening up defensively.”
Lily Pampolina is an associate Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com
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