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Vol. LXII, No. 53
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Wednesday, December 31, 2008
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Vol. LXII, No. 53
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Wednesday, December 31, 2008
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(Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction)
MOORE ACCOMPLISHMENT: Princeton University men’s hockey star Mike Moore, right, races up the ice in action last season. Moore’s leadership and bruising play helped the Tigers win ECAC Hockey title in 2007-2008. Moore was named as a first-team All-American and the top defenseman in the ECACH. |
When it came to Princeton University athletics in 2008, things were spiced up by teams who made their presence felt nationally.
The Tiger women’s squash team won its second straight Howe Cup national championship while the men’s hockey team ended the season in the Top 20 after winning the ECAC Hockey title and the women’s swimming team was ranked No. 18 nationally.
Coming off its holiday break last season, the Princeton University men’s hockey team absorbed a 6-1 beating at Minnesota State.
The memory of that setback was on the minds of the Princeton players last Monday as they hosted Minnesota State in their first game since December 3.
“It was definitely said in the dressing room before the game that we need a little payback,” said Princeton junior defenseman Jody Pederson as he reflected on the matchup between No. 8 Princeton and the 18th-ranked Mavericks.
Pederson helped the Tigers even the account with Minnesota State as he scored a second period goal and then added an assist in the third period to help Princeton to a 5-2 win before a crowd of 1,652 at Baker Rink.
Playing at defending national champion Minnesota-Duluth for a two-game set before starting its holiday break, the Princeton University women’s hockey team produced an up-and-down performance emblematic of their season so far.
The Tigers started the weekend by scoring two goals in the first period on the way to a thrilling 4-3 win over the third-ranked Bulldogs on December 13.
A day later, Princeton was on its heels in the early going and never really found a rhythm as it ended the first half of its season getting blanked 3-0 by Minnesota-Duluth.
Although the Princeton High girls’ hockey team wasn’t at its sharpest in beating Upland Country Day 7-4 before the holiday break, it did display two qualities that should hold it in good stead the rest of the season.
The Little Tigers showed offensive balance, getting goals from five different players as Keely Herring and Stephanie Miezin scored two each with Elizabeth O’Grady, Katie Carreno, and Maddy Sturm adding one apiece.
But in the view of PHS head coach Jeff Schneider, the team’s performance against Upland exemplified something more important than the ability to put the puck in the net.