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 (Photoby Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption:
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Gaudiel's Emergence as Star Goaltender A Big Spark for Tiger Women's Hockey
By Bill Alden
Spending last summer in her native Florida, Roxanne Gaudiel had to be resourceful as she prepared herself to take over as the starting goalie for the Princeton University women's ice hockey team. "I just tried to find some ice," said a smiling Gaudiel as she explained her pre-season regimen. "I was trying not to get killed by the guys in the men's leagues." Hardened by her summer playing with the guys, Gaudiel has been killing the competition this winter in her junior season.
Through Princeton's first 22 games, the Venice, Fla. native has compiled a goals against average of 1.71 and has recorded five shutouts.
Gaudiel's emergence has been pivotal for Princeton since she was filling the skates of the graduated Megan Van Beusekom, one of the greatest goalies in program history.
While it would have been natural for Gaudiel to feel pressure in following Van Beusekom, she said the transition has been smooth.
"We were really good friends," said the 5'4 Gaudiel, referring to Van Beusekom who she backed up for the last two seasons.
"I didn't look at it as coming up behind a great goaltender; I looked at it as following a great friend. That has made it a lot easier."
Gaudiel acknowledged that the Tigers didn't have an easy time after coming from behind last Friday to nip Clarkson 2-1 in overtime.
Princeton entered the third period against the Golden Knights trailing 1-0. A goal by sophomore star Liz Keady knotted the game at 1-1. With Gaudiel contributing five saves in the period, Clarkson was unable to score and the game went into overtime.
The Tigers got the game-winner as Kim Pearce broke through with just 17 seconds remaining in the extra session.
Even though Princeton had blanked Clarkson 3-0 last month, Gaudiel knew the Tigers were in for a dogfight last friday. "The league is so close, everyone is tough," said Gaudiel, who is ranked in the top ten nationally in goals against average and save percentage (.934). "It's another lesson that you can't take anyone for granted."
The goalie credited the defensive play in front of her as playing a key role in Princeton's win. "I thought the defense did a real good job," said Gaudiel, reflecting on a game in which Princeton outshot Clarkson 48-13.
"Clarkson really didn't have that many great opportunities or shots so it was a good defensive effort. I thought our defense got our offense going."
Senior captain and defenseman Becky Stewart thought that the Tigers showed a collective resourcefulness as they pulled out the win.
"It shows we're a tough team," said Stewart, who helped the Tigers fight back from a one-goal deficit in their dramatic 4-3 win at Brown on January 29.
"We just can't take any win for granted, nothing comes lightly. Every team is going to have take us seriously. With a one or two goal deficit, we can definitely come back."
The ninth-ranked Tigers, however, failed a night later to forge another rally as they fell behind No. 5 St. Lawrence 3-0 on the way to a 5-2 setback.
With the Tigers at 12-6-4 overall and 6-5-1 in ECAC Hockey League play, they know they can't afford any more slip-ups.
"We're looking to win every game, every single game is a must-win situation," asserted Stewart, a native of Apple Valley, Minn. who has four points this season on three goals and an assist. "We've got to play hard every night. We're looking to get into the top eight, that's our goal."
In Gaudiel's view, the Tigers' defense will have to keep up its good work as the team plays at Cornell on February 11 and at Colgate on February 12.
"Our defense is kind of our strong point," maintained Gaudiel. "We focus on it a lot. We work on it really hard."
Gaudiel is relishing being in the middle of the action for the Princeton defense. "I'm just trying to stop pucks," said Gaudiel with a chuckle. "My athletic ability is one of my strengths. I try to be in a position where I can make a save every time. I'm just being really focused."
Another key element in Gaudiel's game is her vocal approach to goaltending. "I've been working on telling them when people are coming on the box and if we have a quick outlet," explained Gaudiel. "Really anything that helps, because they become distracted."
It's a good thing for Princeton that Gaudiel has been able to channel out distractions in her debut season as the team's top goalie.
