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Vol. LXIV, No. 1
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Happy New Year!
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Wednesday, January 6, 2010
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Vol. LXIV, No. 1
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Happy New Year!
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Wednesday, January 6, 2010
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(Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction)
LATE SHOW: Princeton University women’s hockey star Melanie Wallace passes the puck up the ice in a game earlier this winter. Last week, Wallace scored a game-tying goal in a 2-2 tie with Quinnipiac on December 31 and then assisted on the game winner in Princeton’s 1-0 win over the Bobcats last Saturday. Princeton will look to keep on the winning track when it hosts Harvard on January 8 and Dartmouth a day later. |
Melanie Wallace feels a sense of urgency with just a few months left in her senior season on the Princeton University women’s hockey team.
“I think in terms of knowing that your number of games are limited, you just give every single thing that you can,” said Wallace.
“Each game, each shift, I am trying to make a positive contribution. Maybe it’s not scoring every game; sometimes it’s getting the pucks out and making the right passes.”
Last winter, Dan Bartlett emerged as a go-to scorer for the Princeton University men’s hockey team.
After scoring a total of 22 points in his first two college seasons, the Portland, Me. native broke out with a team-high 28 points in 2008-09.
In the early going this season, though, Bartlett struggled a bit to pick up where he left off, scoring two points in his five outings. With injuries mounting and the offense out of synch, the Tigers faltered collectively, getting off to a 3-8-1 start.
Precocious freshman Niveen Rasheed has been a revelation for the Princeton University women’s basketball team, starring from the first game of her college career.
The 6’0 native of Danville, Calif. scored 18 points in her debut against Stony Brook on November 13 and came into last Saturday’s game against visiting Fordham leading the Tigers with 17.2 points a game.
In the early going against the Rams, though, Rasheed didn’t look like much of an offensive threat, scoring just two points as Princeton jumped out to a 43-24 halftime lead.
Rasheed was unfazed by her lack of scoring. “I was more of a role player with rebounds and just playing solid defense,” said Rasheed, who contributed four rebounds, four assists, and two steals in the half as Princeton seized the momentum.
Jason Carter jumped at the chance to have his Princeton High boys’ basketball team compete in the 2009 Eastern States Classic Invitational Tournament (ESCIT) at Trenton Catholic.
“Playing at Trenton Catholic is a challenging environment for anyone,” said PHS head coach Carter. “It is a great tournament with a great atmosphere and great competition.”
While the tournament annually draws premier teams from all over New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the Little Tigers ended up getting matched against Mercer County rival Notre Dame in the opening round of the tourney.
It was only the fifth game of the season but the Princeton High girls’ hockey team reached a crossroads.
Starting 0-4 with six goals for and 32 against, PHS badly needed to get on the right track as it played at the Pingry School on December 22.
PHS head coach Christian Herzog made it clear to his players that they needed to show a sense of urgency.
Jessica Katz was at a loss for words after her Princeton Day School girls’ basketball team dismantled Moorestown High 63-32 last week.
“We did everything right,” said PDS head coach Katz referring to her team’s win over Moorestown in the opening game of the latter’s holiday tournament.
“It was exciting to see the girls follow the game plan; almost everyone scored. We fixed some of the problems we had been having. I am usually pretty critical but I didn’t have much to say after that game.”