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Princeton Women's Ice Hockey Enjoys Productive Road Trips
By Bill Alden
The Princeton University women's ice hockey team started 2004 by enjoying the delights of historic Prague as the squad wound up a week-long tour through Germany and the Czech Republic.
Getting back to the grind of college hockey, the Tigers started the 2004 portion of their schedule by travelling last weekend to the less glamorous locale of upstate New York for games at Colgate on Friday and at Cornell the next day.
Princeton shook off the effects of jet lag as it came through with a hard earned 2-1 win over the Raiders which was decided on a third period goal from Heather Jackson.
The Tigers had a bit of easier time against Cornell as they jumped out to a 3-0 lead on the way to a 4-2 win. Princeton got some key production from its core of rookies as freshmen Kim Pearce, Allison Ralph, and Laura Watt all lit the lamp against the Big Red.
Princeton head coach Jeff Kampersal was proud of the grit shown by his team in its first action of 2004. "We were still extremely tired from the trip," said Kampersal, whose club benefitted more from the off-ice cultural experience of the European trip than the less-than-stellar opposition it faced on the ice.
"I still felt jetlagged on Wednesday and Thursday and to get on the bus to go up there was tough. For us to get two wins on that trip was an accomplishment."
Kampersal noted that nothing came easy in the Tigers' journey to New York. "Colgate was a tough team, their goalie was flopping all over the place," said Kampersal. "The kids stayed focused and finally put that second one past her. Cornell was also tough. We got out to an early lead in that one so that was a big help."
The eighth-year head coach was particularly happy with the help he got from his freshmen over the weekend. "All freshmen go through cycles, some weekends they are good and on others they aren't," explained Kampersal, whose team improved to 11-5 as a result of their wins over the weekend and has now won four straight contests. "They are really starting to come on. I think they are shedding the freshman label."
As the Tigers head into their exam break, Kampersal is hoping that the interruption won't stall the team's collective momentum.
"We've struggled in some games that we could've handled easier," said Kampersal, whose club is ranked seventh nationally and will next be in action when it hosts perennial power Harvard on January 30 and Brown on January 31.
"In our losses, we really battled. We deserved better. We're 11-5 but with some breaks we could be 14-2. We are shooting to beat someone who is ranked higher than we are."
The Tigers will get that chance when they take on Harvard, which is currently 13-1-1 and ranked second nationally. Kampersal believes the team has the depth and attitude to accomplish that aim.
"Everybody is contributing," said Kampersal, pointing out that Ralph's goal over the weekend was the first of her career. "That helps team chemistry. Playing Harvard and Brown will be a good test for us."
