The Puck Drops

Tonight Princeton Women's Ice Hockey opens their season, the first of two home games against the University of Connecticut. Hopefully Sarah Palin will not be there to drop the first puck, since New Jersey is a solid blue state.

Last week the Tigers played an exhibition game against a team from Canada, the first time I have seen them this fall. It's a team that looks very different from last year's squad. Graduated are three players who were a huge part of the offense last year: Marykate Oakley, Brittany Salmon, and Lizzie Keady. Beyond the goal scoring, they had a grit and fire that is tough to replace.

The only remaining goal-scoring threat is Annie Greenwood, who is now a senior. She had a monster freshman season, scoring over 25 goals, but came back to earth a bit her next two years. I would imagine she will be key to Princeton's success. I read in a local paper that junior Melanie Wallace, who has contributed a few goals a year up to now, will also be asked to provide a lot of offense. There are also five freshman forwards, any one of whom could emerge as a goal-scoring threat. From what I saw last week, Danielle DiCesare, Heather Landry, and Paula Romanchuk have a nose for the net. But anticipating what freshmen will do is a very difficult proposition.

The defense and goaltending is not a question mark, though. Princeton returns five solid blueliners: Katherine Dineen, Sasha Sherry, Maddie Endicott, Laura Martindale, and Stephanie Denino. Dineen begins the year as my favorite player, as she seems to be tireless and makes very few mistakes. Sherry is a budding star, an offensive-minded D who will take the puck from end to end and is dangerous on the power play. The goalie is senior, Kristen Young, who last year played every minute in the net and was named the team MVP. She had some great games, but occasionally was susceptible to stretches where the wheels came off. If she can stay consistent she's one of the best in the country. Presumably she will get spelled a bit this year, as the Tigers bring in a frosh Rachel Weber as her backup.

I really don't know what to expect this season. Every year the Tigers figure to be in the hunt for a home playoff spot (which is fourth place or better in the ECAC--last year they finished fifth). Because this is such a young team, and the rest of the league is improving, they could have an off year, but I do anticipate them making the playoffs. UConn, who were a top-ten team last year, will be a big early test, and then next weekend Dartmouth and Harvard, the top two teams in the league, come to town, so if the Tigers can stay competitive in this first quartet of games (and even get a win or two) that portends well for the rest of the season.