Farewell to the Class of 2010

The regular season came to an end today for the Princeton women's ice hockey team today with a 4-0 victory over Yale. This result means that the Tigers finish sixth in the ECACHL, and they will play third-seeded Harvard in Cambridge next weekend. Thus this was the last home game for the senior class, and they were honored before the game.

This season was a bumpy ride for Princeton. The sixth seed is the lowest they've had since the ECACHL was reconfigured nine years ago, and they struggled to eke out an above-.500 record. They had big wins over top ten teams Clarkson, Boston University, and Harvard, but also had some tough losses, none so bad as Friday night's loss to Brown, who had not won a league game all year. The Tigers played sloppy and lost in overtime to the Bears 4-3, ending any hope of getting home-ice in the playoffs.

This is a young team, dominated by sophomores and forwards. The four graduating players, who are pictured above, were role players who didn't score much. From left to right they are: Maddie Endicott, a tough defenseman who looks like Heidi but has a stinging slap shot. She is a dependable blue-liner, and I enjoyed the way, right before the opening face-off of a period, how she did a quick skating loop of the defensive zone. Julie Flynn, whose greatest contribution was her flexibility, as she could play both forward and defense. Today she took more shots than usual, as I'm sure she wanted to end her home career with a bang. Stephanie Denino, a tough defenseman whose greatest asset was her leadership, as she was captain in both her junior and senior years. She hurt her knee in January, and was thought to be done for the season, but has battled back, played hurt, and showed no signs of injury. Melanie Wallace, who gets my vote for unsung hero. She has always been near the top of the team in points scored, but is not a flashy player, usually getting big goals or assists and playing two-ways effectively, with a team-leading plus-minus total.

The season has to be considered a disappointment, but it's not over yet, and I'm sure the Harvard squad are aware they have to guard against upsets. I will not be able to see the games, but I'll be following the action as best I can, and counting the days until the next season begins in late October.