PU Women’s Hockey Displays Trademark Grit; But Falls Short in ECACH Quarters at Harvard


SLINGSHOT: Princeton University women’s hockey player Denna Laing heads up the ice in recent action. After spending much of last week in a sling due to a collarbone injury, sophomore forward Laing came up big as the seventh-seeded Tigers faced second-seeded Harvard in the ECAC Hockey quarterfinals over the weekend, tallying two goals and an assist in the series. Laing’s heroics, though, weren’t enough as the Tigers fell 5-3 on Friday and 4-3 in overtime the next day to finish the season at 12-15-4 overall. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
Denna Laing personified the grit that is a hallmark of the Princeton University women’s hockey team when the Tigers played at Harvard last weekend in the ECAC Hockey quarterfinals.
Playing through several injuries, Laing tallied two goals and an assist in the matchup between seventh-seeded Princeton and the No. 2 Crimson.
Princeton head coach Jeff Kampersal admired Laing’s courageous effort. “I give Denna a lot of credit; she was banged up with a couple of bad ribs and then she hurt her collarbone in practice,” said Kampersal.
“She was in a sling most of the week and then comes out and plays like that. She is a pretty tough kid.”
While Princeton showed its toughness in the series, it wasn’t enough as the Tigers dropped two nailbiters to get knocked out of the playoffs and end the season at 12-15-4 overall.
In the opener on Friday, the Tigers battled back from deficits of 2-0 and 3-1 to tie the game at 3-3 early in the third period only to lose 5-3. A day later, Princeton scored a goal with 1:04 left in regulation to knot the game at 3-3 and force overtime. But the Crimson found the back of the net 17:59 onto the extra session to win the game and the series.
Kampersal was proud of his team’s pluck. “We didn’t start off well and that was a bummer,” said Kampersal, noting that the Tigers found themselves trailing 2-0 after the first period of the opener.
“We played five strong periods after that and stormed back in both games. The kids did a really good job; I think we put a scare into them.”
The Tigers, though, couldn’t close the deal when they had the Crimson on the ropes.
“On one hand, I think we deserved better,” said Kampersal. “But when we had chances to put them away, we didn’t hammer the nail into the coffin. In the overtime, we had three golden opportunities and didn’t score. They had two and they scored on their second.”
For Kampersal, the finality of the loss was heartbreaking. “It is tough this year with the quality of the kids in the locker room,” said Kampersal. “You don’t want it to end. You feel a void the next day and then you have to start to pick up the pieces.”
Over the course of the winter, Princeton pieced together things under trying circumstances.
“I am proud of the way we played this season,” asserted Kampersal. “We were shorthanded the whole year. We played 13 skaters in some games and 14 in others. The kids were resilient. They were flexible with changing positions; everyone contributed.”
The team’s group of seniors certainly made a major contribution this season and over their careers. “The seniors brought a lot of heart and soul; they leave a big void for leadership and as players they really helped us out,” said Kampersal of his Class of 2012 which includes Ann-Marie Elvin, Julie Johnson, Heather Landry, co-captain Charissa Stadnyk, co-captain Paula Romanchuk, Danielle DiCesare, and Rachel Weber.
Going forward, the Tigers
will have a different look without those seniors. “I didn’t have to do a ton of coaching; they were an experienced group,” said Kampersal, who was recently named to serve as the head coach of the U.S. Under-18 women’s national team.
“We will have a younger group next year; we will spend more time on the basics.”
In Kampersal’s view, those younger players have the potential to give Princeton’s foes a hard time.
“If the sophomores have a good summer and stay healthy, they can be a dominant group,” asserted Kampersal.
“We need to get stronger physically; we knocked off the puck at times. We really need to make a commitment to the off-ice training.”
While the result last weekend was disappointing, the Tigers achieved one of their main goals coming into the campaign.
“We said at the beginning of the year that we were not going to worry about results as much this season and worry more about effort and giving your best everyday,” said Kampersal. “If you do that, you can leave the room with your head held high.”
As the Princeton players left Cambridge last weekend, they had every reason to hold their heads high.