Team Notes: Princeton Heads to New England

PRINCETON, N.J. - The Princeton women's hockey team heads to New England to play a pair of Hockey East opponents during the Thanksgiving weekend.

The Tigers have hit a rough patch, losing the last four games after starting the season 4-1-1. Princeton is currently 4-5-1 as they play their first non-league games since the first weekend of the season on Oct. 21-22. The Tigers average and allow 2.30 goals per game. Highlighting the team's special teams is the penalty killing unit, that ranks eighth in the nation at 88.2 percent (45/51). A trio of sophomores lead the team in scoring. Sally Butler has five goals and six assists for 11 points. Denna Laing also has six assists and four goals. Olivia Mucha contributes four goals and five helpers for nine points. Freshman Ali Pankowski has six assists and one goal as the Tigers' top scoring defender. Senior Rachel Weber has played every minute in goal. She has a .926 save percentage and a 2.10 goals against average.

Princeton is unbeaten in the series with Boston College, with a 17-0-6 record since meeting for the first time in 1982. The Tigers won a 3-0 game in the last meeting on Dec. 13, 2010 in Princeton.

Boston College is ranked No. 4 in the latest USCHO.com poll, with an 8-4-1 overall record. The Eagles are coming off of a 2-1 overtime loss to Princeton's travel partner Quinnipiac from Tuesday. BC averages 2.85 goals per game and is limiting teams to 2.15 gpg. A pair of rookies lead the team offensively. Alex Carpenter has eight goals and eight goals for 16 points, while Emily Field has four goals and eight helpers for 12 points. Sophomore Taylor Wasylk adds 10 points on five goals and five assists. Junior Corinne Boyles has started in all 13 games in goal. She has a .911 save percentage and a 2.18 GAA.

UNH has a 37-5-2 edge in the series that began in 1981. This will be the first meeting in four years. Princeton won the last game 2-1 on Nov. 11, 2007 in Durham.

UNH enters the weekend with a 4-8-2 mark and will host Maine the night before playing Princeton. The Wildcats have lost the last four games, including a pair at Minnesota. UNH averages 2.00 gpg and is allowing 3.86 gpg. Junior Kristine Horn and sophomore Nicole Gifford both have 10 points to sit atop the scoring column. Horn has six goals and four assists, while Gifford has a team-best seven assists and three goals. Junior Kristina Lavoie and freshman Heather Kasman add eight and seven points, respectively. Freshman Jenn Gilligan has gotten the starting nod in 11 games. She has a 3.36 GAA and an .870 save percentage. The Wildcats have also utilized senior Lindsey Minton and freshman Moe Bradley in goal.