Returning to Meehan Auditorium was not enough to end a month-long slump for the women's ice hockey team. The Bears came out of the weekend with a tie against Yale and a loss to Princeton, two teams that players and coaches said they thought they were ready to beat. With the loss to the Tigers, Brown's record fell to 7-6-1 in the ECACHL and 10-9-2 overall.
"We played well enough to win both games, but we just came up short," said Head Coach Digit Murphy. "But I saw a lot of positive things come out of this weekend even though we didn't win."
Friday evening marked the first time in 17 years that Yale won a point against the Bears. The 3-3 score broke Brown's 35-game win streak against the Bulldogs, which dated back to Feb. 10, 1988, when the teams last tied.
The result could be seen as a manifestation of Bruno's recent slump, but it is also true that this season's Bulldogs are not the same team of even two or three years ago that used to lose to Brown by scores such as 9-0. While Yale's team is still inconsistent - it fell the next night to Harvard 11-2 - it has improved its play and climbed to third in the ECACHL standings.
After Yale's Nicole Symington opened the scoring three minutes into the first period, the Bears quickly rebounded and scored three unanswered goals before the buzzer sounded, giving them a 3-1 edge heading into the locker room. Jessica Link '05 played a part in all three goals, scoring two and assisting on the third.
After the break, Yale came back with the intensity of a determined team. The play was fast and physical, and the Bulldogs used their fire to score one goal in each remaining period. The first goal, early in the second, was a shorthander that came from in front of Brown goalie Stacy Silverman '08. Their second came with 3:35 left in the game, when a frenzied Christina Sharun, who was playing her first game as a forward, got her own rebound past Silverman.
Coach Murphy was quick to point out the game's positive aspects. "I saw Jess Link step up and actually get some points. I saw some good energy and some good team play that we just have to build on," she said.
Brown's all-time record against Princeton is 26-28-1, a parity - with a slight edge in Princeton's favor - that has been evident lately. Saturday's 4-3 loss could have gone either way, but with two goals late in the third period, the Tigers came out on top.
It was another intensely physical game with a large number of penalties by Princeton's forwards and Brown's defensemen. The Tigers scored on two of their power plays, and Brown on one.
"The ref made some bad calls against both teams, especially near the end of the game," said Myria Heinhuis '06, who was called for three out of Bruno's seven penalties.
Coach Murphy echoed her statement: "The third goal was a high stick. It shouldn't have been a goal. I think we need to be smart and stay out of the box." But she added, "I don't think the penalties are the difference. I think the difference was that we didn't get the bounces and hopefully next weekend we will."
After a scoreless first period, the goals started coming quickly. Neither team was ever ahead by more than one goal, and the momentum shifted several times. Princeton opened the scoring early in the second period, but Kathryn Moos '07 had a retaliatory goal halfway through. Moos played well on a line with prolific scorers Link and Keaton Zucker '06, in the spot usually occupied by the injured Krissy McManus '05.
Princeton scored again to make the score 2-1 heading into the third period, but Brown pulled ahead with goals from Kerry Nugent '05 and Link. Nugent is second on the team in goals scored.
For a few minutes, it looked like the Bears might win, but Princeton pounded goalie O'Hara Shipe '08 and scored two heartbreaking goals in the second half of the period. With a couple of minutes left, Coach Murphy called a timeout and Bruno attacked the Tigers' net with a previously unseen fervor. A few of Brown's shots almost went in, but Princeton managed to hold on to its 4-3 lead and win the game.
Next weekend will bring two difficult road games against No. 1 Dartmouth and the University of Vermont.
