Princeton, N.J. – The No. 5 Raiders fell for the first time this season, dropping a 7-2 decision to Princeton. The loss broke Colgate’s 13-game unbeaten streak, the best in program history.
Colgate’s defense found itself working very hard for the first 15 minutes of the opening period, with the puck in the Raiders’ defensive zone for a majority of the time.
Sophomore goaltender Julia Vandyk came up with a number of saves throughout the period, including a number of consecutive saves in the first three minutes to keep the game notched at zero.
But, the Tigers’ Carly Bullock found the back of the net on a breakaway opportunity to take the early 1-0 advantage at 4:35 in the first.
Princeton continued to hold the puck in its possession over the next several minutes, but Colgate’s defense stepped up to ensure the deficit stayed at one. Junior Annika Zalewski was called for a tripping penalty at 12:09 in the frame, but the Raiders were able to kill off the only power-play of the period to stay within striking distance.
Colgate seemed to be gaining momentum, holding the puck in its possession for a majority of the final minutes, but the Tigers once again got a 2-1 opportunity and Molly Contini was able to sneak the puck past Vandyk to give Princeton the 2-0 lead with just over three minutes remaining in the period.
With less than a minute to go, it looked as if Princeton would be able to tack on another with a 2-0 breakaway opportunity, but Vandyk came up with glove save to keep the Raiders’ deficit at two.
The sophomore recorded nine saves in the first period and the Tigers outshot the Raiders, 11-4.
The second period saw four goals scored, with only one being in favor of the Raiders. Princeton scored all three of its goals in the third period within a matter of just seven minutes.
Coming out of the break, it looked like the momentum was swinging Colgate’s way after Jessie Eldridge had her first breakaway opportunity of the night, but Princeton goalie Alysia DaSilva came up with her biggest save of the game to keep the Raiders scoreless.
Just two minutes into the period, a Tiger got a great look at the net, but Vandyk was able to come up with the kick save. No Raiders were close enough to corral the puck, so Karlie Lund was able to collect the rebound and sneak the puck past Vandyk to put the Tigers up 3-0.
Colgate was getting some good looks at the goal, but could not get the puck past DaSilva.
With just over 12 minutes remaining in the second period, Lund tacked on another goal to push Princeton’s lead to four. Greg Fargo made the decision to pull Vandyk for freshman goalie Liz Auby.
After a Colgate timeout, the Raiders were almost immediately able to draw a penalty on the Tigers, giving them their first power-play opportunity of the night at 8:01 in the period. Colgate got a few good looks at the net, but before the Raiders could really get going offensively, Lauren Wildfang was called for a tripping penalty at 8:59 that allowed a Princeton penalty shot.
Cassidy Tucker took the penalty shot against Auby and was able to put the puck past the freshman to give Princeton a 5-0 lead.
Just when it looked like all of the wind would be taken out of Colgate’s sails, the Raiders had three consecutive shots on goal and eventually one was bound to break through.
Olivia Zafuto recovered the puck on Colgate’s offensive end after a turnover by the Tigers. She skated directly to the right side of the net in a 1-on-1 with the goalie and was able to power the puck past DaSilva to put the Raiders on the board at 14:54 in the second frame.
In the final minutes of the frame, both teams recorded shots on goal, but neither goalie allowed anything through. Colgate recorded 14 shots on the goal and Princeton recorded 10 shots.
Princeton’s Claire Thompson added another Tiger goal just 3:47 into the third period after a 2-1 opportunity. The goal put Princeton up 6-1 and gave the Tigers a large amount of momentum for the rest of the game. Less than a minute later, Princeton’s Lund recorded her first hat trick of the season, putting the Tigers up 7-1.
After a checking penalty on Princeton, the Raiders had an opportunity to capitalize. At 13:13 in the third period, Wildfang held control of the puck in Colgate’s offensive end. She found Shelby Perry who was stationed on the left side of the ice. Perry then quickly passed to Annika Zalewski, who was in front of the net, waiting to shoot once she received the puck. The junior captain fired a hard shot to the right side of the net, slipping the puck past DaSilva and bringing the score to 7-2.
The Tigers had a few more opportunities to score in the final minutes, but Colgate’s defense held strong and kept the deficit at five goals.
Auby tied her career-high 17 saves, after playing 27:41 in the game.
Colgate is back in action tomorrow when the team takes on #8 Quinnipiac at 3 p.m. in Hamden, Conn.
Bottom Line
– Princeton 7, Colgate 2
Won-Lost Records
– Colgate drops to 12-1-1 in the 2016-17 season and 5-1-0 in ECAC play. This is the Raiders’ first loss of the year.
– Princeton moves to 5-3-1 on the year and 3-3-1 in league games.
Key Raider Info
– Zafuto finished the night with a goal, her third of the season.
– Zalewski recorded her sixth goal of the season in the game.
– Wildfang recorded her 11th assist on the year and Perry recorded her seventh.
– Vandyk registered 11 saves and Auby notched 17 saves of her own against a tenacious Tigers’ offense.
Inside the Box Score
– Colgate went 1-2 on power-play opportunities, while Princeton went 0-4.
– The Tigers outshot the Raiders, 35-22 on the night.
– During the 60 minutes of play, Colgate won 21-of-50 faceoffs.
– The seven goals given up by the Raiders is the most allowed in the 2016-17 season.
Up Next
– The Raiders face #8 ranked Quinnipiac tomorrow at 3 p.m. in Hamden, Conn.
– Colgate holds the 15-11-4 series lead over the Bobcats, including a 9-4-3 record in Hamden.
– Live stats and video will be available for both games.
