HOT STREAK: Princeton University women’s hockey player Kelsey Koelzer heads up the ice. Last weekend, junior defenseman Koelzer came up big. On Friday, Koelzer scored three goals in a 6-1 win over Brown for her first career hat trick and then chipped in a goal and an assist in a 5-1 victory over Yale a day later as the Tigers posted their eighth straight win. Princeton, now 13-4-1 overall and 7-4-1 ECAC Hockey, plays at Union on January 8 and at Rensselaer on January 9. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski).
Taking a six-game winning streak into the holiday break, the Princeton University women’s hockey team was determined to keep its foot on the gas when it resumed action last weekend with games against Brown and Yale.
“We had 20 days off so we worked super hard this past week,” said junior defenseman Kelsey Koelzer.
“It was like we never left, we just picked up where we left off. We have a good streak going, which is awesome to keep morale up. It is exactly the way we know we can play. We have a lot of skill, we have a lot of talent but, most importantly, we work really hard.”
That hard work paid dividends for Koelzer as she scored three goals in a 6-1 win over Brown on Friday for her first career hat trick and then chipped in a goal and an assist in a 5-1 victory over Yale a day later, helping the Tigers extend their winning streak to eight as they improved to 13-4-1 overall and 7-4-1 ECAC hockey.
Koelzer and the Tigers displayed their skill and talent in the first period against Yale, outshooting the Bulldogs 16-3 and taking a 2-0 lead on two power play goals.
The second goal in the period came on a top-shelf blast from Koelzer. “It started with a scramble in our zone, their penalty killers were pretty aggressive going back into our d-zone but we did really well,” said Koelzer, recalling the tally.
“We had good back check help and then the puck squirted to the middle of the ice and I was able to pick it up and Morgan Sly was able to take the defense with her which gave me a nice lane to the net.”
The Tigers had a nice start on the power play, cashing in on their first three-extra-man opportunities.
“It is something that you work on, it is something that is key for your team winning come postseason and the end of the season,” said Koelzer, reflecting on the power play.
“It gives you that boost that your hard work to draw the penalty is going to be rewarded.”
Koelzer has given Princeton a big boost in recent action, tallying nine goals and four assists in the last eight games after scoring three goals with an assist in the first 10 contests.
“I think the most important thing is just using my feet,” said Koelzer, a 5’9 native of Horsham, Pa. whose 12 goals leads the Tigers.
“I think early in the season, I was a little bit hesitant and wanting to secure the d-zone play and be a staple back there. I just wasn’t picking the right spots at the right time and was hesitant. You have to either go or don’t go. I think once I decide what was best for that, it was a lot easier.”
Forging a partnership with freshman Kimiko Marinacci on the blue line has helped spark Koelzer’s offensive production.
“Kimiko is really key in allowing me to pick my spots and jump up because I know that she is more of a stay at home defenseman and we work really well together on that,” said Koelzer.
“She recognizes when I am joining up and I have faith in her that if we get stuck on a rush, she is going to be back there. She makes really smart plays back there which is all you can really ask, especially out of a freshman.”
In assessing Princeton’s play in its eight-game winning streak, Koelzer sees the team’s work ethic as a major factor in its success.
“I think it is doing all the small things right,” asserted Koelzer. “We work so hard during the week in practices. We work on our skating, we work on our d-zone. I think the d-zone is our staple and allows us to produce the offense. Every game we have the confidence that if we keep the puck out of the net, we are going to pick up the win. I think that is key.”
Princeton head coach Jeff Kampersal concurs, noting that the team has demonstrated that it is all in.
“The team has been playing really well; they buy into what we do,” said Kampersal.
“They really trust what we are trying to get done. Everybody pitches in and does their job so it has been a lot of fun to work with this group. The team is buying into the process of sleeping well, training well, eating well, and conditioning. We condition after the game whether we win 6-1 or lose 6-1.”
While the Tigers were a little sluggish in the early stages of the game against Brown, they did a good job in putting together a stellar weekend.
“I thought we started off really slow, maybe that is to be expected after the layoff,” said Kampersal.
“The kids are in good shape, we are still working on mental toughness. I thought we had good mental toughness starting from the second period of Brown on.”
Kampersal saw the team’s work on the power play as a bright spot.
“Cara (assistant coach Cara Morey) has been working hard with that group on the power plays,” said Kampersal. “To score three today, we will take it. If we can get the power play going, then we can be dangerous down the stretch.”
With Koelzer on a hot streak, the Tigers are a particularly dangerous team.
“Kelsey is just unreal so I hope people on the national level pay attention because she just dominates games at different times,” said Kampersal.
“She is similar statistically to last year; she had an amazing season (8 goals and 18 assists). She started off slower this year, she was trying to do too much and now she is just being Kelsey, picking her spots. When she does pick her spots, she is very explosive and forceful. She had three goals yesterday and two of them were lasers.”
The defense was forceful collectively last weekend. “They moved the puck well,” said Kampersal. “Yesterday in the first period we struggled moving it but in the last five periods, we did a good job breaking out.”
At the offensive end, Princeton had things moving. The team’s top line of senior Jaimie McDonell, junior Molly Contini, and junior Hilary Lloyd generated two goals and seven assists this weekend while freshman standout Karlie Lund tallied a total of two goals and two assists in the wins.
“Jaimie is solid, Molly is chipping in, and Hilary was great all weekend so that was good,” said Kampersal.
“I thought Karlie was solid yesterday but a little off. Today she was back on, she is a good offensive presence for us.”
With Princeton standing second in the ECACH standings behind Quinnipiac (16-1-3 overall, 9-1-2 ECACH), Kampersal knows his team needs to keep up its hot play as it heads to Union (0-14-5 overall, 0-6-2 ECACH) on January 8 and at Rensselaer (5-10-3 overall, 3-4-1 ECACH) on January 9 for its last action before a 16-day exam hiatus.
“We need to get as many points as we can,” said Kampersal. “We were on the road a ton earlier but it will be good to get on the road and team bond. Hopefully we’ll have a good week of practice here. It is getting down to the nitty gritty for academics with them so we have to put in two more good efforts.”
Koelzer, for her part, believes the Tigers are primed to maintain their effort level.
“We are on the road and we are in a heavier work period, it can be a little stressful depending on how much work you have,” said Koelzer.
“It is going to be really important for us to stay focused all week and do what we need to do in practice so come next weekend we are firing on the same cylinders that we have this week.”