Icewomen Battle Tigers For Ivy League Crown

It's big. Very big.

When it's the Ivy League title that's on the line, you can even say it's huge.

What's so huge?

The Harvard women's ice hockey team's game against Ivy League archrival Princeton at 1:00 p.m. today at Bright Center.

Harvard's intentions?

"To blow Princeton out of the rink," Tri-Captain Jen White said.

Since the Ivy League title is determined by in-season play, today's game is a must-win for both the Crimson and the Tigers.

"It is The Game," Harvard Coach John Dooley said. "It is the season. If we win today, we win the Ivy League."

The Tigers (5-2 Ivy), second in the Ivy League behind Harvard (14-6-1 overall, 7-0-1 Ivy), have been tough opponents for the Crimson this year.

In their first matchup earlier this season, Princeton caught Harvard off-guard, scoring two goals in the first period while shutting down the Crimson attack.

"We were dead the first period," White said. "They had a really big crowd that got really into the game. They said some really rude things."

Harvard came back in the second and third periods, overcoming its own flatness and the rowdy Princeton fans to win the game, 5-3. The Tigers have not defeated the Crimson in three years.

Larger Than Life

"We're larger than life for them," White said. "Last season we went into overtime three times with them and won all three."

As the long-standing rivalry comes into play today, there will no doubt be intense emotions on the ice.

"They're a bunch of jerks," White said. "They're really obnoxious."

Princeton's main weapon in this grudge match will be its offense. Leading scorers Mollie Marcoux, Sue Finney and Shari Wolkon will keep the pressure on Crimson goalie White, who presently leads the Ivy League in goaltending.

Shooters

"Princeton has a lot of good shooters," Tri-Captain Julia Trotman said. "Jen [White] will have to be on the ball."

The Crimson will also be counting on leading scorer Sandra Whyte and the second line to produce goals on offense.

Aside from playing a strong physical game, Harvard will have to play a sharp mental game.

"The emotional level will be very high," Dooley said. "Princeton will be very emotional because they're mostly veterans. Our freshmen are making a tremendous adjustment from high school to this kind of emotional play. It's brand new. Ice hockey is a very emotional game and its a very individualistic type of emotional. It's a learning process."

"We've turned up the intensity a lot which is something we haven't done since Dartmouth," Tri-Captain Brita Lind said.

A win today would give the Crimson the boost it needs going into the Ivy League tournament. The tournament, which determines what team will go on to the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference championships, will be held next week at Harvard.