The women’s hockey team certainly would have preferred a better ending to its season, as it fell to both Princeton and No. 5 Quinnipiac this weekend to close out the year. Though it is difficult to call the season anything but disappointing, the team’s young players have shown that there is plenty of promise for the future.
The Bears “have a strong core of good kids, and I look forward to seeing their development and success in the years to come,” said Captain Janice Yang ’15.5, who skated in her last game Saturday.
Despite a final score of 4-1, Friday night’s contest was by no means a cakewalk for the visiting Tigers (15-12-2, 13-8-1 ECAC).
After a scoreless first period, Bruno (5-23-1, 2-19-1) seized its chances on a power play when Sam Donovan ’18 connected on her 12th goal of the season. Donovan found herself at the top of the crease and tipped in a shot from Lauren Vella ’15. The first-year’s breakout season gives reason to think that it will not be too long before the Bears are competing with the best of the best in the ECAC.
Unfortunately for Brown, its lead was short-lived, as Princeton reciprocated on a power play of its own just several minutes later to knot the score at one.
With the game tied heading into the last period, the Bears were in a good place against their Ivy League foe, but the puck just did not fall their way. Seven minutes into the third period, Princeton took the lead and never looked back, scoring two more goals with under four minutes remaining.
Bruno can thank goaltender Monica Elvin ’17 for keeping it in the mix, as she turned away 32 shots in the game.
Saturday’s game versus Quinnipiac (24-7-3, 15-5-2) started off just the same as the night before, with both teams failing to cash in on any of their opportunities in the first period.
Though the Bobcats may have been the more threatening side, it was Yang who had the best scoring chance. After getting the puck on the far side, the senior dangled her way past a Bobcat defender and came within inches of netting the first goal of the game.
The second period saw a dominating performance by Quinnipiac, but once again, no one could find the back of the net. A lot of that had to do with Elvin, who continued her recent string of spectacular play in goal. The sophomore netminder ended the day with 40 saves on 41 shots.
The Bears came out with a little more fire to start the third period, highlighted by another great look by Yang while the team was short-handed. Unfortunately for the Bears, their defense could not quite hold up as time wound down, and eventually the Bobcats scored a power play goal with five-and-a-half minutes remaining.
The game may have not resulted in the win Bruno was hoping for, but it was certainly an impressive effort to go toe-to-toe with the number five team in the country.
“When you look back on a season, there are so many ups and downs, but at the end of the day, I’m most proud of my teammates for always working hard on the ice, off the ice, in the weight room and in the classroom,” Yang said.
After the contest, Brown honored the team’s five seniors — Yang, Vella, Kaitlyn Keon ’15, Brittany Moorehead ’15 and Sarah Robson ’15 — with a postgame ceremony. The event celebrated not only the seniors’ on-ice accomplishments, but also their academic successes and overall dedication to the program.
Despite the difficult season, Yang was quick to point out that playing Brown hockey involved far more than just being out on the ice and had instilled in her a number of life lessons.
“I’ve learned that things aren’t going to always go your way, but how you react and adapt is the only thing that matters,” she said. “Whatever life throws in your way, there’s always a solution and you’re always stronger than you think. Find friends and people that you can trust and hold on to them.”
