BOX SCORE

Despite a spirited comeback effort, the Princeton women's hockey team dropped a 3-2 decision Friday afternoon in ECAC competition.

The loss drops Princeton to 5-8-2 overall, as well as 2-7-2 in league play. Quinnipiac, which entered the day fourth in the ECAC, improved to 7-3-1 in league competition.

After an early second-period goal left the Tigers in a 3-0 hole, Princeton worked itself back in the game with two goals less than four minutes apart. Senior Kelly Cooke became the first Tiger with double-digit goals late in the second, while Brianna Leahy scored from her knees early in the third to make it a one-goal game.

Unfortunately, several late Princeton charges would be turned away, and Quinnipiac started on the positive end of a home-and-home. The two teams will meet again Saturday at 4 at Quinnipiac.

Quinnipiac opened the scoring just over two minutes into the opening period, as Brittany Lyons fired a centering pass from Erica Uden-Johansson past the right side of Kimberly Newell for a quick 1-0 lead.

Princeton settled after the quick strike, but Quinnipiac struck again midway through the period when Nicole Connery rebounded a shot by Amanda Colin for a 2-0 lead.

The Tigers kept Quinnipiac off the board for the rest of the period, but the Bobcats wasted little time opening the lead in the second. After controlling the opening faceoff, Kelly Bobstock took a pass from Regan Boulton and scored 14 seconds into the middle period.

Princeton worked hard to contain the Quinnipiac offense, and it started to create its most sustained play late in the period. The work was rewarded when Kelly Cooke scored from in front of Victoria Vigilanti off assists from Gabie Figueroa and Corey Stearns.

The Tigers got their second goal when Leahy put back in a rebound from the right side of the goal following a shot by Sally Butler. That goal excited both the team and its home crowd, but the Bobcats' defense tightened from there and held off an empty-net charge in the final minutes.