There are a number of similarities between senior forward Kirk Lamb — this year's men's hockey captain — and his predecessor, Darren Yopyk '00.
They both grew up in Alberta, Canada, both played in the Alberta Junior Hockey League for the Bonnyville Pontiacs and were best friends while at Princeton. Now Lamb will take over the reins from his friend and become the Tiger captain.
While the two came from similar backgrounds, on the ice Lamb and Yopyk have very little in common. Yopyk was a hard-nosed defenseman, relying on tenacity to keep Princeton's opponents away from the net. Lamb, on the other hand, is a creative forward who led the Tigers in scoring and assists last season.
"Darren left everything on the ice every night," Lamb said of his former teammate who is now at UMass-Amherst taking classes and helping former Tiger coach Don Cahoon. "But we're two very different players, so what I leave on the ice is going to be a little different."
Price to pay
The crafty forward was a star in junior hockey, leading the AJHL in scoring in the 1996-97 season as well as being named MVP of the Pontiacs and a league all-star. While Lamb had a stellar career in the AJHL, there was a price to pay when he came to play college hockey.
Lamb enters his third season for Princeton after having to sit out his freshman and half of his sophomore campaigns due to NCAA regulations. The senior's career in Canadian junior hockey limited his eligibility and kept him out for almost half of his college career.
"I don't regret going to juniors, but I don't think I'd do it again," Lamb said. "It was tough having to sit out every single game for a year and a half."
Lamb spent his sophomore season getting the rust off and adjusting to the college game as he was able to tally only nine points and finished the season with a plus-minus rating of -10.
In his second season with the Tigers, however, Lamb was able to turn his fortunes around, scoring eight goals and notching 20 assists — an assist tally that led the team, while placing him fourth on the Tigers in goals.
"My game is creating goals, and if I don't do that, I don't feel like I'm doing my job," Lamb said. "We all work hard, but I feel like if I don't produce, I'm not playing well."
Head of the class
While Lamb and the rest of the senior class are going to have to step up their production this year, they will also have to provide a measure of experience and leadership for this young team. Princeton suited up eight freshmen in Saturday's 1-1 tie with Niagara.
Lamb sees this as part of the challenge of being a captain on such a young team.
"I have to get the feel of the team and see how things are going on the ice," Lamb said. "I can't just come into the locker room every day screaming though. That just doesn't work."
Confidence
Known for being a joker in the locker room on occasion, Lamb is not the prototypical captain that Yopyk was. Despite this, his class and the coaching staff have confidence that the senior will step up and take control.
"Being a captain is uncharted territory for Kirk," head coach Len Quesnelle '88 said. "He has to take care of his own business on the ice, but he also has to be a presence in the locker room."
Right now Lamb, however, has worries other than his play on the ice. Like much of the senior class, Lamb is battling an injury. He suffered a mild tear of his MCL in the Tigers' 3-0 exhibition win over Wilfrid-Laurier Oct. 28.
"I would say he's 75 to 80 percent for this weekend," Quesnelle said.
Lamb was sitting on the bench while the Tigers made their miracle run to the NCAA Tournament in 1997. Now in his final season, he looks to make an impact with a young team and be the leader of what the Tigers hope will be another Cinderella squad.
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