Fifteen feet. Five yards. A distance shorter than the length of a Butler double. Two VW Beetles. One quarter the distance from the mound to home plate. This is the difference between Baker Rink and New Hampshire's Whittemore Center.
Though such a distance may seem almost inconsequential, stretch it over the 200-foot length of a hockey rink, ply Baker's 85 feet of width into Whittemore's 100, add what is a small portion of a football field to the ice and the game opens up. Now a hockey offense has more room in which to build an attack.
When the men's hockey team (5-4-3 overall, 4-4-2 Eastern College Athletic Conference) travels to face No. 5 New Hampshire (10-3-3, 4-2-2 Hockey East) tomorrow, it will find out whether the extra room is a benefit or a hindrance. Though the offense will have more opportunities to find open space and take uncontested shots, the blueliners will be facing the same thing as they try to fence in the Wildcat forwards.
"Defensively, [playing on a larger surface] is going to be a good test for us," head coach Len Quesnelle '88 said. "But we're going to be able to use our speed and quickness offensively."
The wider rink only serves to further exacerbate Princeton's dichotomy between offense and defense during a season in which most Tiger games have been high scoring. While Whittemore teases with the hope of a higher goal output, it can also backstab with a vengeance.
Potent offense
Princeton faces almost a mirror image of itself, as the Wildcats have demonstrated a similar offense-first mentality. They have scored an average of 3.44 goals per game, while giving up 2.31; as can be inferred from New Hampshire's national ranking, both numbers trump those of the Tigers.
One of the main reasons the Wildcat defense has survived on the larger ice is goalkeeper Ty Conklin. Boasting a .912 save percentage while allowing only 2.23 goals per game, the senior is one of the top netminders in Hockey East.
"New Hampshire has been very good in the goal," Quesnelle said. "That has been one of their biggest strengths so far [this season]."
The Wildcats have been effective on the other side of the ice as well, as their 55 goals indicate. Leading the charge have been forwards Darren Haydar and Lenny Gare, both quick players with not only a knack for putting the puck in the net but also the ability to set up their teammates. Haydar's 10 goals, 12 assists and 22 total points lead the team, but Gare is close behind with eight, 11 and 19, respectively. While the duo is not among the league leaders, the two standouts have been much more effective in non-conference play, a bad omen for the Tigers.
Counterattack
Princeton counters with the talents of seniors center Kirk Lamb and right wing Chris Corrinet. The Tiger one-two offensive punch — unlike Haydar and Gare — is at the top of the league, with Lamb's second-place 16-point total only one better than Corrinet's.
They and the rest of the Tiger offense will have to crack the seemingly impenetrable wall Conklin puts up if Princeton is to have any chance of upsetting its fifth-ranked opponent. The Tigers are not overwhelmed by their position as underdog, however, as they have already knocked off a nationally-ranked opponent this season. Princeton defeated then-No. 12 Union last Friday by a score of 3-2.
Both teams are coming off slightly disappointing weekends and should be looking to regain an edge for their return to league play. After upsetting Union, Princeton went on to lose to Rensselaer, 6-2, the following night, while New Hampshire suffered through two ties to Hockey East cellar dweller UMass-Lowell.
After tomorrow, the road will not get easier for the Tigers when they travel to the Badger Showdown in Milwaukee on Dec. 29 and 30. After a holiday layoff, Princeton returns to the ice in the four-team tournament when it first faces No. 12 Wisconsin. Depending on the result, the team will then move on to face either No. 3 North Dakota or unranked Boston University. Princeton returns to ECAC play Jan. 12 against Harvard.
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