Men's hockey reaps benefits from eight-game losing streak

When a team manages to lose nine out of ten games, including eight in a row, you would think shoddy play is the main culprit. During such a streak, the men's hockey team had no doubt fallen victim to poor performances in a few games, including losses to Rensselaer, Bowling Green and lowly Brown. But that is far from the whole story.

The Tigers were winless from Dec. 12, 2000, to Feb. 2, 2001. But Princeton nonetheless had some impressive showings.

The Tigers hung with then-No. 3 North Dakota Dec. 30 during the consolation game at the Badger Hockey Showdown in Milwaukee. Sophomore goalie Nate Nomeland's 60 saves broke the Showdown record and fell just one save shy of the team mark, keeping Princeton close. The Tigers eventually lost, 5-4, and were also defeated by highly-ranked Wisconsin in the same tournament.

Two weeks earlier, Princeton played solid second and third periods against then-No. 5 New Hampshire, but could not overcome an early deficit and lost, 6-3.

A close 4-3 loss to Eastern College Athletic Conference power Harvard on January 12, and last Friday's stunning 6-4 victory against St. Lawrence, the conference leader at the time, on the road in Canton, N.Y., further emphasize the fact that the Tigers' skid is mostly due to bad bounces, not poor effort.

Losing every game over a period of nearly two months takes a toll on a team's spirit, but the Tigers realize they have played some of the nation's best teams and also take heart from their win over the Saints.

"We're pretty positive right now," head coach Len Quesnelle '88 said. "We played well [against St. Lawrence] and executed within our system. We took some steps forward. The biggest thing is to learn something from [the losing streak]. If we don't, shame on us."

Three senior forwards — Shane Campbell, Chris Corrinet and captain Kirk Lamb — have led the charge for the Tigers. Campbell scored two goals and two assists to pace the Tigers in their win over St. Lawrence.

Lamb, who scored the lone goal against Clarkson, leads the team in scoring with 22 points. Corrinet leads the team in goals with 11 and is second in points with 19.

Senior leadership can help one of Princeton's recurring problems this year — the Tigers have fallen behind top teams early in games and have been unable to come back.

"Against UNH and Wisconsin, we came out and looked like a deer in headlights," Quesnelle said. "Maybe we had too much respect for the other teams and not enough for our own abilities."

The Tigers currently are tied for eighth place in the ECAC, and the top ten teams in the conference make the playoffs. Although Princeton has just eight games remaining in the regular season, the Tigers insist they are not looking ahead to the postseason.

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"We're not concerned about our playoff chances," Quesnelle said. "The focus is on playing better, and to play like we did Friday night [against St. Lawrence.]"

Princeton has a chance to build on its victory over the Saints this weekend. The Tigers host games against ECAC rivals Cornell and Colgate.

Against both teams, but especially No. 13 Cornell, the Tigers must avoid falling behind early, like they did against UNH and Wisconsin, if they hope to knock off the conference leader for the second week in a row.

Notes: Princeton has been outshot in most of its games this season, but that might be a good thing. The Tigers have only outshot four opposing teams — Yale, Bowling Green, Rennselaer and Brown — and are 0-4 in those contests. . . The new line of two freshmen forwards — Drew Morrison and Tommy Colclough — combined with junior David Del Monte continue their solid play, adding a goal against the Saints.