NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Going into Saturday night's game at Ingalls Rink, Yale's fourth line of sophomore Mike Klema, senior Jason Noe and junior Denis Nam had combined for 10 career goals and 20 career points.
After the Elis' 6-1 domination of the men's hockey team, that line had added four goals and eight points to those career totals as Princeton (2-6-0 overall, 2-4-0 Eastern College Athletic Conference) once again showed the lack of consistency that has plagued the young club so far this season. Yale's evening was capped by three goals - including one by Nam and another by Klema - in a 43-second span in the third period to put the game out of reach and knock senior goalie Dave Stathos out of net in favor of junior Nate Nomeland.
"Our guys just weren't playing within themselves tonight," head coach Len Quesnelle '88 said. "In the beginning we were trying to make plays we're not physically capable of making."
Yale (2-4-1, 2-3-1) got on the board nine minutes, six seconds into the first period as the Elis capitalized on a power play opportunity after defenseman Stacey Bauman flipped a puck towards the net from the point. Emerging from the ensuing scrum in front of the net, Yale's Spencer Rodgers beat a diving Stathos to put Yale ahead, 1-0.
As the period was about to end, senior defenseman Dave Schneider stole the puck at the blue line on a shorthanded situation and skated down on a breakaway, but Yale goalie Dan Lombard made one of his 26 saves on the evening to keep the Elis ahead.
In Princeton's 2-1 overtime win over Yale last Tuesday, the Elis also dominated the first period, but the Tigers came into the second stanza hungry and attacking the Yale net.
Saturday, however, the Elis maintained control over the game, keeping the puck in the Princeton end for the majority of the first 10 minutes of the period. Stathos was spectacular, however, stopping a number of good chances before the Tigers finally were able to get the puck down into Lombard's end.
Yale stopped that attack, though, and was able to catch Princeton shorthanded on the counter-attack as the fourth line did its first damage of the game. Noe took a pass from Nam and wristed a shot over the glove of Stathos to make it 2-0 with 13:24 left in the second.
"Our defensive lapses came from guys not playing within themselves and trying to make too many plays," Quesnelle said.
Yale kept the pressure on Princeton's net for the next three minutes before the Tiger offense came to life.
Freshman forward Neil Stevenson-Moore - one of Princeton's top offensive weapons this season - took the Tigers' second shot of the period with 9:39 left and the Princeton offense began to get some chances against Lombard, including a pair of chances on the power play and a point-blank shot by Stevenson-Moore with 2:30 left.
"There were times when we were really working hard tonight, but this team just has to show some consistency," Quesnelle said.
Right after Lombard's save, Princeton suffered from another defensive lapse as Klema moved the puck up the right side into the Tiger zone and slid the puck to the center of the ice where Nam was skating in alone. Nam snapped a shot past Stathos to give the Elis a 3-0 lead going into the third.
Princeton started the third on a power play. The Tigers seemed to have their attack going, as junior forward George Parros flipped a puck past Lombard. The referee had already frozen the puck and blown his whistle before Parros' shot, however, so the goal was nullified.
"Since we're having so much trouble scoring, getting the game to 3-1 might have made a difference, but we just didn't play well," Quesnelle said.
The Elis then capitalized by scoring the trio of goals in 43 seconds to put the game out of reach.
The Tigers got on the board with 10:09 remaining when Parros took a rebound and knocked it in past a sprawling Lombard to end Yale's bid for a shutout.
Princeton returns to the friendly confines of Baker Rink in a non-conference matchup tomorrow night against Northeastern.
Read More
Six for six: men’s and women’s track and field both complete triple crown
Luke StocklessMen’s and women’s track and field each won the Ivy League title this past weekend, capping off a dominant season in which both teams won the triple crown — a feat not seen in 14 years.
Men’s and women’s track and field each won the Ivy League title this past weekend, capping off a dominant season in which both teams won the triple crown — a feat not seen in 14 years.
Nation’s No. 2 miler Mena Scatchard ’25 to transfer to Stanford for graduate year
Luke StocklessThe Tigers’ most decorated distance runner ever has decided to use her final year of eligibility at Stanford after graduating from Princeton this May.
The Tigers’ most decorated distance runner ever has decided to use her final year of eligibility at Stanford after graduating from Princeton this May.
Two-way treats: Shenefelt and Kram do it all for Princeton baseball team
Joseph UglialoroThe baseball team features two players who hit and pitch, a rarity at the college level. Nick Shenefelt and Kaden Kram each took unique paths to playing both ways this season.
The baseball team features two players who hit and pitch, a rarity at the college level. Nick Shenefelt and Kaden Kram each took unique paths to playing both ways this season.