The men's hockey team entered this weekend looking for a spark. The defense had been playing well, only to see games slip away because of a lack of scoring power.
Against two Eastern College Athletic Conference opponents, Union (4-5-3 overall, 1-3-1 ECAC) Friday night, and Rensselaer (5-5-1, 2-2-1) on Saturday, the Tigers had an opportunity to improve on the inconsistency that has plauged them recently.
With both the Skating Dutchmen and the Engineers running in the middle of the ECAC pack, this could have been the perfect weekend for Princeton to pad its road record.
With no other ECAC games for more than a month, this was an important chance for Princeton to move up in the standings.
It could have been a big weekend for the team. True to the fashion of this season, however, Princeton saw an opportunity and couldn't quite take full advantage of it. After falling to Union, 3-1, the team rebounded to beat Rensselaer, 4-2, on Saturday night.
Friday against Union, the Tigers were done in by their greatest weakness this season — an inability to score goals.
After answering an early goal by the Skating Dutchmen with one by sophomore forward Chris Owen.
Owen took a pass from senior forward David Del Monte and put the puck past Union goalie Brandon Snee on the stick side to tie the game at one goal apiece. The Dutchmen responded with two goals in the second period to seal the win.
The victory ended a six-game skid for Union, and dashed any hopes of a Princeton winning streak.
"We have just had a hard time scoring goals," head coach Len Quesnelle '88 said.
Mistakes and sloppy play once again hindered the Tigers' efforts. The Princeton penalty kill was not as sound as it has been in the past, giving up one goal on three Union power plays.
"All three Union goals were the results of breakdowns on our part," Quesnelle said.
Following the disappointing performance against Union, the Tigers needed a breakthrough game to give them something to build on. A loss going into a month long break from the ECAC could have seriously endangered the Tigers' chances for postseason play.
"We needed to come out and have a much better effort in all areas of our game," Quesnelle said.
And a strong performance is exactly what they got.
Building on his assist from the night before, Princeton got two goals from Del Monte on its way to the team's first road win of the season.
For the fifth time this season, the Tigers were able to get on the scoreboard first. Junior forward George Parros — coming up the right side of the ice — found linemate Del Monte for his first goal of the night at three minutes, 20 seconds in the first period.
Princeton would add another goal at 10:02 of the second, when freshman defenseman Luc Paquin scored the first goal of his collegiate career.
Skating four-on-four, Paquin brought the puck up the ice out of the Princeton zone and watched his shot ricochet off the crossbar before finding the back of the net.
The Tigers had to withstand an Engineer offensive assault in the last half of the second period; Rensselaer scored once just seconds after Paquin's goal and then again with only 22 seconds left in the period to tie the game.
Del Monte would score once again early in the third period to give the Tigers their first win outside of Baker Rink and only the second game when they scored more than two goals.
Princeton does not play again until Dec. 28 when the team hosts Notre Dame for a two-game series.
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.