Losses of Schneider, Nomeland hinder m. hockey in three losses

It was a holiday to forget about for the men's ice hockey team. After losing senior captain David Schneider to a broken foot and junior goalie Nate Nomeland to a fractured left hand, the team lost three of its four games during Winter Break.

The Tigers dropped their last two games of 2001 and then lost one of two to begin 2002. Princeton was swept on consecutive nights by Notre Dame (7-8-5), 2-1 and 4-2, a team that they had previously beaten nine straight times. A week later the team earned a split decision against Bowling Green (6-14-4), winning the first game, 4-2, but then dropping the second a night later, 2-1.

Before the trip even started the Tigers were handed bad news, that both Schneider, a defensemen, and Nomeland would be out of the lineup for four to six weeks. Schneider, the anchor on defense and the team's third leading scorer, fractured a bone in his left foot while blocking a shot at Union on Dec. 7. As if that wasn't enough, junior Nate Nomeland was sidelined after fracturing his catching hand during practice.

In Baker Rink Dec. 28, the Irish had all the luck against a team they'd never had any against, downing the Tigers, 2-1. After a 20-day layoff, Princeton looked sluggish in non-conference contest. Freshman goalie Trevor Clay, now second-string goaltender with Nomeland's injury, started in goal. For Clay, a former member of the Trail Smoke Eaters of the British Columbia Hockey League and the league's best goalie in 1998 and 1999, this start in goal, his first as a Tiger, was nerve-racking. The freshman let in two early goals, but then was solid for the game's last forty minutes. All in all, he stopped 41 shots, including 17 in the first period.

Clay couldn't be blamed too much for the early blemishes. Notre Dame's first goal was off a turnover at the blue line. The Fighting Irish's leading goal scorer David Inman headed a 2-on-1 rush, and his centering pass deflected off of Tiger defenseman Neil McCann and past Clay. The second goal was on a power play.

Princeton played catch-up from there, but waited until the last minutes to make their mark. The Tigers' leading scorer, senior forward David Del Monte, scored Princeton's first goal at 18:20 of the third period, but with Clay pulled in the game's final minute Princeton was unable to even the score.

A night later, in front of 2,552 fans at Trenton's Sovereign Bank Arena, Princeton was again able to close the game to within a goal in the final minutes, but a Notre Dame empty netter sealed the 4-2 victory. Senior goalie Dave Stathos was in net for this game, the final one of 2001, and stopped 40 shots in another solid Tiger goaltending performance. Princeton's offense started strong but then simmered down. Senior forward Brad Parsons, who was third on the team last year in scoring, scored his first goal of the season after being sidelined due to injury, tying the game at one apiece. But a quick Princeton penalty following the goal opened the door for another Notre Dame score, and the Fighting Irish didn't look back from there, scoring another two by the game's end.

Though 2001 didn't end so memorably, 2002 began at least a little better. The Tigers were able to win one of two contests against Bowling Green in Ohio. The Tigers quickly put to death an eight-game losing streak to the Falcons, defeating them 4-2 in the first contest off junior forward Scott Prime's game-winner midway through the third period. After getting outshot miserably against Notre Dame a week before, 87-51, Princeton was able to outshoot Bowling Green 33-22. The Tigers have won all three games in which they have outshot their opponents.

Princeton, however, didn't outshoot the Falcons a night later dropping a close 2-1 game to finish the break 1-3. Clay, coming off a solid performance in his first collegiate start, had another promising game. Again, as was the case a week before, Princeton couldn't help Clay with some offense of its own.

Brad Parsons netted his second goal of the season on the power play, ending Princeton's 0-for-14 power-play slump, when a centering pass intended for Del Monte deflected off of the Bowling Green net minder. But just as the power play drought ended another one might have begun as the Tigers were unable to capitalize on a 5-on-3 advantage for a full two minutes with 7:59 to play in the second.