Lethargy, tough opponents have men's hockey in winter slump

Seasonal affective disorder. It is more commonly called winter depression, and most likely it is making you stay in bed a bit longer these days wishing it were summer once again.

Recently, it seems as if the men's hockey team has a more than mild case of this more than common affliction. With the coming of the cold this year — and the beginning of the hockey season — the team has found itself in a slump recently in which their play has seemed lethargic, even depressed. While most of us can wait out the season of cold to hope for a better time once the days get warmer and longer, Princeton's only hope is to battle back before it becomes too late.

The team is in the midst of a five-game losing streak and is in last place in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference with a 1-7-0 record.

In its most recent ECAC contests against Yale, Princeton fell in both games, losing the first at home, 7-1, before getting blown out in Yale's own arena, 6-1, just days later.

With league-leader Harvard and fourth-place Brown on the horizon in this weekend's play, Princeton's schedule is not getting any easier.

Aware of this fact, the Tigers have been focusing most recently on curing some of the causes of woes that have plagued them in this still early season.

Recent focus has not been on worrying about the strength of upcoming opponents but rather on digging deep down inside and regaining lost confidence and a sense of purpose.

Offensively, the team has struggled. In its last five games, Princeton has been outscored 26-11. While last season the Tigers endured a similar scoring slump, their problem was not in creating opportunities but, instead, in finishing on those opportunities. This year's team has lacked the quality scoring chances, though it has the offensive talent to produce.

"We have some depth at front," head coach Len Quesnelle '88 said. "It comes down to guys having confidence with the puck and creating opportunities for linemates."

As in any slump, the team's morale is low and doubts are circulating around the locker room. Though winning is a quick way to boost morale, Quesnelle sees an easier solution.

"The morale starts with the coaching staff," Quesnelle said. "The coaching staff has tried to hammer home the point that you can't control the past. It's starting to sink in." The absence of senior offenseman George Parros is a large handicap to a team that has scored the fewest goals in the league, with 22 in eight games. Parros, the team's captain, is, at six feet, five inches and 220 pounds, Princeton's most physically intimidating player, and his absence greatly hurts the team, already considered undersized. Parros, who has missed six games, went down with a leg injury in mid-November.

"George's physical presence is something we need in our lineup," Quesnelle said. "He sparks our entire bench when he goes out there and plays physical."

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

In addition to providing a physical presence, Parros is also the team's offensive leader. Drafted by the NHL's Los Angeles Kings in the 8th round of the entry draft, Parros has made a name of himself with not only his size but also his scoring touch, finishing second on the team last year with a career-high 22 points.

Princeton matches up this weekend with two teams that will test it both defensively and offensively.

Friday night the Tigers host Harvard which, with 14 points and a 7-2-0 league record, stands alone in first place.

While Princeton battled the ECAC's two top-scorers last weekend — Yale's Evan Wax and Ryan Steeves — and allowed the duo a combined seven points, the team needs to pay more attention to Harvard's scoring pair of Tyler Kolarik and Tim Pettit, who are tied in third place in the league in scoring.

Saturday night Princeton plays Brown, going against one of the ECAC's top goalkeepers in Yann Danis.

Princeton capped off its season last year with a weekend sweep of Brown and Harvard. In order for the team to have any similar s*uccess, Quesnelle says, it needs to begin to compete in the same way it did last season against these Ivy League rivals.

"To compete," Quesnelle said, "you need to play hard and play smart. I don't think we've shown that consistently. When you start to put those together, then you're competing."