Men's hockey hopes to break out of funk against Harvard, Brown

Currently riding a five-game slump and sitting in last place in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Association, the men's hockey team is hard pressed these days to remember a time when it had reason to celebrate its play.

Surely, the Tigers (1-10-0 overall, 1-7-0 ECAC) have played moments of competitive hockey this season, though good play has been hard to come by and all too transient. Princeton is a young team suffering from the loss of their captain and offensive leader, still looking to find a consistent starter in net, and struggling to find an identity. The current Tigers might look back for inspiration to early March of last season, when they beat Brown, then Harvard to cap off a memorable last weekend of ECAC play.

The Tigers went into the last weekend of its 2001-2002 season in eighth place in the league, a precarious spot. At 8-10-2, a strong final showing was imperative in ensuring the Tigers a favorable ranking for the ECAC tournament. Led by the efforts of its senior class, playing in Baker Rink for the last time, Princeton was able to knock off Brown, 3-2, before ending its regular season with a shutout against Harvard, 3-0. The wins marked the first weekend sweep for Princeton since Feb. 11 and 12 of 2000. The victory over Harvard was especially significant in that it marked Princeton's first shutout over the Crimson in 50 years. The win was also the first career shutout for Princeton's goalie Dave Stathos '02.

Though the Tigers are in a markedly different position than last season, the stakes of this weekend's play against Harvard and Brown haven't changed all that much. The goal is still a simple one — to win — though its feasibility is much in question.

Princeton plays league-leader Harvard (7-3-0 overall, 7-2-0 ECAC) Friday night in a game that has the makings to be high scoring. Harvard has suffered two losses in the league. However, since losing its opening ECAC game to Brown, 4-0, the team has dominated its league opponents. Brown, who was led by the commanding play of its junior goalie Yann Danis, isn't a dominating team. The Bears were able to get to Harvard early, though, and sit on a lead. Cornell, who downed the Crimson, 5-2, in mid-November did the same in their victory, pulling out to a three-goal lead after two periods.

Defensively, Harvard is a solid team, ranked third in the league in total defense, though it is its offense that wins its games. Its 36 goals scored in league play is second behind Yale, with the Crimson averaging four goals a game. Harvard's offensive stars are Tim Pettit and Tyler Kolarik. Playing together on Harvard's top line, the juniors are tied for third place in the league in scoring. Both have six goals and seven assists, for a total of 13 points. Pettit, who also gets time on Harvard's 8th-ranked penalty killing unit, has scored two shorthanded goals this season.

"Harvard has a potent offense in the players they have right now," head coach Len Quesnelle '88 said.

If there ever was a time for the Tigers to sort out its goaltender problems, this weekend would be it. Princeton, which currently dresses three goalies — senior Nate Nomeland, sophomore Trevor Clay, and freshman Eric Leroux — has yet to find a permanent replacement for Dave Stathos '02, last year's starter.

"I think right now we're still in a search and discovery process with our goaltenders," Quesnelle said.

Currently, the three have been alternating starts, with Nomeland getting the nod in Princeton's last game against Massachusetts, a 5-3 loss. It was Clay in goal for Princeton's first and only win of the season, which came Nov. 16 against RPI, currently just a point ahead of Princeton in the standings.

A night later Princeton hosts Brown (4-4-1, 4-4-1) which, though currently sitting in 4th place in the league with nine points, has the ability to play competitively with any team in the league on any given night.

Brown's defense is tied for third in the league with Harvard, having given up just 21 goals this season in nine games of play. Brown's goalie Danis, a junior, brings to the table a save percentage of .913, while already earning two shutouts in league play this year.

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

The Bears came out of the gate strong this season, downing Harvard and then winning the next three out of four. Recently, however, the team has slumped, getting shut out by Colgate and Cornell in mid-November before playing an 0-1-1 weekend last week.

Brown plays Yale before traveling to Princeton, so the Tigers have the advantage of playing against a Bears team battered from its play against second-place Yale. This isn't saying much, as Princeton might be just as bruised after taking on league-leader Harvard Friday night.