Men's hockey hopes to turn around year in time for playoffs

The men's hockey team has only 10 games left to turn its season around to prepare for the Eastern College Athletic Conference playoffs, beginning with a home game against Dartmouth on Feb. 2.

Even with the difficulties the Tigers (3-16-0 overall, 2-10-0 ECAC) have had this season, there have been some bright spots of late.

Most recently, Princeton upset No. 12 Harvard, 2-1, and sophomore goaltender Trevor Clay was named ECAC goalie of the week for his 45-save night.

Even with only four points in the league standings, a mark that leaves them in last place in the ECAC, the Tigers are only four points behind the eighth place team Vermont. Princeton is also only two points behind the team directly in front of it, Rensselaer.

With a remaining schedule heavy on ECAC competition, and the win over Harvard to build on, the team should be in a good position to make a run at the ECAC playoffs, a fact hard to believe for a team that has only a handful of wins on the season.

The win over Harvard was just the third of the season and the first in 2003. The last time the Tigers won was back on Dec. 29 over Rensselaer at the RPI Tournament.

The biggest challenge for Princeton the rest of the way will be scoring goals. The team has found the back of the net only 37 times this season, an average of just under two goals each game. It can be hard enough to win when scoring only two goals, but even harder when giving up nearly five goals each time out.

The good news is that the Tigers open up the home stretch of the season with five straight home contests against teams they can beat — if they play well.

First on the list is Dartmouth, a team that has played just .500 hockey in the ECAC to this point in the season.

The Big Green (9-7-1, 5-5-0), are among the league-leading teams in terms of scoring — they trail league-leading Harvard by only three goals on the season. The Tigers will have opportunities to score, as well in this match-up as Dartmouth has given up 66 goals so far in the 2002-2003 campaign.

While the pressure of being in last place means that every team Princeton plays will be ahead of them in the standings, most of the remaining 10 games will come against squads that are only a few spots ahead — and, more importantly, just a few points ahead.

The most difficult of the remaining games will be against Cornell, the second-place team in the ECAC.

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

The Big Red (14-3-0, 9-1-0) shut out the Tigers in their last meeting back in early November. Despite a 26-save effort from Clay, the team could not find the back of the net, forcing Cornell goalie David LeNevue to make just 16 saves in three periods. Fortunately for the Tigers, they play Cornell at Baker Rink and not up in Ithaca, N.Y.

Of course, even if the team fails to make the ECAC tournament, the Tigers have certainly seen some encouraging signs even in a dismal season in terms of their record.

So even without a playoff berth and the chance to play for a spot in the Frozen Four, even in the depths of what must be a disappointing season, there are reasons to be hopeful on both the offensive and defensive sides of the puck for the Tigers.