The men's hockey team had an uncharacteristically off-year, finishing 3-26-2 overall and just 2-18-2 in the Eastern College Athletic Conference. For most of the season the Tigers struggled to find a rhythm and to develop consistency, particularly on defense. They surrendered 140 goals in 31 games, ensuring that every game was an adventure for Princeton goaltenders. The young Tiger squad had its moments, but struggled to play quality hockey for three periods in any given game.
Princeton's season got off to an auspicious start as the Tigers defeated the U.S. National Under-18 Team by a score of 3-1 in an exhibition match in Baker Rink. Princeton then defeated a team from Western Ontario in another exhibition contest, tallying five goals in a shutout victory.
However, once the regular season officially got underway victories were few and far between for the Tigers, despite strong showings during the preseason.
Rocky start
Though the hockey season began on Nov. 1 of 2002, Princeton did not claim its first victory of the season until two weeks later. The Tigers went five-and-out before finally breaking into the win column against ECAC rival Rensselaer with a 4-3 victory at home.
Princeton's first win of the season versus the Engineers was the coming out party for sophomore goaltender Trevor Clay, who posted 42 saves on the night, including 39 in the final two periods of play.
After dispatching the Engineers, it looked as though the Tigers were heading in the right direction. Unfortunately for Princeton, it did not win another contest until the end of December. Not surprisingly, the Tigers' second win of the season came against none other than Rensselaer by a score of 4-3 in the Engineers' annual tournament. Once again, Trevor Clay stood tall for Princeton with 41 saves in a closely contested battle. With the win, the Tigers took third place at the Rensselaer HSBC Holiday Hockey Tournament, ending the year 2002 on somewhat of a high note.
It was also in the final weeks of 2002 that the team traveled to England to play against some of that nation's best teams, giving the Tigers a chance to develop their game on Europe's larger ice surface.
Princeton started off the New Year with losses to Ohio State and Brown before defeating Harvard on the road, 2-1. The Tigers' win over the then-no. 12 Crimson was the high point of the year for Princeton, and it was also the last time the Tigers enjoyed the thrill of victory during the 2002-2003 campaign. Princeton headed into Harvard's Bright Hockey Center on January 11 as huge underdogs, but nevertheless managed to come away with a victory when all was said and done on a pair of goals by junior Chris Owen.
Princeton ended its season at Brown in the opening round of the ECAC Tournament. The Tigers were swept in a two-game series by the Bears, 2-1 and 3-1. Princeton finished last in the ECAC standings with six points as a result of its two wins and two ties in conference play.
The end of the 2002-2003 season saw the career of five seniors come to a close. Most notably, senior forward and team captain George Parros finished his Tiger career with 20 goals and 32 assists in 111 games played. Parros had seven assists his senior year and made the ECAC All-Academic team for the third time.
As for the future of the men's hockey program, things look very bright. The team's biggest offensive threat in Owen will be back after recording 17 goals and six assists his junior year. He led the Tigers in goals and tied sophomore forward Mike Patton for most points with 23. Patton notched ten goals and 13 assists in 31 games.
Freshman forward Dustin Sproat played in 30 games for Princeton, registering three goals and eight assists. He was honored with the Hobey Baker Trophy at the annual hockey banquet as the team's top freshman player.
In net, the Tigers have two promising goaltenders in Clay and freshman Eric Leroux. Clay was in net for all three of Princeton's victories and posted a .879 save percentage, compared to Leroux's .884 save percentage. Both netminders will compete for the starting job next season.
After surviving the growing pains of this past year, Princeton will no doubt enter its next season with a lot to prove to both itself and the hockey world.
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