After win at Harvard, m. hockey looks ahead to weekend

The men's hockey team's thoughts are focused completely on itself this weekend. This isn't to say that the Tigers' are a conceited lot, but are instead a team whose focus is on their practice and their performance instead of on that of the other teams'.

"This year it's more about what we're expecting to do in practice," head coach Len Quesnelle '88 said, explaining the team's focus.

Princeton (1-5-1 overall, 1-3-1 Eastern College Athletic Conference) hopes to utilize home ice to its advantage when it hosts Vermont on Friday and Dartmouth on Saturday for what have the potential to be two thrillers. Both games are at 7 p.m. in Baker Rink.

Last year, the Tigers staved off a loss to Vermont until the very end, exchanging goals through regulation time and pushing the game well into overtime before falling, 5-4.

This year, the Catamounts (0-7-2, 0-4-0) have had a slow opening to the season. Vermont's weakness lies in its starts — the team generally gets fired up in the later periods — so Princeton should look to jump ahead from the get-go.

When they do get in gear, however, the Catamounts can be exceptionally good at closing those gaps quickly, turning what would seem like an easy win for their opponents into a struggle for victory. If the Tigers can jump out to a lead then they will need their defense to hold this advantage.

"We're going to try and bear down on our defensive zone coverage and play strong team defense," sophomore defender Seamus Young said.

The game comparisons between the teams would suggest parity as well. Although Vermont fell to Harvard two weeks ago, 6-4, and Princeton took a 4-2 win against the Crimson last week, the Catamounts fared better against Brown, losing 3-1, than did the Tigers, who lost 5-1.

"So far this year, Vermont has struggled, so the goal is to come out and get a win," junior golie Trevor Clay said.

A win against Dartmouth may be within reach as well for Princeton, which will take on the Big Green the next day.

Dartmouth has a few exceptionally skilled players, but the team overall lacks consistency. The Tigers, who have also been plagued by similar problems, will have to work out their own chinks and capitalize on their opponents' mistakes in order to win.

"The coach is getting us working on some shooting drills and making sure the lines are working together," Clay explained.

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In the last Tiger-Big Green encounter, Dartmouth ran ahead at the start, forcing Princeton to play catchup. Princeton came back, but only partially, falling 3-2.

Princeton, however, knows its own weaknesses and has been focusing on offensive cohesion and consistency in practice.

"I think we're really trying to focus on generating some offense," Clay said, "trying to get the guys to use some speed and score some goals consistently."

Indeed, this season may be one of change, with the Big Green's scores against Brown and Harvard fueling hopes of a Tiger win.

Dartmouth's victory over Brown this season was due almost entirely to junior Lee Stempniak, who netted a hat trick in the 3-0 shutout. The spark that was present against the Bears deserted the Big Green the next day as they listlessly took a 2-2 tie against Harvard.

Against inconsistent Dartmouth and slow-starting Vermont, the Tigers are hopeful entering the weekend. In their favor will be home ice advantage and the spirit of being the underdog.

"Dartmouth is a team that's right ahead of us in the standings right now," Young said, "and if we can beat them it would be a big step in the right direction for us and a chance to gain ground in the standings."

The Tigers will find sources of strength in their goalie, sophomore Eric Leroux, as well as in seniors Matt Maglione and Steve Slaton, both defenders, and forward Chris Owen. In search of consistency and strength, Princeton will need a team effort in order to cement weekend wins.