Men's hockey picks up first win against ECAC-favorite Harvard

So much for home ice advantage. The men's hockey team (1-5-1 overall, 1-3-1 Eastern College Athletic Conference) seriously should consider forsaking Baker Rink and moving all its games to Bright Hockey Arena. Princeton's 4-2 upset victory on Friday night at Harvard took place in the rink where the Tigers now have emerged without a loss for the past four years.

Witnesses to the Princeton triumph over Harvard (1-2-1, 1-2-1) not only viewed a lull in the team's scoring drought but also glimpsed the promise lurking within this young Princeton team. Unfortunately for the Tigers, their success does not extend out of Cambridge, as they subsequently fell to Brown (4-1-0, 4-1-0) the following night, 5-1.

While in Bright, however, the Tigers were able to pull a rabbit out of their hats by scoring four third period goals to climb out of an early 2-0 hole. The Crimson appeared to be in complete control of the game — Princeton unleashed only 10 shots in the first 40 minutes, and its lack of consistent forechecking was a distinctive defensive liability. Content to protect the lead, Harvard shifted into a neutral zone trap. In retrospect, however, the Crimson would have been well-advised to revert to more freewheeling ways as their defense was unable to hold the advantage.

The comeback was even more implausible given the nadir the Tigers hit at the beginning of the third period. During an almost two minute five-on-three power play advantage, they managed only three shots on goal and gave up a breakaway opportunity to Harvard.

Then, Princeton's momentum-shifting ghosts of recent games past descended from the Bright rafters, energizing the Tigers and leaving the Crimson reeling. Although none of the goals were pretty or especially well designed, they all found their way into the back of the net and secured Princeton's first win of the season.

The Tigers' offensive onslaught in the third period began with a goal created by freshman forward Ian McNally's aggressive mucking along the right side boards. He directed the puck toward goal, where fellow classmate and forward Kevin Westgarth knocked it between the pipes. A little under six minutes later, at 13 minutes, nine seconds into the frame, junior forward Mike Patton won one of his 14 faceoffs on the day and tapped the puck back to sophomore defender Seamus Young on the point. Young waited for the Harvard defender to commit, and then performed a brilliant deke at the blueline before whistling a floater through traffic that Crimson goalie John Daigneau failed to trap.

Senior forward Sharam Fouladgar-Mercer controlled a clean, cross-ice pass from junior forward Neil Stevenson-Moore in the top of the left circle and forced Daigneau to commit to the right side of the slot before skipping the game-winning shot through his legs at 15:19 of the third period. Although the Harvard players fiercely pressured sophomore goaltender Eric Leroux in the final period, including a pointblank attempt with just minutes remaining, he earned his first win of the season with 28 saves. The insurance goal came via the empty-netter by Patton.

The night after their impressive victory against Harvard, however, the Tigers could not repeat those efforts and fell to the Brown ghost-busters in Meehan Auditorium, 5-1. The Bears rocketed to a quick start thanks to freshman forward Sean Dersch's goal at 2:41 in the first period, a score made possible by a defensive lapse.

"Their goals were a result of our mistakes," Patton observed. "We didn't get outplayed that badly, but we really have to minimize those mistakes."

The Bears' first line, comprised of Brian Ihnacak, Brent Robinson and Les Haggett, was inexorable. They combined for four goals and six assists on the night. The line's domination on the power play was of highlight film quality; its movement without the puck was amazing, forcing the Tiger defense around like pawns in a chess game on the way to scoring three power play goals.

"We're just getting outworked on the penalty kill," Patton said. "Our forechecks didn't keep them out of the zone, and we let them set up too early."

Princeton looked for another third-period comeback. Freshman forward Grant Goeckner-Zoeller collected a flip pass from senior defenseman Steve Slaton and dumped it into the net to halt Brown goalie Yann Danis' shutout stretch at 162:30. However, that was their only offensive spark. Leroux's 24 saves were no match for the complete team effort by the Bears.