Eight goals equal one weekend win for men's hockey

Men's hockey (4-8-0 overall, 4-6-0 Eastern College Athletic Conference) was in the business of surprising this weekend as it demolished Union, 4-0, and unsuccessfully challenged Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 6-4, for what bookies were chalking up as a tough winter weekend for the Tigers.

For Princeton, its loss to RPI on Saturday night marked the sixth-straight Saturday on which the Tigers have lost.

Friday night, Union (7-3-3, 2-2-1), resting on its laurels, expected to match up against the same Princeton team it had defeated last season by 4-1 and 6-2 margins. It took the Tigers only two minutes, however, to shove the Dutchmen off their pedestal as senior forward Sharam Fouladgar-Mercer capitalized on a rebound produced by senior defender Matt Maglione's shot and drove it past Union goaltender Kris Mayotte.

"The Union game was definitely a game where we all pulled together and got key goals when we needed them," Fouladgar-Mercer said.

Although the rest of the first period went back and forth, Princeton had no intention of relinquishing its lead — a lead that was insured by solid goaltending, with sophomore goalie Eric Leroux denying all seven of Union's first period attempts.

No reprieve

Union saw no reprieve in the second period as Princeton rained shots on the Dutchmen's goal and outshot them, 11-2. Taking advantage of a power-play, freshman forward Grant Goekner-Zoeller fired a shot which was blocked by a Union defender, but sophomore forward Patrick Neundorfer was there to capitalize on the loose puck, scoring to extend the lead to 2-0.

Princeton's third goal was beautiful to behold. Sophomore forward Mark Masters fed sophomore forward Brian Carthas standing behind the net, who then made a Gretzky-like pass to senior forward Chris Owen, standing on the doorstep. Owen wristed it in at 13:26 of the period.

The third period was chock-full of penalties. Both teams racked up four each, a testament to the physicality and intensity of the final period.

Ten minutes into the period, it seemed as though Union was having a party in the penalty box with Joel Beal and Olivier Bouchard (serving for goaltender Mayotte) both penalized within 10 seconds of each other. Princeton seized its two-man up advantage as sophomore defender Seamus Young, assisted by junior forward Mike Patton, sealed the win.

"We were really prepared, we worked hard, and we seemed to get some good bounces because of that," Goeckner-Zoeller said.

Saturday troubles

Saturday, the Tigers ran into trouble even before entering Houston Fieldhouse, as their bus struggled up the last mile of the snow-and-ice-covered hill leading up to the rink.

The forty-minute delay may have played a part in the Tigers' slow first period start, with the Engineers (8-4-2, 3-1-1) greatly outshooting the Tigers, 14-5. Five minutes into the first, traffic in front of the goal resulted in a loose puck, which RPI's Alex Valentin slipped past a screened Leroux for the first goal of the night.

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"It seems that sometimes the mental focus isn't where it needs to be in the first period," Fouladgar-Mercer said of the team's slow start in Saturday's contest.

As the Tigers were still trying to find their legs, RPI continued to bear down. Two minutes later, a series of defensive mistakes allowed an Engineer two-on-one, resulting in the second goal of the night.

By the end of the first, Princeton was regaining momentum, but RPI managed to slip in one last goal on a power play before the end of the period.

The second period saw matched intensity, both teams bringing out the best in the other team's goaltender. Both Leroux and RPI's Nathan Marster's made 11 stops and allowed one goal apiece. The Tigers' first goal came at the end of the second with sophomore forward Dustin Sproat capitalizing on a power play with 1:20 left to play.

Final fury

A Princeton fervor marked the third period, and the Tigers immediately began finding the back of the net. Less than a minute into the period, Patton finished a goal off a great pass from Goeckner-Zoeller.

Five minutes later senior defenseman Steve Slaton positioned himself at the far side of the crease just in time to receive a pass and blast one by Marsters to narrow the gap to 4-3. Play went back and forth with RPI extending its lead with five minutes left. The Tigers' tenacity paid off with a goal at 19:21 to close the gap to 5-4.

With the intensity high and 53 seconds left to go, Princeton risked pulling Leroux for an extra player, a last-minute effort by head coach Len Quesnelle to get the equalizing goal.

RPI insisted on having the last word, nailing an empty net goal at 19:45.

A Union shutout and an impressive RPI third period comeback show the strength and skill of Princeton at its best, hustling, capitalizing on power plays, and defending the puck. The key for the Tigers now is finding consistency over a two-game weekend.

"I think right now we just have to concentrate on working together and working hard for three periods," said Goeckner-Zoeller. "If we can do that, we can compete with anyone."