Harvard win overshadows rocky break for m. hockey

The holiday schedule for the Princeton men's hockey team could best be described as one memorable, hard-earned, gilt-wrapped present bracketed by a number of sacks of coal. The game worth keeping was a victory over Harvard; those more forgettable were losses to Northeastern, Minnesota, Miami (Ohio) and Merrimack (twice). Still, with the second part of the season remaining, the Tigers (5-13-0 overall, 5-6 Eastern College Athletic Conference) already have improved on last year's three wins.

Despite a 4-0 loss to Northeastern in the first leg of Princeton's short trip up to Boston to begin Winter Break, that game would soon be forgotten as the Tigers played Harvard three nights later.

The Princeton-Harvard match-up on Dec. 16 featured, in "Lord of the Rings" fashion, a major battle for mid-ice. After the Tigers surprised the Crimson (7-8-2 overall, 5-6-1 Eastern College Athletic Conference) in their previous meeting by a score of 4-2, thoughts of revenge were the foundations of Harvard's game plan. However, with determined defense, a complete 60 minutes of steady play, and two hard-fought goals, Princeton completed the season sweep by a 2-1 margin. The key to victory against a physically commanding Harvard team was the aggressive forechecking the Tigers used to assert control.

"We had some guys who really contributed physically and established a physical presence for us," head coach Len Quesnelle '88 said.

After a scoreless first period in which the Crimson managed only five shots on goal and Princeton struggled to get three, the Tigers drew first blood midway through the second period on their 15th power-play goal of the year. However, Harvard evened the score just three minutes later.

Still, the game would not end there. Less than a minute into the final frame, sophomore forward Patrick Neundorfer threaded a pass into the slot where senior forward Chris Owen had set up camp. As Harvard's goaltender tried to react, Owen slipped it through the five-hole for the game-winning goal. Sophomore goalie Eric Leroux finished with 31 saves, including a huge stop on a shorthanded breakaway by Crimson forward Tyler Kolarik with six minutes remaining.

"We came out tonight, in a close game, with it 1-1 going into the third, and we pretty much dominated a pretty good team," senior defender Steve Slaton said. "We gave them nothing, and we earned the win."

Riding high from the Crimson win, the men's hockey team took its talent to Minneapolis, Minn., for the Dodge Holiday Classic Tournament where it faced the University of Minnesota (9-8-3 overall), the two-time defending national champion. Unfortunately for Princeton, the encounter did not have the triumphant David and Goliath finale, ending 9-0 in favor of the Golden Golphers.

Although the first period started out with considerable parity, as the Tiger defense held Minnesota to just one shot in the first ten minutes, that effort could not be maintained.

The Golden Golphers soon took control, out-shooting the Tigers, 14-3, while only finding the net once.

A mere 24 seconds into the second stanza, Minnesota's Chris Harrington set the tempo with a wrister from the slot. By the end of the period, the Tigers found themselves with a five-goal deficit and no reprieve in sight.

The following day, Princeton fared better against No. 13 Miami (11-7-2, overall), but the team still did not play up to its full potential and took the 5-3 loss.

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They did compete, but only for the better part of the first period, allowing only one Miami goal at 14:02.

In the second period, the Tigers were outshot, 20-4, though managed to match Miami's two goals with two of their own. Sophomore defender Seamus Young was first to put Princeton on the board, capitalizing on a power-play opportunity three minutes into the period. The Tigers finished the period strong as sophomore forward Sebastian Borza, recently back from a knee injury, demonstrated his remarkable recovery, capitalizing on his shot at 19:00 to close the gap, 3-2.

Miami, however, would insist on having the last say, adding two more goals to take the win.

"I think it was a wakeup-call," said Powe about the trip to Minnesota. "I think we realized that we have to bring effort wherever we play and whoever we play."

After an all-too-short five day break for Christmas, Princeton began to prep again for a two-day showdown against Merrimack in Baker Rink. Friday's game saw a slow start for the Tigers, as the Warriors quickly pulled ahead, 2-0.

In the second, penalty trouble caused Princeton to fall behind by yet another goal, with the Warriors taking advantage of a 5-on-3 at 15:25.

Though typically strong in the third period, the Tigers were not at their best in this game, and sophomore forward Dustin Sproat's 5:50 goal was the only thing that kept them from a shutout, as the game ended, 5-1.

Merrimack completed the weekend sweep of the Tigers with a 3-0 win at Princeton on Saturday night. Although the score was not as lopsided as the previous night and the Tigers' effort showed a marked improvement, Princeton continued to be maligned offensively. The Tigers managed only 11 shots throughout the entire game and failed to capitalize on seven power play opportunities.