Goalie leads Brown against m. hockey

In the words of legendary baseball manager Tommy Lasorda, "the difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person's determination."

The challenge facing the men's hockey team this weekend requires just such extreme resolution and dogged team-wide willpower. The Tigers (5-16-1 overall, 5-8-1 ECAC) must discover some way to breach the seemingly impenetrable brick wall that has protected the Brown net this season in the form of Hobey Baker Award candidate Yann Danis.

Only two goalies in history have received college hockey's top individual prize, but the Bears (12-5-4, 10-3-1) have launched an ambitious campaign to recognize Danis' notable season. Not only does he boast an astronomical .951 save percentage, but he has also given up one goal or fewer in 17 of his 20 games this season.

"To beat a goalie like Danis, we are going to have to crash the net hard and shoot the puck as much as possible," senior forward Sharam Fouladgar-Mercer said.

The majority of Princeton's goals this season have come from hard work in front of the net. No matter how skilled a goalie is, it is extremely difficult to defend shots in the slot off second and third rebounds. Through a reliance on screens and the application of continued offensive pressure, the Tigers may be able to do what very few teams have accomplished this year — beat Danis.

Brown in control

Brown has earned its national rank of No. 12 and first place ranking in the ECAC with its impressive play against traditional powerhouses. In addition to a sound 5-1 defeat of Princeton earlier in the year, the Bears swept Harvard and recorded a win and tie against Cornell. Their hold on the conference lead has been buoyed by their current three-game winning streak.

While Brown's success has been sparked by Danis, the team has not lacked offensive power either. Forward Brian Ihnacak, three-time ECAC Rookie of the Week and four-time ECAC Honor Roll selectee, leads Brown with 25 points. He shares the offensive load with forwards Brent Robinson and Les Haggett, both of whom are tied with 22 points. With the security of Danis's goaltending behind them, the Bears often execute scoring explosions in which they quickly leave the opposition reeling. Unfortunately for the Tigers, this is exactly what they have fallen prey to during much of the season. With a penchant for the proverbial slow start and falling behind early, their recovery is by no means guaranteed.

The team has not lacked scoring chances but has had difficulty in translating opportunities into goals. Effort expended has not been the problem — inability to capitalize on those scoring chances is what has made it difficult to defeat quality opponents.

The responsibility for improving the offense cannot reside solely with one individual. This year, Princeton's offense has been distributed among myriad players; 12 members of the team have recorded two or more goals, and 11 have more than four assists.

However, like any team in any sport, the Tigers do need a goto guy, a person who can motivate the team and get the crucial goal. Freshman forward Grant Goeckner-Zoeller has already accumulated 16 points, a mark that is the highest freshman point total since 1998. With his skilled puck handling and speed, he may be the most likely candidate for the playmaker the team so desperately needs.

Fading away

After turning in a better-than-expected showing early this season and reaching an ECAC ranking apex of fourth place, Princeton has slipped back to No. 9 in the league. The Tigers are winless in their last eight games, excluding the exhibition win against the U.S. Under-18 Team. With seven games left in the regular season, the team needs to make this a positive home stretch. The Tigers are just two spots behind Harvard for the final home-ice playoff seed in the first round of the ECAC playoffs, a goal that is very much in their reach.

"As the end of the season approaches, we are looking forward to winning our share of games," Fouladgar-Mercer said. "We know we can win all of the upcoming games if we give 100 percent effort and play within our system. It comes down to a matter of heart and how badly we want to win."

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

The Brown game is the only one this weekend for men's hockey, which will have to wait until next Friday to lace up the skates when they take a New York road trip to face Cornell and Columbia.

Just four games remain on the schedule after that — road contests at Dartmouth (Feb. 20) and Vermont (Feb. 21) and home games against Rensselaer (Feb. 27) and Union (Feb. 28).