Men's hockey falls to Clarkson, St. Lawrence

The fates of hockey, which had turned a blind eye to the Tigers during winter break, showed their malice again over Intersession as Princeton (5-16-1 overall, 5-9-1 Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference) dropped two conference games against Clarkson and St. Lawrence but won the statistically unimportant exhibition match against the U.S. National Under-18 Team.

Redemption was on the Tigers' minds last Friday, as they headed to Postdam, N.Y., to challenge Clarkson (11-10-5, 6-6-2), the team whose last victory over the Tigers came on a goal in the last 16 seconds of overtime. This time, however, the Golden Knights put the pressure on early and got a break at seven minutes, 29 seconds after one of their shots deflected off a Princeton defender's skate for the goal. Building momentum, Clarkson was then able to capitalize on a rush pass at 13:16, ending the period at 2-0.

After a slow and scoreless second period, both teams stepped up the intensity in the third period with Clarkson netting its third goal at 1:38. The Tigers, aware of the mounting deficit, were quick to answer back with freshman forward Grant Goeckner-Zoeller slipping one in 12 seconds later. Although the gap was narrowed, 3-2, thanks to sophomore forward Pat Neundorfer, the Golden Knights buckled down for the win.

The next day, Princeton continued its road trip through upstate New York to take on St. Lawrence (5-8-1, 9-15-4). Whether it was fatigue from the previous day's play or an underestimation of the opposition, Saturday's 5-0 loss was a surprising one for the Tigers, whose last encounter against the Saints resulted in a 5-5 tie.

St. Lawrence's first goal was scored after a bad bounce off a Princeton defender, grazing sophomore goalie Eric Leroux's shoulder for an unlucky 1-0 lead at 2:30. Play continued back and forth until the Saints' Adam Hogg finished off his own rebound to close the period 2-0.

The Tigers' downward slide continued in the second period as the Saints netted a quick power play goal two minutes into the second and slid a short-sided goal in the net 10 minutes later.

Princeton, generally strong in the third, did not come out with their usual fervor. Although the Tigers were able to match St. Lawrence's play and stifle the Saints' scoring opportunities throughout the period, they were unable to create and capitalize on scoring chances of their own. With 22 seconds left in the third, St. Lawrence sniped their final goal for the shutout.

Despite the two losses, the break did hold a 5-3 win for Princeton against the National Development Team on Jan. 25. Through smart and physical play, the Tigers showed how much difference a few more years can make in terms of physical development and experience. Head coach Len Quesnelle '88 took the opportunity to exercise his entire bench.

Senior forward Sharam Fouladgar-Mercer and sophomore forward Dustin Sproat stepped up, scoring two goals each. Freshman forward Kevin Westgarth also had a stellar game, using his physical presence to create plays and pressure offensively. Senior Dan Hursh scored an insurance goal for the Tigers as well.