Men's hockey looks to stop losing skid

After having been feasted upon by its league opponents in its last three games, the men's hockey team looks to get back to its winning ways as it faces off against ninth-ranked Quinnipiac on Saturday afternoon in Connecticut in the back-end of a home-and-home. Last night, the Bobcats beat the Tigers at Baker Rink, 3-2. Princeton (2-7 overall, 1-6 Eastern College Athletic Conference Hockey League) currently ranks four points behind Quinnipiac (9-6, 3-4) in the ECACHL standings. A sweep for the Bobcats in this home-and-home will put them right in the middle of the pack in the league standings.

Just like Princeton, the Bobcats are coming off of a weekend in which they were swept by St. Lawrence and Clarkson in northern New York. After losing its first two games, Quinnipiac went on a tear, winning its next eight before stumbling in its last four. This is the final road game for the Bobcats in a stretch of five straight.

Besides the Bobcats' downward spiraling momentum, Princeton also has history on its side. The Tigers have won five straight midweek games in its past two seasons of play.

But Princeton cannot simply rely on history to get a win on Saturday. Led by senior captain and forward Patrick Neundorfer, who will suit up in his 100th career game for the Tigers, and junior forward Grant Goeckner-Zoeller, the Tiger offense will have to reawaken after a somewhat-dormant opening eight games.

Goeckner-Zoeller, who scored a goal in each of the games last weekend, leads the team with five goals on the season. Freshman forward Brett Wilson and Neundorfer have each added two. Since missing the first four games due to injury, Wilson has tallied a point in each of his last four games.

The Tigers can be pleased, however, with the balanced nature of their scoring thus far. The team's 17 goals have come from 11 different scorers, and 14 different players have registered assists this season.

While Princeton's offense has not been as dominant as last season, its defense and goaltending have more than made up for it. The Tigers have held their opponents to three goals or less, not including empty-net goals, in 75 percent of its games and two goals or less in half of its games.

But the Tiger defense will find itself challenged this weekend as junior Quinnipiac defenseman and returning Hobey Baker award finalist Reid Cashman enters Baker Rink. He currently leads all Division I hockey players in assists with 20, while his 21 total points are second in the nation. He leads the ECAC in both of these categories.

The Bobcats' other emerging offensive threat is freshman forward David Marshall, who is second on the team in total points (15). He leads the league in goals scored with 11 and is second among all freshmen in points.

This game is the first in a stretch of three road games for the Tigers. After starting the season with the majority of its games on the road, Princeton will finish the season with eight of 13 games in the friendly confines of Baker Rink.