Playing two of the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Hockey League's top five teams this weekend, the men's hockey team displayed a flair for the dramatic, but it still came home from upstate New York with two losses.
Princeton (2-6 overall, 1-5-0 ECACHL) forced Friday night's game against Clarkson into overtime and on Saturday night stayed with St. Lawrence until the final buzzer. Still, both the Golden Knights (7-3-1, 3-1-1) and the Saints (9-3-0, 5-1-0) netted late goals, leaving the Tigers wondering what might have been.
"It was two tough buildings to play in," said junior forward Grant Goeckner-Zoeller, who scored goals in both games. "And they're always ready to play."
After successfully defending against a few Clarkson scoring opportunities, the Tigers were the first to strike Friday in Cheel Arena. Midway through the first period, senior forward Brian Carthas knocked the puck from behind the net off Golden Knight goaltender David Leggio and into the net for his first goal of the season.
A couple minutes later, 13 minutes, six seconds into the first period, Clarkson forward Shawn Weller struck back, evening the score at 1-1. Assisted by Leggio and forward Shea Guthrie, Weller lifted the puck into the upper corner of the net over the blocker-hand of freshman goaltender Thomas Sychterz.
The second period unfolded in a manner similar to the first. Goecker-Zoeller scored on a penalty shot, giving Princeton a 2-1 lead.
After a crafty through-the-legs move, Goecker-Zoeller had a breakaway opportunity. He was hooked as he went to shoot and drew a penalty. On the penalty shot, Goecker-Zoeller faked a forehand shot and backhanded the puck through Leggio's legs.
At 19:31, Clarkson forward Brodie Rutherglen evened the score at two on an assist by forward Chris D'Alvise.
In the third period, the Golden Knights struck first on a power-play goal by Clarkson forward Mike Sullivan.
Freshman forward Brett Wilson then scored his second goal of the year for the Tigers, tying the game at three by putting away the rebound of a shot by sophomore defender Kyle Hagel.
The game remained knotted through the end of regulation and moved into overtime. Just 2:33 into the extra session, the Golden Knights ended the game when Weller scored his second goal of the game.
Despite the 4-3 loss, Princeton felt that it made strives during this game, which could have gone either way.
"We did a good job of getting the puck to the net," Goeckner-Zoeller said, "which is something we have been working on, getting more opportunities. But we were unable to finish and get the puck by."
Saints march in
On Saturday night against St. Lawrence, it was the Saints who struck first. The Saints capitalized on the combination of a Princeton turnover and a slow substitution 10:18 into the first period, giving St. Lawrence a three-on-one. Kevin DeVergilio scored on an assist by Brock McBride.
This lead would not last for long, though, as freshmen forwards Lee Jubinville and Brett Wilson assisted junior forward Brett Westgarth for a game-tying goal at 12:24 in the first. Westgarth bounced a slapshot off a Saints' stick and past goaltender Kevin Ackley, tying the game at one.
The Tigers struck again at 18:05. Junior forward Darroll Powe fired a shot wide after stealing the puck from forward Kyle Rank, and Goeckner-Zoeller tipped the shot in behind the St. Lawrence goalie.
The Saints evened the score at two when they scored the only goal of the second period. Assisted by Mike Madill, forward John Zeiler slapped the puck past Princeton senior goaltender Eric Leroux.
The last goal of the game came when St. Lawrence scored at 7:12 into the third. Forward Simon Watson scored the goal, retrieving the rebound off a Jamie Parker shot that was saved by Eric Leroux.
The Tigers had one more solid opportunity as the clock ran out. Jubinville fired a shot with one second left, but Ackley snagged it with his glove as time expired, preserving the 3-2 win for St. Lawrence.
"I think we played well," Carthas said. "We just made a couple of little mistakes that ended up costing us. We just could have stayed focused longer during key opportunities."
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