Clarkson: Tigers' first-round foe

For the seventh time since the inception of both programs, No. 9 Princeton and No. 8 Clarkson will meet in the first round of the East Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC) Hockely League playoffs. The last three playoff meetings have all ended with a victory for the Golden Knights.

But this time, Princeton has a good chance to return from upstate New York with a ticket to the quarterfinals. During the regular season, the teams split their two games, with each team winning at its home rink. Unfortunately for the Tigers, the three-game series that begins tonight will take place at Clarkson's Cheel Arena.

The Golden Knights (16-15-3, 9-11-2 ECAC) have only lost two games on their home ice all season, posting a 12-2 record there. In the teams' November meeting, the energized crowd helped Clarkson jump out of the gates with intensity, generating the first few scoring chances of the game. Likewise, in January when both teams met at Baker Rink, the Golden Knights out-shot the Tigers 13-4 in the first period.

"Mental toughness will be a big part of our success because Clarkson's rink is a tough environment to play in, especially in the playoffs," senior captain Patrick Neundorfer said. "They consistently have sold out crowds that are not afraid to get rowdy. It will be key to come out and gain some momentum right away."

Princeton (10-16-2, 7-12-3 ECAC) seems to gain this momentum when it comes out in the first period playing its fast-paced game. Luckily, the Golden Knights have a similar style of play and this creates a favorable match-up for the Tigers.

"The way that we try to play is the same against all of our opponents, but we generally match up well against fast teams because that is the style we like to play," junior forward and leading scorer Grant Goeckner-Zoeller said. "We know that we have to go in and put on as much pressure as we can to hopefully come out with two wins."

This pressure can best be applied on special teams, the aspect of the game which tends to have the largest impact on wins and losses in post-season play.

"The power play is always important, but when your season depends on the result of a single game it can be even more so. Power play goals generate momentum and take pressure off of even-strength play."

Because of this fact, this week's practices have focused on improving the Tigers' special teams play, which is now ranked fourth in the league. Over the final few weeks of the season, Princeton scored 27 of its 60 goals on the power play.

"This week we have been working on our special teams," Neundorfer said. "Clarkson is a physical team and has been known to take a lot of penalties, so having our power play clicking going into the weekend will be important."

Besides the physical resilience Princeton will have to display this weekend in order to counter Clarkson's attack, they will also have to maintain their self-control and not retaliate against the Golden Knights' physicality.

"Whenever we play Clarkson we know it is going to be a physical game, won by battles in the corner and gritty goals," Neundorfer said. "It will also be important for us to keep our composure, as the game will likely get physical and chippy."

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The Tigers will be led on defense by first-team all-Ivy selection, senior goaltender Eric Leroux, who will have to neutralize the Golden Knights' early attacks and minimize the traffic in front of the net.

"For us to be defensively successful," Leroux said, "we need to communicate on the ice so that we help one another while reducing the chances of getting caught out of position."

Beyond the momentum the Tigers will need to generate in the first period, the team is entering the game with another type of momentum after coming off of a three-point weekend at Brown and Yale.

Clarkson, on the other hand, is entering the weekend with the wrong kind of momentum after coming off of a pair of losses last weekend against Harvard and Dartmouth.

While history plays no role in the present, Princeton has struggled against Clarkson in the past. The Tigers are 21-65-5 all-time in the series and have only won two games out of 31 in Potsdam, N.Y. Princeton's win in January broke a 17-game, seven-year winless streak against the Golden Knights.

In the ECAC Hockey League playoffs, the Tigers are 14-31-1 all-time and are 8-25-0 on the road in playoff contests. Last season, St. Lawrence quickly dispatched Princeton in just two games in the opening round.

Princeton must eliminate all mistakes in order to avoid this outcome.

"Clarkson is a great team with skilled forwards, good goaltending and rowdy fans," Leroux said. "Having both won and lost to them, the playoff series is a big test for our program and one that we are excited for."