Princeton looks to continue its upward trend with strong new frosh

When the men's hockey team takes to the ice for the first time this season on Oct. 27, Princeton fans may find themselves scrambling to get acquainted with a revamped Tigers roster. With a team that boasts a new captain, a new starting goaltender and a brigade of no fewer than 10 new freshmen, the Orange and Black faithful will have their hands full tracking the slew of unfamiliar names and jersey numbers.

The major infusion of youth should provide a fresh spark to a Princeton team that, despite having improved its record each of the past three years, finished ninth in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Hockey League (ECACHL) standings last year and fell to Clarkson in the first round of the playoffs. For a team that graduated eight seniors this past June, the immediate coming of age of the Class of 2010 will be crucial to the team's success.

"They have to play a big role because we need them," head coach Guy Gadowsky said. "We are going to rely on them and expect them to contribute right away."

Of course, it doesn't hurt that the average height of the rookie class is over six feet.

"Automatically people will look and think, 'You brought in a lot of size.' Really that was more of a bonus, really we were after their hockey sense. Every one of the recruits was brought in because they have good hockey sense. They're all smart players," Gadowsky said.

Senior forward Grant Goeckner-Zoeller agrees with his coach's assessment of the freshmen.

"They all look really strong. Several will step in right away, so we should be ready to go right from the start," Goeckner-Zoeller said.

The Tigers are hopeful that the freshmen's strength will help the team return to the NCAA tournament, which they haven't been to since 1998, the year they captured the ECACHL title. Although the prospect of winning a title this season might be a little far-fetched, the players are optimistic about the direction the team is heading.

"Every new season you have a fresh start." Goeckner-Zoeller said. "We made a lot of strides last year, but we also lost a lot of close games, so this is a chance for us to keep improving and hopefully get some of those games to go our way."

"Our goal is obviously to improve on last year. I think we can move up in the standings and get home-ice advantage in the playoffs," senior forward Darroll Powe said, echoing Goeckner-Zoeller's sentiments.

Powe was recently named team captain, putting the burden of leadership on his shoulders.

"Obviously it's an honor. Everyone on the team is a great leader, everyone could really wear the 'C.' I just have to go out and do the same thing I've always done, just try and work hard and play our game," Powe said.

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The Goeckner-Zoeller and Powe duo will be key cogs in what looks to be a more balanced offensive attack than Princeton has had in years past. The squad returns its three top scorers, including 6-4 senior forward Kevin Westgarth, sophomore forward Brett Wilson and Goeckner-Zoeller, the team's leading scorer, in addition to adding quality newcomers.

"We have now offensive depth that we have not enjoyed in the past. We feel comfortable that every game we go into, we should be able to roster four good lines," Gadowsky said.

In recent years, the Tigers have emphasized the offense, playing a hard-nosed, up-tempo style of hockey that is difficult for opponents to play against.

"We're a pretty fast team. We got a lot of guys — vets and rookies — that are really quick. They like to move the puck really quickly and they're not afraid to bury the puck," senior goaltender B.J. Sklapsky said.

While his teammates will be responsible for burying said puck in the net, Sklapsky will be the man entrusted to keep it out. With the graduation of longtime starter Eric Leroux '06, Sklapsky enters the 2007-08 season as starting goaltender. Though many in the league would point to his relative inexperience as a possible weakness, Gadowsky disagrees.

"B.J. Sklapsky has already put in great games in this league. He already has shown the ability to win games on his own," Gadowsky said.

Sklapsky shrugs off the pressure that comes from handling the role of starting goaltender in an elite league.

"I'm just a part of the team. However we do as a team, that's how it's going to go. It all comes down to us being a team," he said.

Speaking of teams, the ECACHL will once again be home to some of the best in the nation, with Colgate, Dartmouth, Harvard and Cornell leading the pack. Facing such stiff competition, the Tigers might struggle to crack the top half of the standings. Nevertheless, there is a general sense of optimism and excitement for what should be an interesting season for a program preparing to pass the torch on to a younger generation of Tiger hockey.

"We got a lot of guys who look like they can do some big things this year," Powe said. "It'll be fun to see how it all comes together."