Two games before extended break

Who said that the enemy of my enemy is my friend?

For the men's hockey team (3-7-2 overall, 2-5-1 Eastern College Athletic Conference Hockey League), this adage does not appear to hold as it faces off against Union (5-5-2, 1-3-0) and RPI (4-4-5, 1-1-2) this weekend at Baker Rink. Despite the fact that all three teams experienced heart-wrenching losses against Colgate, Princeton can hardly look forward to any kindhearted gestures on the part of its opponents.

The Tigers, however, won't be looking to bond over this similarity either; if anything, Princeton will try to forget the past, including its 1-1 split with Alabama-Huntsville last weekend in Alabama. In order to take the team forward, the players are going to have to maximize their home advantage, finding a place in their rink for their team, a feat that the team has yet to accomplish, with a 0-3-0 at home record to date.

The first game of the Tigers' weekend should be an excellent match as Union and Princeton have suffered from many similar problems while still holding on to crucial game skills that have paid off for their respective teams. Union has a solid scoring base, with four front liners who together have scored 18 goals and netted 43 points.

Union's greatest strength is its depth — an issue that Princeton is still working through — as all four of the Dutchmen's top goal scorers are underclassmen: two sophomores, one freshman and one junior.

Union also has the experience of veteran junior goaltender Justin Mrazek, though Princeton has an excellent opportunity for scoring potential against Mrazek, as to date he is allowing an average of over three goals per game despite snagging 88 percent of shots. While his time in net is certainly an asset for the Dutchmen, they have relied on Mrazek heavily, as their alternative is a still-in-training freshman. Princeton, meanwhile, has certainly gone up against much more difficult goaltending challenges, especially against Dartmouth, where Princeton dug in and netted three goals against one of the Ivy League's top goalies.

The order of the day will be to crash the net; the Tigers will have to leave Union's high-scoring offense to freshman standout Zane Kalemba and push to get as many goals as possible.

Princeton and RPI share not only a common past with Colgate, but also a past with each other, though Princeton may want to put that behind it as well. Over a month ago the Tigers faced RPI on the Puckmen's "Black Friday" weekend in Schenectady, N.Y., and although Princeton tied the game with only 40 seconds remaining in the third period, the Puckmen overcame the Tigers in overtime and sent them home feeling as if luck were, indeed, against them.

That was a month ago, however, and RPI will have to challenge Princeton on its own ice against a Princeton squad that has come a long way in recent weeks. Kalemba, still a relative rookie at the last meeting, has developed into one of Princeton's greatest strengths and RPI will have to work much harder to get past him. The trick will be to keep the Puckmen occupied for the first period and out of overtime, as these are RPI's greatest assets. RPI is not a high scoring team, with an average of only three goals a game and no player over 17 points, but it is a tightly knit team, with most game points coming off assists rather than single-shot goals. Princeton will have to keep a tight watch on the Puckmen if it doesn't want a Black Friday repeat.

Overall the Tigers have a bright prospect for this weekend. Pushing to the net and playing technically in the neutral zone will be key tactics. If the team can cleanly execute its strategy, it will perhaps learn that the distinction between enemy and friend is less important in sports than that between winner and loser.