"All's well that ends well" — or so William Shakespeare said. But, while it may seem blasphemous to any lit major to say so, that's just not always true.
In the case of the men's hockey team (11-13-3 overall, 8-10-2 Eastern College Athletic Conference Hockey League), a successful end to the regular season, with wins in Friday's game against Clarkson (20-7-5, 12-4-4) and Saturday's game against St. Lawrence (19-11-2, 15-4-1) at Baker Rink, would only be the start of an even more trying time: the playoffs.
Currently, the Tigers are sitting in seventh place in the ECACHL standings, and this weekend puts them up against the league's top two seeds. Wins against Clarkson and St. Lawrence would boost Princeton's position considerably and put it in a more comfortable place when post season matchups are scheduled. Two victories would also bolster team confidence and morale, but those wins will not come easily.
"In these last two games we're definitely looking to build some momentum heading into the playoffs. Both of the teams we're playing are very good so it should be a good test to get ready," freshman forward Dan Bartlett said.
Clarkson, though ranked second to St. Lawrence in the ECACHL, will pose as much of a threat to the Tiger defense as the Saints will. The Knights are a consistent team, with high shot percentages in all three periods. For Princeton, staying tough for all three periods will be an important goal in the game on Friday.
The Knights' special teams, on average, outscore their opponents 46 to 30, and they do their best to stay out of the box, making it difficult for opponents to use their own special teams. The Tigers have a relatively low penalty percentage and have the strength and size to overcome a Clarkson offensive without spending too much time playing man down.
St. Lawrence will test all of the skills that Princeton has honed this season. While Princeton has had to come together while training 10 freshmen, the majority of St. Lawrence's players have at least one full season under their belts.
Seniors Kyle Rank and Max Taylor, who between them have scored 24 goals this season, will test the Tigers' defense, and head coach Guy Gadowsky will have to find the same defensive groove that the team had in its shutout against Dartmouth two weeks ago.
The Saints are also a play-making team, converting 174 assists this season, and the Tigers will have to make sure to dominate the neutral zone and break up as many St. Lawrence passes as they can.
This weekend, the Tigers need to propel themselves into the post-season with enough energy to maintain the same precision and domination that was present in the first Clarkson game.
"All the teams in our league are so close that we definitely feel we have a good opportunity to win our league playoff tournament," Bartlett said.
Princeton has the experience and the knowledge to come out victorious this weekend. Even though the Tigers have not had the same success overall as the Saints and the Knights, games between these two teams in the past have been especially close, as Princeton barely lost to St. Lawrence, 5-4, in November at Canton and managed to beat Clarkson, 3-2, the same weekend.
As ever, steadfast powerhouses such as senior forwards Grant Goeckner-Zoeller and Darroll Powe and senior defenseman Brett Westgarth will play integral roles in leading the team through this weekend.
"We have a great group of seniors," Bartlett said of the team's post season strengths. "Hopefully we can keep them playing for as long as possible".
The younger scoring force of sophomore forward Lee Jubinville and freshman forward Cam MacIntyre, who netted four points last weekend, will be necessary against both Clarkson and St. Lawrence as well as in the games to follow.
Gadowsky has returned to his starting goaltender from the beginning of the season, senior B.J. Sklapsky, even though freshman goaltender Zane Kalemba has started in net for the majority of the season. Kalemba played the full game against Clarkson in November, so Gadowsky has security in both choices.
This weekend will answer many questions for the Tigers. After a season of new players, changing goalkeepers and maintaining a record just below .500, Princeton is looking for validation of the progress that it has made.
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