The men's ice hockey team may have lost its regular season miniseries against Quinnipiac, but at least it managed to have the last word against a tough league foe.
The Tigers (4-4 overall, 3-3 Eastern College Athletic Conference Hockey League), having dropped their previous two contests against the Bobcats (5-4-2, 2-2-2) 4-0 and 5-2, came away with a 4-2 win at the TD Banknorth Center on Saturday.
Freshman defenseman Cam Ritchie led the Princeton charge, scoring two goals, including an empty-netter with 18 seconds remaining to seal the victory. The goals were Ritchie's first of his collegiate career and could not have come at a better time for the Tigers.
Heading into Saturday's game, Princeton was on a four-game losing streak. Over that span, the Tigers were outscored by their opponents — St. Lawrence, Clarkson and Quinnipiac — by a 19-6 margin. The losses dropped Princeton from the 18th-ranked team in the nation to the middle of the pack in the ECACHL.
Ritchie's first goal came just 33 seconds into the third period and put Princeton in front 2-1, which marked the Tigers' first lead in three weeks. After receiving the puck at the point from senior forward Kyle Hagel, Ritchie put his shot past Quinnipiac goalie Peter Vetri.
"It was nice to get [my first goal] out of the way," Ritchie said. "The forwards created the screen, and I was just able to shoot through it."
Sophomore forward Kevin Kaiser, back after missing two games due to torn cartilage in his ribs, also assisted on the goal.
Princeton took the lead for good when it scored during a five-on-three power play midway through the third period.
Junior forward Brett Wilson won the face-off in the Bobcat end and slid the puck back to senior defenseman Mike Moore at the point. Moore passed the puck across the ice to freshman defenseman Taylor Fedun, who shot a one-timer toward the net. Wilson deflected the shot past Vetri to give the Tigers a 3-1 lead.
Though Quinnipiac answered two minutes later, the Tigers managed to hold on, pushing the score to 4-2 on Ritchie's second goal of the game.
Despite being outshot 10-3 in the first period, Princeton managed to keep the game close before responding in the second and third periods. The Tigers outshot Quinnipiac 10-1 in the second frame but were unable to crack Vetri. In the third period, however, a 12-7 shot advantage helped the Tigers open the floodgates.
Freshman goaltender Alan Reynolds got his first collegiate victory, notching 16 saves against a talented Bobcat offense.
The win also marked the first time this season that Princeton has won after failing to score the first goal of the game.
Saturday's contest demonstrated the Tigers' ability to improve after their 5-2 loss Wednesday night at Baker Rink.
"We were pretty terrible last Saturday," Ritchie said. "We got away from our team objectives, but on Wednesday we started getting back to 'Princeton hockey,' and we were able to build off of that."
On Wednesday, Princeton fell behind early as sophomore goaltender Zane Kalemba allowed two goals in the first period. Despite outshooting the Bobcats 10-7 in the opening frame, Princeton could not shake goalie Bud Fisher.
The second period, however, proved more successful for the Tigers, as they clawed their way back to knot the score at 2-2.
The first of Princeton's goals came as freshman forward Mike Kramer put freshman defenseman Matt Godlewski's blocked shot past Fisher. The goal was the first of Kramer's college career.
Minutes later, with eight minutes, 49 seconds left in the second, junior forward Lee Jubinville tied the game with his third goal of the season. After Fisher was unable to control a shot from Moore, Jubinville slid the puck from the crease into the goal.
Despite the surge of momentum, the Tigers were unable to capitalize further, coming up empty on their lone power-play opportunity late in the period. Instead, it was the Bobcats who shifted the momentum back in their favor with a Ben Nelson goal at 18:56 in the second period.
Nelson's goal proved to be all Quinnipiac would need, as it dominated Princeton in the final frame, outshooting the Tigers 12-5. The Bobcats also added a pair of goals against Kalemba to end the game with a 5-2 victory.
The loss, however, motivated the Tigers to work harder as Saturday's showdown neared.
"When you play a team so few times, it's important to come away with at least one win," Ritchie said. "We wanted to prove ourselves, and I think we did a good job of that."
The Tigers return to Baker Rink next weekend and will look to sustain their momentum against Rensselear (6-4-3, 1-1-2) and Union (2-4-2, 0-2-2), two of the league's weaker teams.
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