The men's hockey team may not have achieved head coach Guy Gadowsky's goal of heading into winter break with a .500 record, but the Tigers did manage to correct their shortcomings on the way out of it.
After losing to No. 20 Minnesota State (9-7-3 overall), Princeton (8-8-0, 6-4-0 ECAC Hockey) reeled off three consecutive victories, including two at Baker Rink this past weekend against league foes Dartmouth (5-7-1, 2-6-1) and Harvard (6-7-3, 5-4-2). The wins put Princeton in a tie for first place in the always competitive ECAC.
Having dispatched Dartmouth 5-2 the night before, the Tigers set their sights on then-No. 15 Harvard on Saturday night. The Crimson came into the game having defeated the Orange and Black in each of the teams' previous three meetings at Baker Rink.
With a breakaway goal late in the third period, sophomore forward Kevin Kaiser snapped Harvard's streak and gave Princeton a 2-1 come-from-behind victory. The win also maintained Princeton's perfect 4-0 record against Ivy League foes.
At the outset of the contest, the Crimson jumped out to an early lead, cracking sophomore goalie Zane Kalemba with 11 minutes, 48 seconds remaining in the first frame and outshooting the Tigers 13-4.
"I wasn't real happy with the first period," Gadowsky said. "But you have to give credit to Harvard and the way they started the game."
Though the Tigers came roaring back in the second period, outshooting Harvard 18-9, they were unable to tie the game.
The third frame provided more of the same for Princeton until freshman forward Matt Arhontas beat Harvard netminder Kyle Richter at 12:41 in the period for his first goal of the season. The goal, assisted by sophomore defenseman Jody Pederson and senior forward Landis Stankievech, set up Kaiser's heroics just five minutes later.
Having received a tripping penalty at 15:18 in the third, Kaiser — who also celebrated his 21st birthday Saturday — broke out of the box as Harvard's power play expired, finding himself all alone at center ice with the puck.
Pursued by two Harvard skaters, Kaiser quickly fired the puck from the slot just beyond Richter's outstretched stick, giving Princeton a 2-1 lead and the near-capacity crowd reason to cheer.
"It's a gift when the puck ends up there," Kaiser said. "But I knew they'd be back-checking like crazy, so I pulled the trigger a little early ... It was definitely the best birthday present I could've hoped for."
Both Gadowsky and Kaiser credit Stankievech for setting up the goal when his diving block of a Harvard shot sent the puck toward center ice.
"Landis made an unbelievable block," Gadowsky said. "It's that sort of play that epitomizes the work ethic that he and Kaiser put in every game."
Stankievech also had a big game the day before, scoring one goal and assisting on another in Princeton's 5-2 win over the Big Green.
From the outset of the contest, the Tigers came out firing, tallying at least 12 shots in each period. After goals from sophomore forward Dan Bartlett and Stankievech in the first and second frames, respectively, Princeton held a 2-0 lead heading into the third period.
The Tigers widened the gap nine minutes into the third as freshman forward Mike Kramer scored his second goal of the season, which proved to be the game-winner for Princeton.
While Dartmouth managed to best Kalemba twice in the latter half of the third, Princeton matched the Big Green goal-for-goal, as junior forward Brett Wilson added his fifth goal of the season, and senior forward Kyle Hagel tallied his first of the year.
"We're playing with the same confidence as we did early in the season," Kaiser said. "We're playing fast hockey, taking a ton of shots, getting a ton of chances, firing on all cylinders — this is the best we've played all year."
The Tigers' run began when they defeated Nebraska-Omaha (9-10-3) by a 5-3 tally on Dec. 30. Led by sophomore forward Mark Magnowski, who notched three points in the victory, Princeton bested the talented Mavericks despite taking only 15 shots.
Also crucial to Princeton's recent winning streak has been Kalemba, who gained the win in both the Dartmouth and Harvard contests. Over the two games, the sophomore goaltender allowed just three goals on 56 shots. Kalemba's play over the weekend earned him his second ECAC Goalie of the Week Honor of the season.
"It's nice," Kalemba said of the award. "But I'd rather get the four points and prove that we can play at the same level as the top teams in this league."
Gadowsky credited Kalemba's demeanor as being crucial to the team's success.
"When we have really tight, emotional games, I love Zane because he's so calm and composed," Gadowsky said. "If it's 2-1, he's always at his best."
This weekend, Princeton travels north to face ECAC and Ivy League rivals Yale and Brown before breaking again for finals.
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