At home again, and two dogged foes lie in wait

Each game brings different but equally gripping storylines. Junior forward Brett Wilson and sophomore forward Cam MacIntyre both recommended the Saturday night match against the Bulldogs for fans’ viewing pleasure.

“We seem to have a great rivalry going with [Yale], and the last few games we’ve had against them have been physical, exciting hockey games,” MacIntyre said.

Wilson noted that the Bulldogs are currently only two points behind Princeton in the extremely tight ECAC standings, where the Tigers are tied for third and Yale sits in sixth. Wilson also mentioned that the two clashes between the Ivy League foes earlier in the year were intense games, both of which were won by Princeton, 6-2 on Oct. 26 and 4-3 on Jan. 11.

Sophomore goaltender Zane Kalemba, meanwhile, predicted that Friday’s game with Brown might be a better time to spend a night in Baker watching, thanks in part to the play of an ex-teammate of his.

“[The Bears] are coming off a weekend sweep and have great goaltending. I think [goalkeeper] Dan Rosen will get the start since he won the last two games,” Kalemba said. “He was my goalie partner in juniors when both [sophomore forward] Mark Magnowksi and I played in Green Bay. He is a very quick and talented goaltender and can make any game an exciting one.”

As Kalemba pointed out, Brown carries momentum from its first two-win weekend of the season, having defeated Harvard and Dartmouth to break a 15-game winless streak. Rosen, a sophomore like Kalemba, was named ECAC Goalie of the Week last week for his efforts in the victories. The Bears, however, are still in danger of finishing in last place in the ECAC, currently just two points ahead of last-place Dartmouth (8-11-2, 3-10-1) as the season enters its final weeks.

“We know that both games this weekend are extremely important for the ECAC and the Ivy League standings,” Wilson said. “Yale is a very good team, and they are right behind us in the standings, and Brown is coming off a weekend sweep of Harvard and Dartmouth. Having said that, we have had success against both of these teams earlier in the year, and we are confident that if we commit to playing our game we are capable of beating them.”

Playing in their own rink doesn’t seem to give the Tigers the home-ice advantage that many teams get. Their record at home is 3-6-0, while they are a much better 9-3-0 in away games.

“If you look at our records at home and on the road this year, you can tell that home ice does not mean a thing in this league,” Kalemba said. “What matters is who comes to play and who wants it more.”

Even so, MacIntyre admitted that players often find home games more fun. “I think with the crowds that we’ve seen at Baker in the last few home games, the fans have really added to the energy of the building,” MacIntyre said.

The more energy rocking Baker Rink on Friday and Saturday nights, the better, as Princeton returns home to continue jockeying for position in the standings, in hot pursuit of Ivy League and ECAC honors.