Princeton crashes out of ECAC playoffs

Despite Princeton (14-12-6 overall, 11-8-3 ECAC Hockey) holding a nine-game winning streak against Clarkson (24-8-5, 13-6-3), the Tigers’ offense could not find the back of the net. After defeating the Golden Knights on Friday, the Tigers were forced into a third match when Clarkson scored a game-winning goal during overtime in Saturday’s competition. Unfortunately for Princeton, the Golden Knights were hungrier for the win, and that determination propelled them to a victory. Clarkson will move on to the semifinals next weekend where it will take on top-ranked Harvard.

Driven by last weekend’s win, the Tigers beat the Golden Knights 1-0 on Friday, just barely scraping by with the win.

“We came to play, had a lot of energy, and our goaltending was superb,” senior forward and captain Lizzie Keady said. “Everyone was in it, on the same page, and ready to go.”

The game’s lone goal came from junior forward Christine Foster, whose deflected shot hit the skate of a Clarkson defender before crossing the line. Junior goaltender Kristen Young recorded 24 saves.

Looking for revenge after Friday’s loss, the Golden Knights dominated the ice on Saturday, beating Princeton 3-2 and forcing a third game in the series.

“Clarkson came out playing for their lives,” Keady said. “They played with a sense of urgency. If they lost, their season was over.”

Fighting to stay in the quarterfinals, Clarkson dominated possession of the puck during the first period, keeping the action in front of the Tigers’ goal. Midway through the period, after outshooting Princeton 7-3, the Golden Knights made a shot that bounced off Young and fluttered into the net. Clarkson found the back of the net again during a power play 10 minutes, 54 seconds into the middle frame.

“Penalties slowed us down,” Keady said. “They kill momentum, and they certainly didn’t help our cause. Overall, however, our penalty killers did a good job minimizing Clarkson’s offensive opportunities.”

With the Tigers’ spot in the semifinals slipping further and further out of their grasp, Princeton increased its pressure on the puck in an effort to ensure it qualified for the semifinals. The Tigers cut Clarkson’s lead in half with a power-play goal by Keady 7:28 into the third period and slipped one past the Golden Knights’ goaltender yet again 15:11 into the frame.

Despite its final push for the win, however, Princeton was incapable of stopping Clarkson’s uncompromising offense. In overtime, the Golden Knights knocked in a loose puck after just 77 seconds, scoring the final goal of the game and earning their first victory over the Tigers.

Clarkson’s momentum carried to the third game, when the home side scored two first-period goals while outshooting Princeton 13-4. The Tigers responded to this onslaught with increased pressure on Clarkson’s goal during the third frame. This final push climaxed with a goal from senior forward Sonja Novak midway through the period.

Despite dominating possession during the third period and holding a 13-2 edge in shots, Princeton could not manage to slip one past the Golden Knights’ sticky-fingered goaltender. Though the Tigers pulled their goalie in the final minutes of the game in an effort to even up the score, the extra attacker proved inconsequential, and Clarkson captured the ECAC Hockey quarterfinals.

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“[Sunday’s] game was very close,” Keady said. “We gave up two goals in the first period, which hurt us. Games are 60 minutes long, and we got going a little too late. We weren’t able to capitalize on our chances, but it was by no means due to lack of effort.”