The Tigers (17-6-0 overall, 11-5-0 ECAC Hockey) have not swept their season series against either Clarkson (8-14-6, 6-7-3) or St. Lawrence (14-11-3, 6-7-3) in more than 10 years. After wins against the Golden Knights in Potsdam, N.Y., and the Saints in Canton, N.Y., earlier this season, Princeton has the opportunity to do just that.
But these two games are easy to overlook, sandwiched between last weekend’s barnburner against then-No. 5 Cornell and next weekend’s showdown against ECAC-leading Yale, ranked tenth in the nation.
On Friday night, the Tigers will welcome Clarkson to Baker Rink. USCHO.com’s preseason pick to finish fourth in the conference, the Golden Knights have underperformed this season. The Tigers skated to a 4-2 victory over Clarkson on Nov. 22, but with just one loss in their last seven games, the Golden Knights have been playing much better lately.
Clarkson is most dangerous in the offensive zone, where its skilled forwards are a constant threat. Scott Freeman leads the team with 21 points, but the team’s best skater is Matt Beca, a preseason All-ECAC selection. Chris D’Alvise leads the team with 11 goals, and Shea Guthrie, recently drafted by the NHL’s New York Islanders, has proven his ability to produce when he has the puck.
Defensively, the Golden Knights are not nearly as solid. The team has allowed the fourth-most goals in the league, and goalie Paul Karpowich has struggled in his first collegiate season. Karpowich has a .910 save percentage and a 2.75 goals-against average, a stark contrast to the .943 save percentage and 1.43 goals-against average of Princeton junior goalie Zane Kalemba.
Clarkson has also struggled mightily on the power play. The Golden Knights’ power play unit is second-worst in the league: It converts on just 13.1 percent of its chances.
The Tigers host St. Lawrence the next day in an afternoon showdown with one of the ECAC’s most inconsistent teams. The preseason pick to finish eighth in the conference, the Saints currently sit in sixth, just one point behind fifth-place Quinnipiac.
The Saints boast impressive wins this season over No. 7 Cornell, No. 12 New Hampshire and No. 5 Vermont, but they have also skated to equally unimpressive losses against Rensselaer and Harvard.
Similar to the Golden Knights, the Saints’ offense thrives: St. Lawrence has scored 89 goals this season, more than any other team in the conference. The Saints also possess one of the league’s best power-play units, converting on 19 percent of their man-advantage chances.
Forward Mike McKenzie leads the team with 26 points — a team-high 11 goals and 15 assists — but the Tigers will also need to keep an eye on the trio of senior forwards: Kevin DeVirgilio, Brock McBride and Casey Parenteau have 62 points between them and form the nucleus of the Saints’ offense.
The Saints have been especially inconsistent in their defensive third. Goalie Alex Petizian, also a first-year starter, has had a spotty season, and the St. Lawrence blueliners have been equally unpredictable.
The Tigers sit in third in the ECAC, one point behind Cornell and three behind Yale. A pair of wins this weekend would, at worst, allow the Tigers to keep pace with the Ivy’s other elite teams and move Princeton one step closer to securing a first-round bye in March’s ECAC Tournament.
But before the playoffs, and before next weekend’s all-important showdown with Yale, the Tigers must take care of business against Clarkson and St. Lawrence.
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