Men's Hockey: Resilience keeps playoff hope alive

Following a nice pad save from junior goaltender Zane Kalemba and a fast break up the ice, junior forward Cam MacIntyre fired a shot that struck the inside of the right post and bounced clear of the net. Just a few seconds later, junior forward Dan Bartlett found the opposite pipe with a wrist shot from the left circle.

In a weekend full of heartbreak and exhaustion — the Tigers could not hold a two-goal lead with three minutes remaining in their semifinal matchup against Cornell, and they played 31 minutes of overtime on Friday and five on Saturday — Princeton kept hitting the metaphorical post: coming within inches of victory but ultimately falling just short.

In two games, the Tigers showcased resilience and determination, and though they return to campus off a 4-3 loss to Cornell and a 2-2 tie with St. Lawrence, they also return with an impressive prize: a berth in the NCAA tournament next weekend.

“We played a lot of hockey in 24 hours,” head coach Guy Gadowsky said. “You have to give the guys a lot of credit for their performance this weekend. At times we wanted to be quicker and have more speed, but we were very tired … The guys worked extremely hard and played great under the circumstances.”

It is hard to find fault with the Tigers’ performance this weekend. Aside from an anemic power play, Princeton played two solid hockey games against two nationally ranked squads, the second of which came on short rest and tired legs.

But the power play is something that certainly must improve as the team looks ahead to its showdown Friday with the University of Minnesota Duluth. The Tigers failed to convert on any of their 16 man-advantage opportunities in their three-game quarterfinal series against Union, and they followed that up with a zero-for-five performance against Cornell.

Against St. Lawrence, the team finally broke through — Bartlett scored toward the end of a lengthy two-man advantage — and appeared to gain confidence after his goal. The Tigers have converted just five of their last 64 power-play chances, but Gadowsky said he is optimistic that after the zero-for-21 streak, the team will produce better results.

“[Bartlett’s goal] was a great shot, and we generated more offense [on the man-advantage] after that,” Gadowsky said. “One of the power plays late, we gained momentum and had a lot of chances. I’m hoping it’s the case that after the first one goes in, many more will follow.”

The Tigers also struggled physically in their series against Union. The Dutchmen, especially in their 5-2 win, appeared determined to outmuscle the Tigers on the boards and land open-ice hits. Princeton is the least penalized team in the nation — averaging just 10.6 penalty minutes per game — but Union took advantage of that discipline to take a distinct edge physically, delivering bigger hits, finishing checks and mixing things up after the whistle.

MacIntyre’s return for the Tigers’ series-clinching Game 3 victory over Union gave Princeton a much-needed physical presence, and the team built off that last weekend. In two games of intense hockey, the Tigers stood up to checks and, without sacrificing discipline, delivered a number of their own.

“We did a good job [physically],” MacIntyre said after the loss to Cornell. “They are a good, tough team, and we responded well. I am proud of how the guys played.”

Friday night’s semifinal against Cornell was as impressive as it was heartbreaking for the Tigers. As if scripted, both coaches called the contest “an excellent hockey game.” With a spot in Saturday’s final on the line, Princeton outplayed the Big Red for most of the game but squandered a 3-1 lead late in the third period.

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The Big Red pulled to within one with two minutes, 52 seconds left in the game, and it then tied it on a scramble in front of the net with just 24.5 seconds remaining. Princeton had played in just two overtime contests in as many years, but in its most important game of the season, it battled tooth-and-nail through 31 minutes of extra time before Cornell forward Colin Greening put a wrist shot past Kalemba.

“We don’t have a lot of [overtime] experience to draw from … but this team has been pretty surprising every time that they’ve had a mental challenge,” Gadowsky said. “That was a very tough hockey game, and it ended with a great player making a great shot.”

Kalemba, the ECAC Hockey Goaltender and Player of the Year, and Cornell goaltender Ben Scrivens, a second-team All-ECAC selection, excelled in the overtime periods, posting 13 saves apiece.

For Princeton, the loss ended its run at becoming the first team in eight years to repeat as ECAC Hockey champions, but the ramifications of the result for the upcoming NCAA Tournament were even greater. The Tigers returned to their hotel after midnight Saturday knowing that, in less than 16 hours, they would take the ice against a better-rested Saints team, needing a win or a tie to prolong their season.

“We wanted to come out [firing] against St. Lawrence,” Gadowsky said. “But going two overtimes is not only physically demanding, but also mentally draining … As coaches, we were waiting to see what happened, and I was impressed with how we came out.”

Before the start of Saturday afternoon’s do-or-die contest, the team huddled around senior forward and captain Brandan Kushniruk.

“Kushniruk talks before every game, and tonight he kept it simple,” Bartlett said. “He said to make sure we play the game how we normally play it — play with a lot of speed, don’t commit bad turnovers and try to limit our mistakes — and I think we did that tonight.”

The Tigers showed no ill effects coming off the second-longest game in ECAC Hockey Tournament history, taking a 1-0 lead 4:59 into the contest on Bartlett’s team-high 15th goal of the season. St. Lawrence tied the game five minutes later, but early in the second, the nation’s hottest player scored his second of the game to put Princeton back on top.

It would be impossible to overstate what Bartlett, a member of the All-Tournament team, has meant to the Tigers down the stretch. The junior from Portland, Maine, has scored in six straight contests, including seven goals in the Tigers’ five postseason games.

“It is unbelievable what he is doing right now,” Gadowsky said. “These aren’t tip-ins that he’s getting … He’s been unbelievable, and I give him all the credit in the world.”

The Tigers also received solid contributions from sophomore forward Sam Sabky, who scored the first goal against Cornell; junior forward Kevin Kaiser, an effective two-way player; and freshman forward Marc Hagel.

But the story of the tournament was the Tigers’ determination. The word is tossed around carelessly by sports analysts, but in the case of this Princeton team, it is all too applicable.

“The thing that impressed me the most about this team was its resiliency,” Gadowsky explained. “They found a way to blocks shots and, even if they knew they were going to get hit, to get the puck deep. They did whatever they could to protect the net.”

On tired legs, in their second overtime game in less than 24 hours, the Tigers held off one of the hottest teams in the nation, preserving a tie at two. Their reward for enduring the physically and mentally demanding challenges of 156 minutes of hockey? The opportunity to resume practice today and take the ice on Friday, this time on six days’ rest, and try to win the program’s first-ever NCAA tournament game.

“Last year, when we got to the tournament, I think a lot of us were content just to get there because none of us had done it before,” Bartlett said. “But being out there and seeing the competition [last season], I think this year we are more prepared. Going into the year, we knew that if we got there we could do some damage, and hopefully we can have a good week of practice and play well on Friday.”

Kalemba, who like many other Tigers is currently sporting a playoff beard, echoed similar sentiments.

“We don’t have to shave yet,” he joked. “No one ever wants a season to end, and we are very excited to keep playing.”