Men's Hockey: Tigers hoping to find rhythm vs. pair of talented Ivy League foes

Last weekend, the men’s hockey team split its two games, losing to St. Lawrence but convincingly defeating Clarkson. The men hope to build on that win this weekend in their games against Ivy League rivals Dartmouth and Harvard.

Princeton (2-2 overall, 1-1 ECAC Hockey) lost its national top-15 ranking after the split last weekend. Neither Dartmouth (0-3, 0-3) nor Harvard (1-2, 1-2) is ranked, but head coach Guy Gadowsky refuses to dismiss either team.

Though neither team has a winning record and Harvard’s only win came against Dartmouth, these early-season results are “not a true indication of how they are,” Gadowsky said.

The same can be said of the Tigers. After making a second consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament last year and with a preseason ranking of ninth in the nation, expectations are once again high for the team this season. Their performance in the first four games, however, may seem like a cause for concern.

Like most other non-Ivy teams, Clarkson and St. Lawrence had already played seven or more games before this past weekend compared to Princeton’s two. They had also practiced for two more weeks than the Tigers. Princeton is still very early in its season, so the slow start is not yet a worry.

“[There are] certainly aspects that we know we have to work on,” Gadowsky said.

The Tigers take on Dartmouth tonight at Baker Rink. Though Dartmouth remains winless, it has played some of the league’s top teams. This past weekend, the Big Green played at Cornell and at Colgate.

Cornell is currently ranked third in the country and remains undefeated. Colgate also has a winning record and is undefeated in league play.

Gadowsky said he knows that Dartmouth has potential. Last year, the Big Green had a young team, but showed promise with a sixth place finish in the conference. Gadowsky pointed to goaltender Jody O’Neill, who was both ECAC and Ivy League Rookie of the Year last season, as one of their key players.

It takes offense to win games, however, and “they have forwards that can score,” Gadowsky said.

Harvard also faced Cornell and Colgate and lost both games. The Crimson beat Dartmouth, however, in its first game of the season. Though the team has a losing record, Harvard is second in ECAC Hockey in goals per game with an average of 4.00, behind only Cornell. Princeton is averaging 2.25 goals per game.

It is hard to judge how good any of the Ivy League teams are, since no team has played more than four games. Gadowsky insists that Harvard is not to be overlooked.

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“They rank with the top teams in the nation,” he said.

Harvard’s high-scoring offense is threatening, but the Tigers have two capable goaltenders in senior Zane Kalemba and junior Alan Reynolds. Kelemba was ECAC and Ivy League Player of the Year last season, and Reynolds had 31 saves in last Saturday’s 4-1 win against Clarkson.

“We are very confident in our goaltenders,” senior tri-captain Kevin Kaiser said.

Fans may have been surprised to see Reynolds in goal last weekend, but his performance got Princeton the win. Gadowsky said he has not decided who will be in net this weekend.

“We’ll see how it goes throughout the week,” he said.

In practice this week, the Tigers have been more focused on playing their own game than trying to cater to their opponents.

“We play the same way all the time. We just try to do it better and better,” Kaiser said.

Though injuries have played a factor in the Tigers’ season, they refuse to place any blame on those ailments for some of their early struggles.

“We don’t use [injuries] as an excuse. It is a chance for some guys to step up that might not get the chance if everyone was healthy,” Kaiser said.

Either way, the team is happy to see the return of senior tri-captain Cam MacIntyre.

“He is a big part of our offense, and we are a better team when he is in the lineup,” Kaiser said.

Junior defenseman Cam Ritchie and junior forward Kevin Lohry are also injured.

The Tigers hope to build on their commanding win over Clarkson last Saturday with a strong showing this weekend. Though Harvard and Dartmouth have struggled early this season, no one is discounting the abilities of those teams. These two contests give Princeton the opportunity to get some quality wins and return to form.