Men's Hockey: With new year, hopes of new start

Though things had seemed bleak in recent weeks for the men’s hockey team, there is some hope following its recent 3-2 win over No. 14 UMass Lowell.

Princeton (5-9-1) stepped up after also losing to the River Hawks the day before, with senior goaltender Zane Kalemba posting a career-high 45 saves and earning him ECAC Goaltender of the Week honors. For his part, freshman forward Eric Meland, who scored the first two goals of his college career for the Orange and Black, was rewarded with ECAC Rookie of the Week honors.

“[The team’s] got a lot of objectives — certain things that we want to do when we play, things like backchecking, getting the puck in, getting the puck out — and I think that we did that much better on Saturday night than Friday night,” senior defenseman and tri-captain Jody Pederson said.

The team also hopes for the healthy return of some of its injured players after the well-deserved break. The Tigers face Quinnipiac, Union and Rensselaer to start the second half of their season.

“If [junior defenseman] Matt Godlewski and [senior forward] Cam McIntyre can get healthy, those are two players that would improve any college lineup,” head coach Guy Gadowsky said. “We expect them to be major contributors down the stretch.”

While Princeton students relax during the break, the Tigers will head back to work right after Christmas, as practices recommence on Dec. 27. The team then flies to Florida to compete in the Florida College Classic tournament.

Princeton, however, is grateful for even this brief period of rest, and Pederson said he believes that it may even be one of the keys to the team’s future success, since it has been plagued by injuries.

“The break will definitely help us in that regard — just rest, recuperate, get us healthy again. It’s also nice just to get away, refresh your mind and stuff,” he said.

First to face a rejuvenated Princeton will be the No. 21 Maine Black Bears (10-7-1).

“Maine is a great team with a strong hockey tradition. They are a very talented group, and we’re looking forward to the challenge,” said freshman goaltender Mike Condon, who made his first career start for the Tigers in the first of their two games against the River Hawks.

Condon said that the team was energized by its most recent victory and that the Tigers will return ready to work.

“We are going through a lot of adversity right now with injuries, and we were able to knock off a top-10 team on the road,” he said. “Needless to say, we are going to build off this momentum after Christmas and try to string a few wins together.”

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Princeton currently sits in ninth place in the ECAC Hockey standings, close behind Rensselaer and Brown, and the Tigers hope to improve on their league standing in their upcoming games.

Though the team will face many challenges through the rest of the season, Pederson’s outlook is bright.

“All the teams in college hockey are good, and anyone can win on any given night,” he said. “So long as we come prepared to do the things that we know make us successful, game in, game out, and do it for a full 60 minutes, then we’ll be all right.”