Men's Hockey: Princeton skates to weekend split

Prior to this weekend’s contests, senior goalie Zane Kalemba said that the men’s hockey team had to accept its injuries and not use them as a crutch. The Tigers proved themselves up to the task as they avenged a 3-1 loss to Colgate on Friday by beating No. 5 Cornell 5-3 just 24 hours later.

With senior forward Mark Magnowski returning after missing Friday night’s game, Princeton (10-11-2 overall, 6-9-1 ECAC Hockey) grabbed control against Cornell (13-6-3, 10-3-2) early and held on for a hard-fought victory.

The Tigers drew first blood at 10:42 into the game’s opening frame when junior forward Mike Kramer knocked a rebound past Cornell goalie Ben Scrivens. The goal came just 14 seconds into Princeton’s first power-play opportunity of the evening. Magnowski and junior forward Matt Arhontas each received assists on the goal.

“[Scoring first] is vital against a good team like that, because it gives us no fear right from the get-go,” junior forward Kevin Lohry said.

Princeton added to its lead near the end of the period, when Scrivens was unable to control a wrister from freshman forward Will MacDonald. The goal, which gave the Tigers a 2-0 edge, was the first of MacDonald’s collegiate career.

“I just got it on net, and I thought he froze it, but when I skated past, I saw that it had dribbled past the line — I was just kind of surprised,” MacDonald said.

Cornell cut Princeton’s lead in half just 2:40 into the second period, but the Tigers quickly answered back. Senior defenseman and tri-captain Jody Pederson, playing in just his second game since Dec. 28, controlled a rebound in front of the Cornell net and lofted a shot over Scrivens’ blocker.

Less than a minute later, the Tigers chased Scrivens from the net when Magnowski fired a slapshot from outside the blue line that found the back of the Big Red net, giving Princeton a commanding 4-1 lead. Scrivens’ early end to the night marked the first time all season that he had been pulled from the Cornell net in favor of backup Michael Garman.

“It’s just a testament of what we like to do,” sophomore forward Marc Hagel said of the team’s aggressiveness in the second period. “We want to win the shots every game, and it was nice to get it done early.”

Despite the 4-1 deficit, Cornell remained undeterred, scoring a pair of goals late in the second period to cut Princeton’s lead to 4-3. With less than three minutes remaining in the second, the Tigers received simultaneous penalties — one to MacDonald and one to the bench — forcing them into a five-on-three penalty-killing situation.

After allowing two power-play goals earlier in the period, Princeton held strong during the five-on-three, killing off the opportunity and heading into the third period with a narrow lead.

“It was a relief,” Lohry said. “We had to fight through a lot of adversity there, because we weren’t really getting calls our way, but we had confidence in ourselves and battled through it.”

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In the game’s final frame, Kalemba and the Princeton defense contained Cornell’s high-octane offense, forcing Cornell to pull Garman with 1:21 remaining in the contest.

Just over 30 seconds later, Lohry sent a pass to Hagel, who shot the puck past a diving Cornell defender and into the Big Red net, giving Princeton a 5-3 lead.

Kalemba earned the victory for Princeton, making 30 saves, including 16 during a hectic second period.

On Friday night, the Tigers dressed only 11 forwards, including senior defenseman Kevin Crane and junior defenseman Cam Ritchie. Though Princeton was able to keep the game scoreless for nearly the first half of the game, Colgate (11-11-5, 8-6-1) struck twice in quick succession midway through the second period.

The Raiders’ first goal came just 12 seconds into their third power-play opportunity of the evening, when Austin Smith controlled a pass from the point and shot it past Kalemba. Just over a minute later, Colgate struck again, when Ethan Cox gathered a rebound and feathered the puck over Kalemba’s outstretched glove.

The quick 2-0 lead ultimately proved to be one that Colgate would not relinquish.

At 15:18 into the second period, a defensive-zone turnover in the Colgate end led to Princeton’s first and only goal of the night. Sophomore forward Brodie Zuk intercepted a pass and slid the puck to Kramer right on the doorstep. Colgate goalie Alex Evin saved Kramer’s first shot, but the junior forward gathered his own rebound and sent the puck to the back of the net to cut the Raiders’ lead in half.

Despite the late second-period goal, Princeton was unable to carry any momentum into the game’s final frame. Playing with an undermanned roster, the Tigers failed to generate opportunities against the Colgate defense and registered only four shots in the third.

The Tigers picked up their aggressiveness with only a couple minutes remaining in the contest, but a hooking penalty to MacDonald at 19:04 in the third neutralized Princeton’s chances. Colgate’s David McIntyre scored an empty netter with 12 seconds remaining to give Colgate a 3-1 victory.

Princeton was uncharacteristically outshot in the game, as the Raiders registered 28 shots to the Tigers’ 24. Kalemba finished with 25 saves in the loss.