Men's Hockey: Third period goals spell doom in first round playoff loss to Harvard

For the first time in two decades, the men’s hockey team has ended its season at home in Baker Rink.

A pair of consecutive losses to Harvard in the first round of the ECAC Hockey playoffs concluded the Tigers’ 2009-10 campaign, a season marked by insurmountable injuries and unfulfilled expectations.

After a disappointing 4-2 loss on Friday night, Princeton (12-16-3 overall, 8-12-2 ECAC Hockey) came out firing the next evening in an attempt to climb back into the opening round series. Despite inconsistent play from both squads in the first period, the Tigers outshot Harvard (9-19-3, 7-12-3) 15-7, earning numerous chances that went unconverted.

The pace quickened in the second frame as the teams traded opportunities at both ends of the ice. Princeton’s best chance came at the end of a power play midway through the period, when senior goalie Zane Kalemba cleared the puck all the way down to a Princeton skater just outside of the Harvard zone. With the Crimson in the midst of a change, the Tigers earned a 3-on-0 opportunity that was stymied when Harvard defenseman Chris Huxley took a slashing penalty against senior forward Dan Bartlett.

Though Princeton had earned another man advantage, the team’s power play efforts continued to be fruitless, as the Tigers failed to convert for the seventh time during the series. The Tigers finished the weekend 0-for-9 on the power play.

“They were pretty aggressive on the [penalty kill],” junior forward Kevin Lohry said. “We got some chances up top, but they did a good job blocking shots and clearing the puck, and when they were clearing the puck, they were clearing it 200 feet.”

While the Princeton defense limited Harvard to just three shots in the second period, the Tigers managed just six of their own.

Princeton once again upped the pace of play in the game’s final period, but it was to no avail. The Crimson struck first blood following a hooking penalty to senior defenseman Kevin Crane. Harvard’s Daniel Moriarty flicked a shot past the outstretched glove of Kalemba to earn a 1-0 edge. Moriarty’s power-play goal would ultimately prove to be the game-winner.

“We had been successful on the penalty kill all series, but they finally got one,” Kalemba said. “It was only a matter of time, and they were able to capitalize on their chance.”

“Someone had to score eventually,” Lohry said. “We had our own chances, but they buried when they needed to and we didn’t.”

Harvard, however did not settle for a one-goal advantage. At 14 minutes, 23 seconds in the third period, defenseman Daniel Biega beat Kalemba on a breakaway to double the Crimson’s lead.

Despite a relentless attack from the Orange and Black, especially after head coach Guy Gadowsky pulled Kalemba in favor of an extra attacker with roughly two minutes remaining in the game, Princeton was unable to crack Harvard goalie Kyle Richter.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

With just more than a minute remaining in the contest, forward Luke Grenier scored an empty-net goal to put the game away for Harvard. Though the Tigers outshot the Crimson 16-7 in the final period and 37-17 overall, and earned a 45-19 advantage in the faceoff dot, Harvard walked away with a decisive 3-0 victory.

Just a day earlier, the Crimson earned a similarly decisive win in dramatic fashion, scoring four goals in the third period to walk away with a 4-2 victory over the Tigers.

Princeton opened the scoring at 15:27 in the first period when sophomore forward Marc Hagel tipped in a shot from the point taken by junior defenseman Matt Godlewski. The goal was Hagel’s seventh on the season.

Midway through the second frame, the Tigers struck again. This time, senior forward Mark Magnowski took the puck into the Harvard zone and fired a shot toward the net that was deflected right back to Magnowski. Magnowski got the puck back and sent it past Richter for his 10th goal of the season, giving Princeton a 2-0 lead. Senior defenseman and captain Jody Pederson and junior forward Mike Kramer each received credit for an assist on the goal.

Then the game went downhill for the Tigers. Harvard halved Princeton’s lead at 8:05 in the third period, when Moriarty scored his fifth goal of the season. Just more than two minutes later, Danny Biega tied the game for the Crimson, and at 14:05 in the third, Harvard took the lead for the first time with forward Michael Del Mauro’s first goal of the season.

Forward Michael Biega added an insurance goal for the Crimson with two minutes remaining, and the Tigers were unable to generate sufficient momentum to overcome their two-goal deficit. Kalemba recorded 31 saves in the loss, while Richter stopped 33 pucks to earn the win for Harvard.

The losses marked the end to the careers of the Class of 2010, the winningest class in program history.

“It’s a great distinction, but we hope to not have that distinction for very long,” senior defenseman Brad Schroeder said.

Despite the loss of Kalemba, forwards Dan Bartlett, Tyler Beachell, Kevin Kaiser, Cam MacIntyre and Mark Magnowski, and defensemen Kevin Crane, Jody Pederson and Schroeder, the team has high hopes for next year.

“We have the same goals — expect to win every game — but we have a big freshman class coming in,” Lohry said. “We’ve already talked about making sure they know what they’re getting into — being ready all spring, all summer, same for the older guys. Hopefully we’ll come back ready to take care of business.”