That streak ended the next day as the Tigers allowed three consecutive goals on their way to a 2-3 loss to Dartmouth.
Condon’s big night highlighted the Tigers’ (4-4 overall, 4-2 ECAC Hockey) first shutout of the season in a defensive shutdown of the Crimson (2-4, 2-4).
Harvard goalie Kyle Richter put on his own clinic, stopping 34 shots after allowing an early goal.
“Especially as a goalie, you’re going to have good games and bad,” Condon said. “I try to keep an even keel.”
The two teams took about an equal number of shots, but the difference was an early goal by senior forward Mike Kramer.
He scored early in the first period off a backdoor pass from freshman defender Kevin Ross, for his third goal of the season.
His seven points are good for second on the team, and he has taken 30 shots, 10 more than the next teammate.
With Condon’s first career shutout, that’s all Princeton needed. Junior defender Derrick Pallis said that several defenders blocked some of Harvard’s 36 total shots.
“Everybody came back black and blue from all the shots we were blocking,” he added.
“The guys did a good job of making the shots easy,” Condon said. “The defense played really well.”
The Tigers played their first six games away, making their win streak all the more impressive.
This weekend slate marked the first contests at Baker Rink of the young season, and Princeton traditionally plays well at home.
“It was nice being in Baker,” Pallis said. “We were all happy to have our first home games.”
Against Dartmouth, the two teams’ offenses came alive. Princeton struck first when sophomore forward Eric Meland scored a goal off of a blocked shot by freshman forward Jack Berger. The Big Green equalized a few minutes later after a Tiger turnover.
Princeton’s defense then locked down Dartmouth, holding it to just three shots for the entire second period. However, two of those went in as the lead grew to 3-1.
Neither goal was typical, and both came off fluke plays. Senior goalie Alan Reynolds failed to cover up the puck after a deflection off of the wall put it in scoring position, and Dartmouth forward Dustin Walsh poked in the leading goal.
The Big Green’s final goal of the night deflected off of a Princeton defender and caromed into the back of the net.
“We weren’t prepared and weren’t fully ready to go,” Pallis explained of the two deciding goals. “That’s what happens when you’re not 100 percent ready to go.”
Senior forward Kevin Lohry scored early in the final period to get the score to 3-2, but the Tigers were unable to notch a tying goal.
Princeton took 13 more shots than Dartmouth, 35 to 22, but Dartmouth goalie James Mello saved 33 shots to Reynolds’ 19.
The loss was the Tigers’ second to Dartmouth on the season, as the Big Green won 2-1 in the opening game in the Ivy Shootout tournament.
In that, Dartmouth won on a third-period deciding goal and took seven more shots than the Tigers.
The Tigers head to Quinnipiac for an important league game Tuesday and then have 10 days to rest until their next game against Clarkson.
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