Men's Hockey: Rankings at stake in ECAC matches

“It is always nice to play at home in front of friends and family,” senior forward Mike Kramer said. “Hobey Baker has a great atmosphere. It’s always an honor to play in such a historic building named after arguably the best college hockey player in NCAA history.”

The Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Princeton topped Quinnipiac by taking advantage of solid special-teams play, which the Tigers were stressing after a poor showing on power plays in a tight loss to Dartmouth. Senior defensemen Cam Ritchie and Taylor Fedun both scored on power plays, and senior forward Kevin Lohry scored an empty-netter in the final minute.

“It was nice to get a win right before Thanksgiving break,” Kramer said. “To be successful in the future, we really just have to focus on competing hard every shift of every game and doing the little things like blocking shots. If we compete hard and take care of our objectives, we put ourselves in a great position to have success.”

The Tigers’ offense is led by Kramer and senior forward Matt Arhontas. Arhontas leads the team in goals with five, while freshman forward Andrew Calof leads the team in points with 12. Princeton is working on improving special-teams play and has eight power-play goals and three shorthanded goals. Lohry is tied for second in the nation for shorthanded goals with two.

“We have really just worked in practice on simplifying things and getting attempts at the net,” Kramer said.

Princeton has been stellar on defense, ranking sixth in the country with only 2.11 goals allowed per game. Princeton is also third in the nation on the penalty kill, stopping 90.5 percent of opposing teams’ power-play opportunities. Ritchie, Fedun and senior defenseman Matt Godlewski lead the Tigers’ stingy defense, which has been key in allowing only four goals in the last four games and posting two shutouts.

Princeton would have three shutouts, but the Tigers let Cornell find the back of the net during the final seconds of regulation.

Princeton’s three rotating goaltenders have been a huge strength. Senior Andrew Reynolds, sophomore Mike Condon and freshman Sean Bonar all split time in front of the net. Bonar leads the nation in save percentage, with .99 goals per game, and has only let three cross the line.

The Tigers face Clarkson at home on Friday. The teams split their two games last year, each winning at home. Princeton had a big 4-1 victory at home, with Arhontas scoring twice and recording an assist. The game in Potsdam, N.Y., was closer, with the Golden Knights eventually winning 4-3.

Even though Clarkson was picked to finish last in both the ECAC Hockey coaches and media polls, they have had a solid start to their season. The Golden Knights have won three of their last four games, having beaten Harvard, St. Lawrence and Lake Superior State. Clarkson ranks first in the nation on the penalty kill.

Princeton takes on St. Lawrence at home on Saturday. The Saints took the majority of points from the Tigers last year, winning 5-2 at Baker Rink and earning a 2-2 tie in Canton, N.Y.

The Saints have dropped their last three games, against Harvard, Dartmouth and Clarkson, and won their only two games with a conference-opening weekend sweep of Cornell and Colgate at home.

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Princeton is not taking anything for granted and is trying to sustain its position near the top of the ECAC Hockey standings. Each conference opponent is potentially dangerous, and the Tigers are preparing for each game with the utmost attention.

“We really just have to take one day and one game at a time,” Kramer said. “In our league it really ends up coming down to mental focus. The team that comes into each game with more grit and determination tends to have more success. As far as preparation, we just try to stay relaxed and play our game.”