The men’s hockey team will face Cornell (4-8-1 overall, 2-4 ECAC Hockey) at Baker Rink tonight. On Saturday afternoon, Princeton will wrap up its reading period slate with a game against Colgate (3-14-1, 0-5-1).
The Tigers (10-5-1, 6-3-1) were on a five-game win streak spanning four weeks but stalled with a tie against Quinnipiac on Monday night at Baker Rink.
Princeton has had great success with its high-powered offense, outscoring its opponents 26-9 over the last six games, and might easily overpower Cornell tonight. Quinnipiac’s success in neutralizing threats inside the blue line Monday night, however, is troubling given Cornell’s similarly strong defense.
“Cornell is usually pretty solid defensively,” senior forward Kevin Lohry explained. “They are disciplined during transitions, and they throw their weight around well.”
The Tigers have already faced the Big Red once this season, on Nov. 13. In that game, the Tigers took an early 1-0 lead at the end of the first period thanks to a goal by sophomore forward Eric Meland. Cornell eventually tied the game late in the third period to send the game into overtime. Freshman forward Will Ford locked up the victory for the Tigers by following his own shot to beat goalkeeper Andy Iles.
“We’ve built up a little bit of a rivalry with Cornell over the last few years,” Lohry said. “Every year we’ve both brought some pretty solid teams, which makes for an exciting game.”
The Big Red is balanced and deep, but the team seems to lack the group chemistry that carried it to very successful records in the last few years. Head coach Mike Shafer has used Iles and Michael Garman almost evenly in the crease so far this season.
A threat the Big Red offers is the duo of forwards John Esposito and Greg Miller. Esposito has five goals this season and has spent only two minutes in the penalty box despite playing in all 13 of Cornell’s games. Miller has a knack for finding teammates in front of the crease, and he has eight assists to show for it.
Senior forward Tyler Roeszler is also quick enough to cause trouble for the Tigers unless he is properly guarded.
Fortunately, Princeton does have a counter to this offensive threat in the form of senior defenseman Taylor Fedun and junior defenseman Derrick Pallis. Both players are large and versatile and have experience dealing with multiple offensive threats.
One of Cornell’s obvious weaknesses this season is performance in overtime. The Big Red has gone 0-3-1 in overtime games this season and lost its last two matches in overtime.
Playing on the road will be another challenge for Cornell today: The Big Red is 1-3 on the road this season. Meanwhile, the Tigers’ only two losses at home this year have come against Dartmouth and Clarkson.
“We take a lot of pride in playing at home, and it’s always a little bit of a boost for us playing in front of a crowd,” Lohry said.
The game against Cornell is at 7 p.m. tonight in Baker Rink.
After battling the Big Red, the Tigers will face Colgate, currently the last-place team in ECAC Hockey. The teams played once this season, with Princeton skating to a 4-3 win on senior forward Mike Kramer’s game-winning goal in the third period. In that game, the Tigers jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period but Colgate chipped away at the lead and managed to tie the score at 3-3 before Kramer’s goal.
The line of freshman forward Andrew Calof, sophomore forward Rob Kleebaum and Kramer scored all four of Princeton’s goals in the win. Calof recorded three assists to go along with his one goal.
Though Princeton hung on for the win against the Raiders, the team was uncharacteristically outshot by its opponent. Colgate managed a 35-30 margin in shots on goal, including a 17-9 advantage in the third period. The game against Colgate will start at 4 p.m.
Read More
No. 7 women’s lacrosse season ends in NCAA quarterfinals against No. 1 UNC
Hayk YengibaryanWith the loss, the career of senior attacker Mackenzie Blake comes to an end. Blake finished her career with a program-best 231 career goals and three first-team All-Ivy selections.
With the loss, the career of senior attacker Mackenzie Blake comes to an end. Blake finished her career with a program-best 231 career goals and three first-team All-Ivy selections.
No. 3 men’s lacrosse season ends in NCAA quarterfinals after 19–18 loss to No. 5 Syracuse
Hayk YengibaryanWith the win, Syracuse advances to the final four for the first time since 2013. For the Tigers, their season ends along with the career of senior standout attacker Coulter Mackesy.
With the win, Syracuse advances to the final four for the first time since 2013. For the Tigers, their season ends along with the career of senior standout attacker Coulter Mackesy.
Preview: No. 3 men’s lacrosse plays No. 5 Syracuse in NCAA quarterfinals
Hayk YengibaryanShould the Tigers beat the Orange, they will advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2022 as they look to win their first national championship since 2001.
Should the Tigers beat the Orange, they will advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2022 as they look to win their first national championship since 2001.