After finishing the first period of play against Union in a 1-1 tie, the Tigers found the back of the net three times in the first eight minutes of the second stanza. Goals by freshman forward Andrew Calof, senior forward Mike Kramer and senior defender and captain Taylor Fedun gave the Tigers a 4-1 lead.
Unfortunately for the Tigers, Fedun’s goal was the last the team scored for a three-period stretch. The Dutchmen beat sophomore goaltender Mike Condon six times in the remaining two periods of play to complete a three-goal comeback and win 7-4. Both teams finished with 32 shots on goal.
“It was not a good feeling on the bench to see a three goal lead diminish like that,” Fedun said. “We tried our best to stay positive but it still knocked the wind out of our sails.”
The Tigers were unable to regain their composure, and after a scoreless first period of play against Rensselaer they found themselves down 3-0. The Engineers’ second goal came off a penalty shot from forward Marty O’Grady, who beat freshman goaltender Sean Bonar. It was Bonar’s first collegiate penalty shot.
“I was in a difficult spot to deny him the scoring chance without taking a penalty,” Fedun said of the play. “I tried to get around his body enough to lift his stick and knock the puck away but I was too far away.”
Princeton attempted a comeback of its own when back-to-back goals from Fedun and junior defender Derek Pallis pulled the team within one goal. The Tigers dominated the shot count by a margin of 41-24, but they were unable to find the equalizer. The Engineers added two more goals, one via an empty net, on their way to a 5-2 victory.
Besides the empty net goal, three of Rensselaer’s goals came on a power play. The Tigers only took four penalties in addition to the penalty leading up to the penalty shot. The Engineers’ very experienced and opportunistic power play team converted on three of them.
“The penalties we took were crippling,” Fedun said. “Five-on-five we outplayed Rensselaer, but when we gave them chances they made us pay.”
No Tiger was able to find the net in between Fedun’s two goals over the weekend. During that nearly 40 minute stretch, Princeton registered over 35 shots on goal. No forward found the net against Rensselaer; both goals scored were by defensemen.
“It was frustrating to see the guys working so hard for scoring chances ... and be denied,” Fedun said. “We threw a lot of pucks on net and had a lot of chances; it was a shame we were not able to convert sooner.”
It was the first weekend this season that the Tigers played two nationally ranked teams, arguably their toughest opponents in the ECAC Hockey conference. Both Union and Rensselaer entered with multiple game-winning streaks, both having defeated top-ranked Yale a weekend ago. While the Tigers were not able to come away from this weekend with a single point, it was a valuable learning experience.
“We have talked all season about how important it is to stay out of the penalty box ,and it was as clear as ever how big of an impact it can have on the outcome of a game,” Fedun said. “We need to refocus and get back to working hard and smart, which is what we need to do if we want to win big games.”
If anything, this weekend indicated that the Tigers could potentially compete with national powerhouses.
“We showed in spurts ... that we can play with some of the best teams in the country,” Fedun said.
The Tigers intend to work on their consistency as they travel to conference rivals Harvard and Dartmouth next weekend.
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