Men's Hockey: RPI, No. 9 Union visit Baker Rink

Back on its home ice for the first time in three weeks, the men’s hockey team will host two conference rivals this weekend at Baker Rink. On Friday night, Princeton (3-7-1 overall, 2-5 ECAC Hockey) will take on the last-place team in the conference, Rensselaer (3-10, 1-4). The following afternoon, the Tigers will face off against No. 9 Union (7-3-3, 3-2), which is two points ahead of Princeton in the ECAC standings and has played two fewer games.

Last year, RPI defeated the Tigers 5-2 in the first meeting, but the Orange and Black got revenge with a 4-3 victory later in the season. Union topped Princeton twice last year, peppering the Tigers’ net in both meetings, which ended at 7-4 and 5-0.

“Both of these games are important for the conference,” head coach Bob Prier said. “It is nice to be back at home on Baker. We have been on the road a lot, and it is time to start making up for the mishaps from earlier in the season. The best time to do it is back on our home ice this weekend.”

The hockey schedule has Princeton playing mostly back-to-back weekend games, leaving the entire week to prepare for its next set of opponents. Although the Tigers have continued to do well at killing penalties, they have struggled to capitalize on offensive power-play opportunities.

Princeton has netted 22 goals this season while allowing 33 goals against. Saturday’s opponent, Union, has tallied 44 goals and surrendered only 24.

“We want to be an exciting team to watch, and the guys really like scoring goals,” Prier said. “We need to create more offensive opportunities. That’s what we are really working on.”

The Tigers have accumulated an average of only 7.4 penalty minutes per game, the best in the ECAC; however, they have still allowed 3.43 goals per match, the most in the conference.

“We are definitely focusing on playing better away from the puck,” Prier said. “We need to make more offensive opportunities, support the puck better and communicate a lot more. We want a high cycle in our offense. We have only scored two goals in the last four games.”

“We feel we have a good foundation we can build off of, and coming into this weekend we are concentrating on scoring more goals,” sophomore forward Matt Farris said. “As of now, we are averaging about two goals scored per game, and we need to get that closer to four. Teams in this league are too good to beat when scoring only two goals a game. We have had a great week of practice this week and worked a good deal on the offensive facets of the game, so this weekend we are looking to put that practice to good use.”

Rensselaer has faced a tough non-conference schedule so far this season, facing three top-10 teams early on, so its unimpressive record may not be a true indication of its capability and potential. The Engineers’ sole conference win came by one goal against Brown. One of RPI’s secret talents is goalie Bryce Merriam, who is currently ranked fifth in the league with a .921 save percentage.

“RPI is going to be tough — everyone is at this level,” Prier said. “Everyone is capable of beating everyone else on any given day. Look at last weekend; there were lots of upsets. We need to focus and prepare no matter who we are facing. They were a top-15 team last year, and I don’t think they graduated too much. They are a better team then their record indicates.”

“RPI has struggled thus far this season, so they will be looking to come out fast and strong, trying to get a win to help turn their season around,” Farris said. “We need to be smart with the puck and make good strong plays. To start the game, we need to combat their intensity by bringing an even higher level of intensity to the game. As far as strategy goes, we are going to play our game and beat RPI by using four lines and having a relentless attack offensively.”

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Union has had an unusual start to the season, having won more games on the road than on its home ice. Up to No. 9 in the national poll from last week’s No. 13 spot, the Dutchmen are currently the highest-ranked ECAC team, above Yale, Colgate and Cornell.

Kelly Zajac leads the forward line for Union. Last year, he was named to the second All-ECAC team, and he has maintained that level this season, leading the conference with 13 assists. Two other players for Union have 12 points, indicating a well-balanced attack.

“Union is a good team,” Prier said. “They are very methodical, and they work hard. Their guys are always in the right place on the ice. They have a solid defense, which will be tough to penetrate for scoring opportunities. We will have to work hard off the puck to get open.”

“Every game in this league is a defensive struggle,” Farris said. “Teams are so good, and goals can come from anywhere on the ice, and that is magnified with Union. Union has a great offensive team, and they have shown that over the course of this year.”

“To combat their strong offense we are going to play good, smart defense, transition quickly and get pucks deep into their zone,” he added. “By getting pucks deep, it will allow our forwards to create offensive pressure and will keep their skilled guys neutralized by making them play defense.”