Tigers beat the heat and split series against Sun Devils

The men’s hockey team traveled to Arizona State this past weekend for a two-game series against the Sun Devils. The Tigers opened the series with an emphatic 4–0 victory over their rivals, but Arizona would come back in the second game to claw out a narrow victory in overtime against the Princeton squad.

The Princeton team took control of the game early with a goal from senior forward Eric Robinson. This was Robinson’s sixth goal this season. The Tigers would double their advantage three minutes later with a successful power play. This was perhaps unsurprising considering that Princeton entered the match ranked No. 12 in the nation in power plays. The goal from senior forward David Hallisey kept his goal-scoring streak alive. Hallisey has scored in six straight games — the first Tiger to accomplish this feat since Dan Barlett in the 2008–09 season.

Despite the early lead, the Tigers never let up. Less than 34 seconds into the third period, the Tigers found the back of the net once again. This time it was senior forward Alex Riche who added to the Princeton lead. He also dished out two assists in the Tiger victory. Princeton would score their last goal third period when junior Ryan Kuffner grabbed his seventh goal of the season to put Princeton up 4–0. While the offense was formidable, Princeton also benefited from brilliant work from first-year goaltender Ryan Ferland. Ferland made 20 saves on the night to keep his second career clean sheet.

Carrying momentum from their previous win, the Tigers started the second game on the right foot. Riche scored his third goal of the season for Princeton to put them up 1–0. However, this time the Sun Devils responded, putting themselves on the scoreboard to tie the game at one apiece. Arizona took its first lead of the series with little over a minute in the third period. However, two back-to-back goals from Kuffner gave the Princeton team a 3–2 edge over the Sun Devils. However, with 57 seconds left in the regulation, Arizona found a way to tie the game and force overtime. They went on to score the lone goal overtime and take a tight 4–3 victory over Princeton.

The Tigers, now 6–7–1 overall, will take a couple weeks hiatus before hosting St. Cloud for another two-game series. The first match will take place Friday, Dec. 29, at 7 p.m.