In their first four games of the new year, No. 18 men’s hockey (11–5 overall, 7–3 Eastern College Athletic Conference) won three out of four, beating Harvard (7–6–1, 5–4), No. 10 Dartmouth (13–4, 7–2), and RPI (5–16, 2–8), while losing only to Union (13–6–2, 4–5–1). Princeton is now tied for the top spot in the ECAC, a conference they have not won since 2018. Nevertheless, Princeton looks more ready than ever to be crowned champion for the first time in eight years.
Comeback Kings: Tigers erase two-goal deficit to top Dartmouth
The Tigers rallied for a dramatic 5–4 comeback win over the Big Green, welcoming back junior goalie Arthur Smith after a two-month injury-induced hiatus. Smith made 25 saves in his return, including 11 in the third period as Princeton erased a two-goal deficit and took its first lead with just 4:53 remaining.
Dartmouth played a disciplined, technical game, but the Orange and Black responded to their every move. In the first period, an unlucky bounce off junior defenseman Ian Devlin appeared to give the Big Green a goal, but after a successful challenge by Head Coach Ben Syer, the play was ruled no-goal on a high stick above the crossbar and shoulder.
Brothers Hank and Cooper Cleaves from the Big Green scored the first two goals of the game, putting Dartmouth ahead after the first period of play concluded. Despite this initial hole, the Tigers did not get discouraged. Senior forward and captain David Jacobs led the charge with two goals, his first in 19 games, while senior forward Brendan Gorman, senior defenseman Nick Marciano, and sophomore forward Jake Manfre also scored. Manfre extended his goal streak to four games and added the eventual game-winner into an empty net. Junior forward Kai Daniells and senior defenseman Tyler Rubin each recorded two assists.
Princeton went one-for-two on the power play and a perfect three-for-three on the penalty kill. After trading goals throughout the game and tying it twice, Marciano’s redirection gave the Tigers the lead late before Manfre sealed it. Despite a late Dartmouth goal, Princeton held on to secure the win.
Tigers complete historic sweep with Daniells’ last-second winner vs. Harvard
Saturday’s win over Harvard came down to the final heartbeat. With 2.9 seconds left, Daniells redirected a point shot from sophomore defenseman Kai Greaves into the net, sending Baker Rink into a frenzy. The chance was set up moments earlier when a Crimson clearing attempt struck the center-ice scoreboard, forcing a faceoff in the Harvard zone with 5.9 seconds remaining.
The precise execution of each play contributed to the spectacular performance on ice. Daniells led the Tigers with two points, adding an assist to Manfre’s second-period goal. Manfre also recorded two points, while Jacobs opened the scoring, as all three Princeton goals came from the same line.
Smith turned aside 33 shots in his second game back from injury, including 13 in the first period and 11 more in the third to weather Harvard’s push. After the Crimson erased a 2–0 deficit in the final frame, Princeton found one last moment of magic to seal a statement win and a perfect New Year’s weekend.
Princeton steals victory from RPI with stellar fourth quarter surge
On Friday night, the Tigers hosted an RPI Engineers squad that has struggled in conference play with a 2–8 ECAC record. With a win, Princeton would not only notch its ninth consecutive win at Hobey Baker Rink, but also stretch their nation-leading overall winning streak to seven games. Although the Tiger onslaught took a while to take shape, Princeton asserted their dominance and defeated the Engineers in front of an enthusiastic home crowd.
The first period was scoreless, but evenly contested between the two sides as they settled into the game. While Princeton outshot the Engineers in the opening frame, they struggled with accuracy, with only five of those shots being on goal. While Princeton had a power play just under halfway through the period, they were not able to attempt a single shot due to strong penalty kill from RPI.
While it seemed as though Princeton had the slight upper edge after one, it was actually the Engineers who drew first blood. Just after a minute of play in the second period, RPI scored, putting Princeton on their heels. However, Princeton pushed back. Just after conceding, the Orange and Black delivered an onslaught onto the Engineers, delivering eight shots in 68 seconds and forcing a timeout. And while RPI was able to regain footing in the contest and achieve a power play, Jacobs took control of the puck and laid it off to Gorman, who slid it home for a shorthanded goal. Unfortunately, just three minutes later the Engineers answered back, scoring to regain the lead at 2–1 by the end of the second period.
Trailing and with their winning streak at risk, Princeton needed to react fast — and react fast they did. Four minutes into the period, the Tigers once again found success on the counter as senior forward Jaxson Ezman passed it to sophomore forward Julian Facchinelli, who scored in a one-on-one. Just three minutes later, Princeton would take their first lead of the game at 3–2 with another goal from Facchinelli, who found a way to poke the puck home through a mess in front of the crease. While RPI outshot the Tigers 25–15 in the period, Smith held his own and saved nine shots in an eventual third period shutout of the Engineers.
To further extend their lead, the Tigers found a way through a stingy RPI penalty kill unit and scored a power play goal with a rebound from Gorman. And, with just under five minutes left in the contest, the Orange and Black ended all doubt with a short-range strike from Jacobs. With the 5–2 win, Princeton kept their streaks and daunting momentum alive heading into another ECAC clash on Saturday.
Princeton falls for the first time since November against Union
Riding a wave of energy into Saturday evening, Princeton was set to face a talented Union team that had just fallen victim to a 7–2 beatdown by No. 7 Quinnipiac (16–4–2, 8–2). Once again in front of the Orange and Black faithful at Hobey Baker Rink, Princeton was able to get off to a fast start and looked to be well on their way to another victory. Facchinelli notched his third goal of the weekend, this time on the counter, to put the Tigers up 1–0. However, not even three minutes later, Union scored an unassisted goal to tie the contest at one a piece heading into the first intermission.
A few minutes into the second period, Princeton was able to draw a penalty and convert on their opportunity, just as they had during their four-goal rampage against RPI. This time, it was Ezman who was the hero for the Tigers, rifling a wrist shot into the top-right corner of the net. And while the Orange and Black contained a 2–1 lead and all the momentum, it was all Union from there on out. Princeton got a taste of their own medicine, falling victim to an extremely strong third period from their visitors.
While Princeton actually had more attempts than Union, with a 25–21 advantage in the category, they faced strong early-period offensive efficiency and conceded twice in the opening six minutes of the period. Now behind 3–2, the Tigers did what they could do even the score, but with a stellar performance from the Union goaltender, who saved 11 shots in the period and no power plays, the Orange and Black were unable to find the back of the net. With an empty net goal from Union in the dying seconds, the final score ended in a 4–2 victory for the visitors.
Although Princeton’s impressive winning streak has now been broken, there is still much to look forward to for the Tigers. They remain tied atop the ECAC standings and ranked nationally, having gained a lot of national attention throughout the string of consecutive wins and impressive performances. Princeton will have a great opportunity to bounce back with another ECAC weekend series in upstate New York. The Tigers are set to face off against Cornell (11–4, 6–2) and Colgate (7–11–2, 4–3–1) in what should be a fantastic weekend of hockey.
Chloe Lydia Li is a staff Sports writer for the ‘Prince.’
Lucas Nor is a Sports staff writer for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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