During a Friday night game against No. 13 Cornell (12–5 overall, 7–3 ECAC) at Lynah Rink in Ithaca, N.Y., No. 18 Princeton men’s ice hockey (11–7, 7–5) fell to the Big Red, 2–1. Shortly after, the Tigers traveled nearly two hours to Hamilton, N.Y. to face off against Colgate (8–12–2, 5–4–1), falling 1–0. In the two tight matchups, Princeton focused on defensive strategy, testing its consistency, composure, and teamwork.
Challenging Cornell
Princeton gained early momentum on Friday, with senior forward Jaxson Ezman scoring a rebound backhand goal less than three minutes into the game. Speaking to The Daily Princetonian, Ezman noted that the goal came from “movement from low to high defense” as the team worked to protect the puck.
“It was good to get started early, especially against a really good team in Cornell,” he added. The quick goal helped the Tigers to take control of the opening period.
However, the second period saw a shift of momentum. After a strong start with multiple scoring chances by Princeton, the Big Red generated sustained pressure with repeated shots against junior goalie Arthur Smith. Despite aggressive play from Cornell, Smith and the rest of the Tiger defense kept communicating and remained composed.
Reflecting on the weekend, Smith highlighted Princeton’s defensive play.
“We didn’t really give up a whole lot of quality chances to the other team,” Smith said to the ‘Prince.’ “We’ve had a lot of success at our home rink this year, but showing that we can go on the road and also still stick to our identity of playing a strong defensive game was definitely positive to take away.”
Smith’s performance, along with a strong defense composed largely of upperclass students, proved crucial for the Tigers through both Friday’s and Saturday’s games.
Cornell tied the game with eight minutes remaining in the second period with a power-play goal. The Big Red continued to control the period, outshooting Princeton 17–5 in the second period alone.
Heading into the third period, the score remained knotted at 1–1, with both teams demonstrating increased physicality and emotion in the final 20 minutes of play.
The final period featured frequent possession shifts with each team taking every opportunity to gain momentum. Cornell secured the game-winning goal with 3:09 remaining, capitalizing on a controlled rush and a quick backhand finish to end the game with a 2–1 lead.
“Cornell is a really tough team to play for,” Head Coach Ben Syer noted. “They don’t give up a lot, they’re very good offensively, so we tried to stop their transition.”
Following the loss, the team quickly shifted their attention to Saturday’s matchup. When discussing the team’s reset process between games, Ezman spoke about the need to quickly shift their focus.
“We’ll do a recap in the morning and sit with that on Friday night,” he told the ‘Prince,’ emphasizing the need to “move on individually and also as a group.”
Rivaling the Raiders
Saturday’s game against Colgate at the Class of 1965 Arena featured a much quieter audience and environment. Princeton controlled possession early, generating multiple scoring opportunities and power plays. Though the period ended scoreless, the Tigers demonstrated strong game control and a powerful defensive structure.
Colgate broke the deadlock with six minutes remaining in the second period, capitalizing on a cross-ice pass after Princeton’s power plays earlier in the period.
“I don't think we were nearly as physical as we needed to be,” Syer said regarding Saturday’s game. After being asked about some post-whistle scuffles, Syer described the fights as showing “sheer frustration at the game,” which should have been channeled into play.
Trailing 1–0, Princeton pushed to equalize the score throughout the final period, but Colgate earned two early power plays, limiting the Tigers’ opportunities. The defensive unit remained composed, a mentality Smith attributed to “predictability from each other.”
“We all trust each other out there,” Smith told the ‘Prince.’ “Knowing that the forwards who are helping to kill the penalty are going to do their job helps the defense do their job, which helps me do my job.”
After the Tigers moved to an empty net to add an extra attacker for the final four minutes of play, Colgate added a long-shot goal to end the game with a 2–0 victory. Despite the weekend results and a tough late goal by the Raiders, Princeton identified key positive takeaways moving forward.
“They battled hard this week,” Syer told the ‘Prince.’ “Some players were a little under the weather; we learned a lot about our team this weekend to use moving forward.”
The Tigers look ahead to a two-game series next weekend against Bentley (12–7–3, 11–2–3 Atlantic Hockey America) in Waltham, Mass., on Friday, Jan. 23 and Saturday, Jan. 24.
Cadigan Perriello is a Sports and Research contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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