Men's Hockey: Princeton travels to Connecticut for holiday contests

“These non-conference games are a good chance for us to show the strength of our league against other leagues,” senior forward Sam Sabky said.

Princeton also made a strong impression on the UMass-Lowell River Hawks, beating them 5-2 and 7-2 on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Despite going down 1-0 in the first three minutes on Friday and trailing for most of the game, freshman forward Andrew Ammon scored his first career goal with just 6 minutes, 32 seconds left in the game to break a 2-2 tie. Ammon scored two more goals before the final buzzer to put the game away for the Tigers. As a result of this performance, he became the first Tiger so far this season to win the ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Week honors.

Junior defenseman Derrick Pallis was also recognized by the ECAC Hockey, being named Player of the Week in recognition of the two goals he scored on Saturday to win the game for Princeton. He also recorded two assists on Friday and was on the ice for seven of the 12 goals scored by the Tigers.

Unlike Princeton, which has won three games in a row and eight of its last 10, Bowling Green has not won a game since its 5-1 victory over the University of Alabama in Huntsville on Nov. 26. The Falcons beat the Tigers 2-1 on Jan. 5, 2002, but the two teams have not faced off since. Despite Princeton’s advantage in records, Sabky said the Tigers will treat it like any other game.

“We prepare the same for every game,” Sabky said. “We do the same things going in, and we expect the same results coming out, regardless of who we play.”

Connecticut, despite its losing record, is coming off two high-scoring conference wins over Niagara and Sacred Heart. The Huskies were led by forward Andrew Olson, who scored two goals in the 9-3 victory over Sacred Heart last Friday and was named Atlantic Hockey Association Player of the Week. Sharing the title for the Huskies’ leading scorer, he has recorded seven goals and four assists on the season. Coming off their victory over Sacred Heart, the Huskies will be the toughest opponents the Tigers face this weekend.

Princeton is led offensively by freshman Andrew Calof, who has 14 points off two goals and 12 assists. Senior Matt Arhontas leads the team in scoring with seven goals. He is followed by a four-way tie with four goals from senior Mike Kramer, sophomore Eric Meland, freshman Matt Farris and sophomore Rob Kleebaum.

“We are looking to continue what has made us successful so far this year,” senior defenseman and captain Taylor Fedun said. He said that these keys to success include “quick shifts [of lines] so we can keep up the tempo of the game, getting good shots, winning the ball in the corners, playing a strong defensive game and blocking shots.”