This is the fifth straight season that Princeton has hosted a playoff series. Last season, the Tigers (16-11-2 overall, 11-9-2 ECAC Hockey) welcomed Harvard to Baker Rink but lost twice to end their season. Princeton is hoping to turn back the clock to two seasons ago, when they played all the way to an NCAA playoffs berth. That year, a 2-2 tie to St. Lawrence gave the Tigers an at-large bid to the 16-team tournament.
Sixth-seeded Princeton has already beaten the 11th-seeded Saints (10-19-5, 6-15-1) twice this season, winning bouts by scores of 5-1 in early December and 5-3 at the end of January.
The Tigers finished the season tied for fourth place in the conference with Cornell and Rensselaer, but fell to the sixth seed as a result of tiebreakers.
Aiding the Tigers’ cause will be freshman forward Andrew Calof, who was awarded the Ivy League Co-Rookie of the Year on Thursday. Calof also was named to the first team All-Ivy squad after notching team-highs with 23 assists and 30 points overall.
Senior defenseman and co-captain Taylor Fedun joined Calof on the First Team All-Ivy for his 21 points and shutdown defense. Although he led the team in minor penalties, Fedun provided the necessary leadership on the Tigers’ path to hosting an opening round tournament game. Fedun has scored 10 goals so far this season — good enough for third on the team.
Finally, senior forward Mike Kramer gained an Honorable Mention for his 28 points and team-leading 13 goals. Kramer led all Princeton players with a plus-15 mark while on the ice.
The Tigers seem to be facing St. Lawrence at an opportune time if they hope to move on in the tournament. The Saints have struggled recently, dropping their last three games and five of their last six. The team’s most recent loss came at Harvard by a 4-3 margin. Prior to that game, the Saints suffered losses against both Dartmouth and Union.
St. Lawrence is led by forward Greg Carey’s 34 points on the season, with 18 goals and 16 assists. Carey also tops the team in total shots and shooting percentage.
Despite his impressive offensive statistics, his aggressive attacking could not overcome the team’s overall issues, and the Saints have a minus-five differential while he is on the ice.
St. Lawrence looks to be an aggressive team, as they boast 11 players with double digit penalties on the season. Only five Princeton skaters have that many, and the Saints’ almost 200 total penalties dwarf the hosts’ 160.
Despite the traditional home field advantage, Baker Rink has not been favorable to the Tigers for much of the season. Princeton holds a 7-6-1 record at home, and the Tigers have actually performed better in games on the road, with a 8-3-1 record.
The Saints, though, struggle mightily away from Appleton Arena, finishing with a visiting record of 5-11-3. In addition, Princeton and St. Lawrence are the two most distant teams in the conference geographically.
Should the Tigers win, they would face third-seeded Dartmouth in a second-round matchup next week.
The first game will be played tonight at 7 p.m., followed by a game on Saturday at 4 p.m. and then Sunday, if necessary.
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