Tough weekend for Princeton hockey

The Princeton men’s and women’s hockey teams faced tough losses this past weekend in games that both ended in complete shutouts. The women matched up against Clarkson University and the men’s team faced off against the Brown Bears at home.

On Friday, the Princeton women’s hockey team (2-5-3 overall, 2-5-1 ECAC) travelled to Cheel Arena in Potsdam, N.Y. to face off against the Golden Knights (12-3-1, 4-2-0) at Clarkson University. Clarkson is currently ranked No. 4 in the nation and is the defending national champion, so the Tigers knew from the get-go that this game would not be easy. Right off the bat, the Golden Knights put themselves on the board in the first period, taking advantage of a bouncing puck that resulted from a breakout in the middle of the ice that Princeton was unable to block. With 27 seconds left in the period, Clarkson struck again, scoring off a cross-ice rebound pass that had been initially blocked by the Princeton defense.

Defensively, the Tigers played pretty well in goal, with sophomore goalie Stephanie Neatby making 22 saves in the first 43:15. She was later substituted out for senior goalie Alysia DaSilva, who blocked four shots in the remaining minutes of the game. On the other end, the Golden Knights’ goalie Shea Tiley made 29 for the home team. Clarkson’s last goals came at the beginning and end of the third period from players Meaghan Hector and Savannah Harmon. The Tigers lost 0-4.

Offensively, the Tigers outshot Clarkson 29-26 but still went 0 for 5 on the power-play and remained scoreless. Clarkson now improves to 12-3-1 overall and 4-2 in league play while the Orange and Black advance to 2-5-3 overall and 2-5-1 in league play.

The Princeton men’s hockey team (3-3-1, 2-3-1) also faced a tough loss to an Ivy League rival this past weekend at Hobey Baker Rink, as Brown (3-5, 2-5) achieved its first shutout at Princeton since 1956.

The first period was filled with lots of back and forth play on the ice, but no shots were scored. The game’s first goal was scored by Brown’s Tommy Marchin two minutes into the second period off an assist from teammate Chris Berger. The next goal came off a face-off in the third period from Brent Beaudoin, and Marchin scored his second of the night to bring the final score to 3-0.

One of Princeton’s hardest obstacles in Saturday’s game was Brown’s netminder, Gavin Nieto. The sophomore goaltender made a career-high 47 saves against the Tigers, making it almost impossible for Princeton to get on the scoreboard. The Orange and Black was 0 for 7 on the power play and 4 for 4 on the penalty kill.

The men’s team will remain home on Wednesday, Nov. 22 and Friday, Nov. 24 for a two-game set with Bemidji State. The women’s team will be on the road again next weekend to play a two-game set at Merrimack on Friday, Nov. 24 and Saturday, Nov. 25.