Men’s ice hockey closes regular season with tight loss to St. Lawrence, senior night defeat versus Clarkson

Coming off of a weekend of wins against Ivy League rivals Yale (10–17–2 overall, 7–13–2 Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference) and Brown (8–18–3, 6–14–3), Princeton men’s ice hockey (10–15–4, 8–11–3) returned home to Hobey Baker Rink this weekend to celebrate their senior Class of 2024 and play the final two games of their regular season.

Starting off their weekend slate against the St. Lawrence Saints (10–18–6, 8–10–4) on Friday, the Tigers fell in dramatic fashion in the sudden death shootout 1–0 after drawing to a 4–4 tie when the clock ran out. 

The Orange and Black then returned home for senior night on Saturday, celebrating the team’s seven members of the Class of 2024. Squaring up against the Clarkson Golden Knights (18–15–1, 12–9–1), Princeton put up a tough contest, but couldn’t break past their opponents, losing the matchup 6–2. 

Tigers lose in shootout to Saints

After a cumulative nine Tiger goals scored last weekend, Princeton opened up their second-to-last game of the regular season hoping for another high-powered performance.

Three minutes into play, St. Lawrence was the first to find the back of the net after taking advantage of a two-on-one rush, finishing the puck five-hole through the legs of first-year goaltender Arthur Smith. 

The Tigers were quick with a response, however, scoring twice in the span of 38 seconds, changing the momentum of the game.

The first goal for Princeton was the first of many from the line of sophomore forward David Jacobs, first-year forward Kai Daniells, and sophomore forward Brendan Gorman. Gorman started off the sequence by skating through the offensive zone before slapping a shot towards the net, which was rebounded and tucked in by Jacobs to set the score at 1–1. 

“We have been working on our set breakout all week,” Jacobs said to The Daily Princetonian. “Brendan [Gorman] came through with great speed, Kai [Daniells] had great support, and I just crashed the net for a good start.”

On the next shift, the second Princeton goal of the night was dialed into the net by senior forward Ian Murphy, when he slapped the puck home after settling a pass across the circles from senior forward Nick Seitz. This put the Tigers up 2–1 with 12 minutes left to play in the period.

Closing out the high scoring first 20 minutes of play, St. Lawrence added two more goals of their own. The first was the result of a faceoff win in the offensive zone, and the second got the better of Smith on a scramble in the crease to start the middle frame up 3–2 Saints. 

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Not even a minute into the second period, St. Lawrence found their fourth goal of the night. Forward Felikss Gavars scored a penalty shot on Princeton junior netminder Ethan Pearson, after a Tiger slashing penalty in front of the net denied him on his initial breakaway.

The Orange and Black did not settle for the 4–2 deficit though, defensively holding off the Saints for the remainder of the period while putting up eight unsuccessful shots on goal to maintain the pressure.

In the third frame it was again the combination of Jacobs, Daniells, and Gorman that helped the Tigers claw back from behind. With about 12 minutes left to play, Jacobs found the back of the net after one-timing Gorman’s pass from behind the goal line to put the score at 4–3 St. Lawrence. 

With just under four minutes to go, it was Daniells’ turn to score. Supported by a Gorman keep at the blueline and a sliding pass from Jacobs, Daniells tied the game at four-all.

The three attackers totaled nine points on the ice for the evening, with Gorman and Jacobs matching their career-high three-point performances and Daniells setting a new career high with one goal and two assists. 

“Those guys compliment each other,” men’s hockey head coach Ron Fogarty said to the 'Prince' about the line. “We are lucky to have them in the program for the next few years.” 

After a scoreless overtime, the night was therefore officially recorded as a 4–4 tie as Princeton and St. Lawrence entered the sudden death shootout. After five rounds of impressive stops from both net-minders, the Saints ultimately took the contest 1–0 and recorded an extra point in the ECAC conference standings.

Senior Night Squandered by Clarkson 

Back in Hobey Baker Rink on Saturday, the Princeton regular season finale began with a celebration of the team’s seven senior skaters: forwards Mackenzie Merrian, Ian Murphy, Nick Seitz, Adam Robbins, and Joe Berg, along with defenseman Nick Carabin and Mike Kennedy. With many of their families in the stands and the crowd celebrating four years of Princeton hockey, the Tigers entered the night against the Clarkson Golden Knights on a high.

“The seven seniors have committed themselves to making this program relevant for the next 100 years,” Fogarty said to the ‘Prince.’ “They have set a great foundation for us and will be deeply missed."

It’s only appropriate that the first goal of the night was crafted by the line of team leaders Robbins, Seitz, and Murphy. Seven minutes into play in the first period, Robbins and Seitz assisted Murphy to a 1–0 Tiger lead. Sliding into the crease, Murphy finessed a one-handed flip of the puck right past the goaltender for a flashy eleventh goal of his season.

“It was a cool goal, and kind of a special one for me,” Murphy said. “I have so much love for this rink, this team, this program, this school. It has meant a lot to me over these last four years and I am so thankful for my time at Princeton.”

In the second period, after a successful five-on-three penalty kill for the Tigers, the Golden Knights were able to navigate the puck past Pearson to tie the game at 1–1. Clarkson entirely took over from that point, tacking on three more goals in the period to go up 4–1. 

Seven-and-a-half minutes into the third period, the Tigers attempted to rally. Sophomore defenseman Tyler Rubin slid a long stretch pass through the neutral zone directly to the tape of Daniels, who placed the puck perfectly for first-year forward Carson Buydens to snap into the back of the net. 

“I really like how Buydens is coming through,” Fogarty reflected. “He is a very powerful player.” 

Following Buydens second career goal, the Golden Knights responded with two more of their own, and the night ended with a 6–2 Princeton defeat. 

“We are building great habits, and I really like where our game is at right now,” Jacobs said. “We just have to put together a full 60 minutes and get the job done.” 

With this finish to their regular season, the Tigers sit in ninth place in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference. Entering playoff hockey, Princeton hopes to keep their season alive in the single elimination first round this Friday, March 8 against the eighth-seeded Harvard Crimson. 

Preparing for the road game at Bright-Landry Hockey Center, Murphy emphasized “we are going to play the villain this weekend. Going into someone else’s rink and ruining their day is our plan.” 

Ava Seigel is an assistant Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’

Please direct any corrections requests to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.

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