This weekend, Princeton men’s hockey (1–4–1 overall, 1–4–1 ECAC) continued their long road stretch against Colgate (7–5–2 overall, 4–1–1 ECAC) and No. 7 Cornell (4–2–2 overall, 2–2–2 ECAC), falling short in both games with 2–1 and 5–0 losses, respectively.
“I think we need to do a much better job of just kind of managing,” head coach Ben Syer told The Daily Princetonian. “That started today in practice, there’s a lot of focus on determination.”
On Friday night, the Tigers dropped a close 2–1 game to Colgate, despite an intense third period surge.
Early on, the Tigers seemed energized, earning a power play just six minutes into the game. Princeton controlled the puck and earned three shots during the two minutes, but were unable to find the back of the net. Still, Princeton dominated the shot count 22–10 in the first period.
The game was busy on both sides of the ice for Princeton. As the Raiders began to find their footing, a few close shots, including one that hit post, kept the Tigers on their toes.
With two minutes left in the first period, Colgate broke through. The Raiders moved the puck from one end of the ice to the other, stringing passes through the Tiger defense to forward Brett Chorske, who scored for the early lead. Princeton trailed 1–0 after one period of play.
The Raiders maintained strength in the second period, keeping Princeton on the defensive end. After having to make only three saves in the first 20 minutes, senior goalkeeper Ethan Pearson stopped the puck 12 times during the second period to keep the Tigers in the game.
It was not until late in the period that Colgate was able to find the back of the net again, despite their dominant possession of the puck. The Raiders earned a power play off of a Princeton holding call. Then, they worked the puck up into the offensive zone and forward Alex DiPaolo scored a long shot into the upper corner of the net. Going into the third, Colgate led 2–0.
“We talked about keeping the energy up in the locker room between the first and second periods, just chatting and understanding we have to trust the process through that second 20-minute segment,” junior forward David Jacobs told the ‘Prince.’ “Keeping the energy up and staying consistent, that’s what we’re striving for.”
The Tigers would not go down easy, bringing the same energy that they had started out in the first period back into the third. Throughout the period, the Tigers put 13 shots on goal, including five unanswered shots in a powerful three-minute, even-strength span.
Just over two minutes into the final period, Princeton first-year forward Drew Garzone put the Tigers on the board and back within striking distance, bringing the puck from the neutral zone to the offensive zone and slinging a shot into the top of the net.
“I think [the young players] are a lot more comfortable now,” Jacobs told the ‘Prince.’ “We have mature guys who are really good and they’re learning quickly.”
For the next 18 minutes, the Tigers continued to dominate, but couldn’t find the equalizer and narrowly fell short with a 2–1 loss.
On Saturday night, Princeton traveled to Ithaca for a tough matchup against No. 7 Cornell. Set back by a difficult end to the first period, the Tigers were unable to make up their deficit, resulting in a 5–0 loss.
“We played really well through the first portion of the first period, then we got away from our structure and our D-zone, you know. That’s what spotted them,” Syer told the ‘Prince.’
Princeton earned the first shots of the game with several offensive opportunities in the first few minutes. The Tigers also earned a power play, but were unable to capitalize.
Soon, Cornell took over and began to show their championship potential. Ten minutes into the game, the Big Red earned their first goal after a seemingly endless pursuit of shots in the span of 30 seconds. In goal, Pearson worked to deflect several opportunities, but the Tiger defense was unable to move the puck out of the defensive zone before forward Dalton Bancroft found the back of the net.
Just two minutes later, forward Jake Kraft netted a goal for Cornell, splitting the Princeton defense and earning a close shot directly in front of the net. The Tigers trailed 2–0.
Throughout the rest of the period, the Big Red maintained the momentum. With three minutes left, Cornell netted their third goal off of a long shot deflected in by the Big Red offense surrounding the net, making the score 3–0.
The Tigers came back ready to compete for the second 20 minutes. The game was physical and hard fought, with each team earning three power plays throughout the period, all of which were killed.
Princeton began to earn offensive opportunities, out-shooting Cornell 9–7 in shots on goal during the middle period, though they could not find the back of the net. Luckily, Pearson worked to keep the Tigers competitive, not allowing any goals throughout the second. A scoreless 20 minutes kept the game at 3–0 and gave the Tigers a fighting chance in the final period.
Despite a stronger offensive showing in the third, a series of penalties forced Princeton to retreat defensively. Cornell was able to capitalize on two power plays, bringing their goal total to five. The Tigers could not find a way to put a single goal on the board, ending the game in a 5–0 blowout.
Princeton returns home this weekend for back-to-back games against No. 12 Ohio State (9–2–1, 2–2-0 Big 10).
“We’re looking to get back in the win column at home and get back to trusting the process,” Jacobs told the ‘Prince.’ “We have a big challenge in Ohio State, but it’s a fun, out-of-conference team who we’re more than capable of beating.”
Lily Pampolina is a staff Sports writer and a staff Audience creator for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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