It wasn’t a good weekend to be a Buckeyes fan — whether your eyes were on the football field against the Michigan Wolverines or on the ice against the Princeton Tigers.
After falling to the Ohio State Buckeyes (9–4–1 overall, 2–2 Big Ten) in their post-Thanksgiving out-of-conference series last year, Princeton men’s ice hockey (3–4–1, 1–4–1 ECAC) flipped the script this season, defeating the No. 12 ranked Buckeyes 3–1 on both Friday and Saturday night.
“I just think that the guys competed the whole weekend and really showed a determination for the entire 60 minutes each night,” Head Coach Ben Syer told The Daily Princetonian.
It was an offensive masterclass, featuring multiple three-point nights, power play momentum, and a shorthanded goal.
The weekend also marks the first time in program history the Tigers have bested the Buckeyes, breaking a six-game losing streak dating back to 1971.
“It was great to see the crowd that we had both nights,” Syer said. “For our guys and our program to be able to get that support is fantastic.”
“Our guys love playing in that environment here, and it goes a long way,” he continued.
Career night for rookie Jake Manfre
The Tigers started off quickly Friday night, with senior defenseman Noah de la Durantaye scoring off a pass from first-year forward Jake Manfre. Manfre, a Kings Park native, has been a crucial part of Syer’s squad early in his rookie season.
No(ah) Better Way To Start!
— Princeton Men's Ice Hockey (@princetonhockey) November 30, 2024
Noah de la Durantaye knocks in the first of the game with assists to Manfre and Konovalov for a 1-0 Princeton lead over #12 Ohio State!@ecachockey | @NCAAIceHockey pic.twitter.com/I9RnJ897ez
“I think just sticking to the structure that our coaches have implemented for us and playing simple hockey was a key factor in my success,” Manfre said. “It also came from my teammates around me putting together a complete 60 minutes of hockey.”
Both teams had nine shots on goal in the first period, but it was the Tigers with the lone goal entering the second period. The Buckeyes returned with more intensity in the second period, outshooting the Tigers 12–9, but were unable to beat sophomore goalie Arthur Smith.
In the dying seconds of the second period, Manfre redirected a shot from junior forward Brendan Gorman to give the Orange and Black a 2–0 lead.
“He [Manfre] just showed poise, and he was hard to play against, and he won battles and was great in our defensive zone as well,” Syer said.
After earning a power play five minutes into the third period culminating Buckeyes forward Joe Dunlap scored from the far post to cut the deficit to one.
However, the Tigers went on the offensive, earning two power play opportunities in the final six minutes of the game. The latter opportunity proved to be successful, when Manfre scored his second of the night from the face-off circle with 1:55 remaining in the game.
Tiger defense held strong to the end, denying the Buckeyes a shot on goal and holding on for a 3–1 victory.
Smith finished with 29 saves and the Tiger defense went three-for-three on penalty kills. For the Tigers, it marked their first win over a ranked opponent since Nov. 8, 2023, when they beat then-No. 10 ranked Cornell 2–1 in overtime.
37 saves from Smith helps Tigers complete weekend sweep
Game two started off slowly, with neither team able to find the back of the net in the opening 40 minutes.
Junior forward Brendan Gorman started boldly, taking a back-handed shot on net on the breakaway only four minutes into play, but Buckeye netminder Logan Terness kept the game at 0–0.
Sophomore goalie Arthur Smith had some big saves of his own that prevented the Tigers from going down early. Early in the second period, Ohio State forward Riley Thompson had a breakaway, but his shot was denied with a swift glove snag by Smith.
Smith Flashes The Leather!
— Princeton Men's Ice Hockey (@princetonhockey) November 30, 2024
Glove save from Arty keeps the game scoreless at Baker Rink! pic.twitter.com/5toCSf7oaa
Smith ended the game with a career-high 37 saves on the night.
“The key for me was staying focused and continuing to take advantage of all opportunities and reps I was given in practice,” Smith noted. “We spend a lot of time as a team working on special teams in practice which results in us having confidence in each other.”
The Tigers got points on the board first, not even a minute into the third frame. Junior defenseman David Ma took advantage of a weak Buckeye clearing attempt through the right circle and whipped a shot past their defenseman, off the far post, and into the net. This marked Ma’s second goal of the season.
With 10:46 left to play, a play from senior forward Alex Konovalov handed Princeton a comfortable 2–0 lead as time was ticking away.
Not 10 seconds later, sophomore forward Joshua Karnish was charged with both a two-minute minor penalty for holding and a five-minute major for a hit from behind, totaling a cumulative seven minutes in the box.
While this could have opened an offensive window for the Buckeyes, the Tigers took command and scored again, this time shorthanded. Gorman, back with a vengeance, blocked a shot on the Princeton blue line then skated in a clean breakaway goal with 7:20 remaining, marking a 3–0 lead.
We’re On A 7:00 PK?
— Princeton Men's Ice Hockey (@princetonhockey) November 30, 2024
No Problem!
Brendan Gorman slips free and cashes in for a SHG!@ecachockey | @NCAAIceHockey | @TeamECH pic.twitter.com/27tEKqbyXG
After Joe Dunlap pushed a goal across the board for Ohio State, the Tigers were charged with another two-minute minor for high sticking, totaling 11 penalty minutes in the frame. This time, the Princeton penalty kill was successful thanks to seven saves by Smith, and the game closed with the Orange and Black’s second 3–1 win of the weekend.
“It was a bit unorthodox to kill a seven-minute penalty, but there was lots of communication among every single guy on the ice, which helped us to execute our roles on the penalty kill,” Smith said. “Our penalty killers blocked a lot of shots and boxed out down low making it easy for me to see pucks.”
“For them to just have a will and desire to block shots, to win loose pucks, to send 200 foot clears, it was just great to see that mentality,” Syer added.
Princeton will return to Eastern College Athletic Conference play against Union this Friday, remaining on their home ice at Hobey Baker Rink.
Of their wins this weekend, Gorman noted, “This is just the start, so we’ll be using this weekend as a building block as we get into these next games.”
Hayk Yengibaryan is an associate Sports editor and News contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Ava Seigel is an assistant Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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