Condon Stars in Tigers' Tie with Northeastern
MINNEAPOLIS (12/30/11) - It was the most exciting ending to a
Princeton hockey game this season. It ended with a both team's
goalies standing on their heads in a shootout that would determine
who would advance to the championship game of the Mariucci Classic
at Minnesota on Friday, Dec. 30.
Princeton played to a 3-3 draw with Northeastern, a team that
entered the weekend with the longest current win streak in the NCAA
at six.
It was an eight-round shootout with Justin Daniels delivering the
blow and sending Princeton into the third-place game.
Andrew Calof, Rob Kleebaum, Jack Berger, Tyler Maugeri, Will
MacDonald, Marc Hagel, Brodie Zuk and Aaron Kesselman (in order)
were all stymied by Northeastern's Chris Rawlings.
Princeton netminder junior Mike Condon turned away shots by Braden
Pimm, Vinny Saponari, Ludwig Karlsson, Steve Quailer, Garrett
Vermeersch, Anthony Bitetto and Cody Ferriero.
It was this same date two years ago that Princeton last competed in
a shootout, against Maine at the Florida College Classic. The
Tigers tied the Black Bears 6-6 and lost the shootout. The squad
would defeated Cornell in the third-place game the following
day.
The teams traded goals in the final minute of the first period.
Pimm stripped the Princeton power play of the puck at his own blue
line and with a poke check and brought it down into the Princeton
zone. Mike McLaughlin was streaking up the left side and picked up
the cross-ice pass. He deked his defender and Condon made the stop
but Pimm got the rebound at the right post and flipped it top shelf
at 19:15.
The Tigers knotted the game 41 seconds later with a power play goal
from Berger. Sophomore Jeremy Goodwin had the puck on the right
boards and sent it across the blue line to junior Michael Sdao.
Sdao ripped a shot towards the right post and Berger was on the
doorstep to direct the puck into the goal.
A scoreless second period saw Northeastern take an 11-3 shot
advantage.
Saponari would give Northeastern the 2-1 lead at 4:35 of the third.
The Huskies worked the puck around before Saponari came from behind
the goal and stuffed it in on the right post. Vermeersch would earn
the assist.
Maugeri knotted the game at 10:40 with Princeton's second
power-play goal. Zuk worked the puck off the boards in the
Princeton zone and Eric Meland sent a beautiful centering pass to
Maugeri who skated around his defender and went glove side on
Rawlings.
Less than a minute later however, Pimm would score his second of
the night. Ferriero saw Pimm wide open on the right side and he
sent a cross-ice pass to Pimm and he went glove side on Condon at
11:17.
Sophomore Kevin Ross would collect his first career goal and tie
the game 1:03 later. Condon left the puck for Ross, who skated down
center ice, and sent the puck to Calof on the right side. Calof
pushed it back up ice to Ross who was now at the top of the right
circle and he blasted in a goal at 12:20.
Condon finished the night with a career-high 38 saves and earned
his first career point with an assist on the Tigers' final goal. He
joins Sean Bonar as the second Princeton goalie to earn a point
this season. Bonar picked up the secondary assist in a game against
Providence at the Denver Classic.
Both teams were anxious to get the game-winning goal, to no avail.
Condon and Rawlings both had to stop five shots in the final 7:40
of the third period. In the overtime session, Condon made seven
stops to preserve the draw, while Rawlings made three. Rawlings
would finish the game with 23 stops.
Northeastern had a 41-26 advantage in shots and was 0 for 7 on the
power play. Princeton was 3 for 8 on the power play.
Princeton will play in the third-place game tomorrow, Dec. 31 at
either 3 or 6 p.m., local time, against either Minnesota or
Niagara, depending on the outcome of that game.
