Team Notes: Princeton Continues League Slate at St. Lawrence and Clarkson
PRINCETON -- The Princeton men's hockey team travels to New York's North Country this weekend to face St. Lawrence and Clarkson in ECAC Hockey action as Princeton faces its first league road weekend since mid-November.
Princeton is 7-1-1 in its last nine games and has gone 12-3-1 in its last 16 games after opening the season with three consecutive one-goal losses. The Tigers returned from their 16-day break for first-semester final exams with a 7-1 win over Sacred Heart on Tuesday night at Hobey Baker Rink. Princeton scored three times in the first 10 minutes to build a lead and cruise to a season-high seven goals in the win. Eric Meland led the charge with a goal and two assists, while four others had two points in the win, including a pair of goals from Mike Kramer. Princeton had a season-high 59 shots in the win and excelled on special teams, scoring three times on the power play, once shorthanded and once with an extra attacker on a delayed penalty. Alan Reynolds made 19 saves in the win.
The win made Princeton a perfect 5-0 this season in games against teams from other leagues. Princeton defeated UMass Lowell twice and then earned wins over Bowling Green, Connecticut and Sacred Heart.
The game concluded Princeton's non-league slate and leave Princeton with five weekends and 10 ECAC games remaining as the race for postseason positioning heats up. Princeton currently sits tied for third in the ECAC Hockey standings with Dartmouth, behind both Yale and Union. Princeton and Dartmouth currently have a one-point edge on fifth-place Rensselaer. This weekend's opponents rank sixth (Clarkson) and 10th (St. Lawrence) in the league standings.
Princeton visits St. Lawrence on Friday night looking to complete a season sweep of the Saints. Princeton defeated St. Lawrence 5-1 in early December behind two goals from Matt Farris and 18 saves from Sean Bonar. Matt Arhontas, Meland and Kramer also added goals in the win, while Taylor Fedun had a pair of assists. The win snapped a four-game Princeton winless streak in the series (0-2-2). St. Lawrence leads the all-time series 59-19-9 overall and 30-7-3 in Canton.
St. Lawrence is 7-12-4 overall and 3-8-0 in ECAC Hockey. The Saints have dropped five-straight league games dating back to their December 4 loss at Princeton, but have gone 4-0-1 in the five non-league games they have played in the span, most recently taking three points on the road at Michigan Tech. Last weekend the Saints fell at Brown and Yale.
Princeton visits Clarkson on Saturday looking for a series split this season. Princeton fell to Clarkson 5-3 on December 3. All three Princeton goals came on the power play as Eric Meland, Rob Kleebaum and Taylor Fedun scored, but Princeton couldn't overcome an early deficit. Clarkson leads the all-time series 71-26-5 overall and 35-4-0 in Potsdam and has won the last two in the series.
Clarkson is 12-9-2 overall and 6-4-1 in the ECAC entering the weekend. Clarkson has two wins in its last six games, taking wins at Rensselaer and Brown, but losses at Union and Yale and two at home to Minnesota Duluth.
Princeton returns home next weekend to host 13th-ranked Union and 10th-ranked Rensselaer at Hobey Baker Rink.
