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Princeton University Athletics
Hat Tricks, Haircuts and a Happy Class of 2000
February 13, 2000 | Men's Ice Hockey
Feb. 12, 2000
Troy, N.Y. - This was a close shave in more ways than one.
Mired in a five-game losing skid, Princeton men's hockey coach Don Cahoon offered his head of hair if the Tigers could get three or four points this weekend. The opponents, upstart Union and No. 9 Rensselaer, had stolen four points from the Tigers two weeks ago at Baker Rink.
The thought of a crew cut on their coach was interesting, but the thought of getting some revenge while putting themselves right back into the ECAC race was more than enough incentive for the Tigers, who finished an unlikely sweep with a 4-3 win at Rensselaer. It was Princeton's first win at Houston Field House since the 1996-97 season.
The star of the show was Brad Parsons, who recorded his first career hat trick en route to the victory. Parsons, who recorded three assists in the 6-1 win over Union Friday night, scored twice on the power play and beat Scott Prekaski for the game-winner on a breakaway midway through the third period. Benoit Morin got Princeton on the board first when he netted the only goal of the opening period. Captain Darren Yopyk forced the play by taking a pass from Dave Bennett and preparing a shot at point-blank range. Rensselaer was forced to charge Yopyk, leaving Morin open for a pass. The senior from Montreal, Que., did the rest, beating Prekaski top shelf for the 1-0 lead.
Matt Murley scored his first of two goals for the Engineers early in the second period, but Princeton would not allow its opponents to ever take the lead. Parsons scored a power-play goal at 4:57 of the period when he took a perfect feed from Kirk Lamb and redirected the puck into an open net. Doug Shepherd evened the score at 2-2 with a late goal in the period.
Parsons scored his second power-play goal at 3:43 of the final period. Like the first, it came off assists from Lamb and Chris Corrinet, and it again gave the Tigers a one-goal lead. Parsons finished his remarkable night by taking a lead pass from Chris Barber and finding nothing in front of him but open ice and Prekaski. Using a move similar to the one he attempted on a penalty shot at Vermont, Parsons faked the backhand and brought the puck back to the forehand. This time, though, there would be no denying Parsons. His move beat Prekaski and left an opening inside the right post, where Parsons calmly shot the puck.
Murley got Rensselaer back within one goal when Murley scored his second of the game, but Dave Stathos made sure there was no equalizer. The sophomore goaltender made 11 saves in the final period, 21 overall, to record his seventh victory of the season.
The win got Princeton back into a tie for fifth place with travel partner Yale. Both teams will play one ECAC game next weekend against fourth-place Dartmouth, making that series crucial in determining postseason positions.
But that was far from the players' minds after the win. Each got their chance at shaving a part of Don Cahoon's hair, who hasn't sported a crew cut in nearly three decades. Not that he minded, though, as his team posted wins that he dearly wanted.
Speaking of wins, the Class of 2000 set the record for all-time wins when it achieved victory No. 64 against Rensselaer. Although recent classes have gotten their just due in terms of publicity and prestige, the current corps of seniors has quietly helped create the new legacy of success at Old Nassau.