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Princeton University Athletics
Men's Hockey Begins 2004 on Home Ice Against Merrimack
December 30, 2003 | Men's Ice Hockey
Dec. 30, 2003
Princeton, N.J. - The Princeton men's hockey team looks to start the second-half of the 2003-04 season with a bang when it faces Merrimack College in a pair of non-conference games this weekend at Baker Rink. Princeton is unbeaten in six meetings with the Warriors and will look to continue that trend Friday and Saturday night at 7 p.m.
The Princeton ticket office is closed the remainder of the week, but tickets will be available at the Baker Rink box office on the night of the game. Additionally, fans can keep track of the game live online with Princeton Hockey Live Stats
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Drop the Puck... The Princeton men's hockey team completes its non-conference schedule with a pair of games this weekend at home against Merrimack College of Hockey East.
Last Time Out... Princeton fell to 5-11-0 after dropping a pair of games at the Dodge Holiday Classic in Minneapolis. Princeton dropped the opener to two-time defending national champion Minnesota and then dropped a 5-3 decision to No. 13 Miami (Ohio) in the second game.
The Series with Merrimack... Princeton and Merrimack have met six times prior to this weekend's two-game series. In those six games, the Tigers have had the upper hand, posting a 4-0-2 record. The first meeting, a 2-2 tie, came on Nov. 16, 1977 and was played in Baker Rink. The two teams have played four times since Merrimack joined Hockey East and Princeton is 3-0-1 in those games. The last meeting in the series came on Nov. 28, 1998 and was won by the Tigers 4-1 at home. Close Encounter... Princeton and Merrimack were both in the HSBC/Rensselaer Holiday Tournament last season but did not face each other. Merrimack defeated Rensselaer and Wayne State to claim first place, while Princeton dropped its opener to Wayne State, but won the third-place game over Rensselaer.
Scouting the Warriors... Merrimack is 5-10-3 overall and 2-6-3 within Hockey East. The Warriors struggled early, going 2-8-3 in their first 13 games, but have now won three of their last five contests, including a 7-2 triumph at then No. 4 New Hampshire in their last outing. Merrimack's wins have come against Sacred Heart, Northeastern, Bemidji State, Quinnipiac and New Hampshire. The Warriors have ties with Boston College, Boston University and Providence College.
Common Opponents... Princeton and Merrimack have three common opponents that each has faced this season. Those opponents are Northeastern, Rensselaer and Union. Here's how each team fared against those opponents:
Princeton: fell to Northeastern 0-4; fell to Rensselaer 4-6; defeated Union 4-0
Merrimack: defeated Northeastern 4-2; fell to Rensselaer 0-2; fell to Union 1-3
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Freshman forward Darroll Powe posted his second career goal in Princeton's last outing against Miami (Ohio) in the second game of the Dodge Holiday Classic. The Kanata, Ont., native have two goals and an assist and has appeared in all 16 of Princeton games this season.
Powe looking forward to the second half of the season... "We're looking forward to getting the second half of the year off on the right foot this weekend against Merrimack. We have our final two non-conference games, then we finish off with league games. This weekend will be very important to build off of in the next few weeks and months."
"Confidence is up and things are looking good. The guys are working hard and want to get better, and that is the recipe for success in the second part of the season." |
Good Friday... Friday night has been Princeton's best night this season, posting a 3-2-0 record in Friday night games with both losses coming in overtime. Conversely, on Saturday nights, Princeton is 0-8-0 and has allowed an average of over five goals per game in those eight losses. Princeton is 2-0-0 in midweek games, topping Yale 3-0 and Harvard 2-1 earlier this season at Baker Rink.
Looking Ahead... Princeton resumes ECAC play next Friday and Saturday on home ice when St. Lawrence and Clarkson visit Princeton. Last season, both the Saints and Golden Knights swept the Tigers.
Hexing Harvard.. Princeton continued its recent string of success against Harvard with its win on Dec. 16. With the win, Princeton swept the season series for the second time in three seasons, and is now 5-1 in its last six games against its Ivy rival.
Strength of Schedule... The 2003-04 Princeton hockey schedule is one of the toughest in the nation. The Tigers currently have 11 opponents on their schedule who are either nationally ranked or receiving votes in the three national polls. Four of those opponents competed in the 2003 NCAA tournament a year ago, and two were in the Frozen Four.
Five Wins... Princeton's win over Harvard on Dec. 16 was its fifth of the season. That number surpasses the total of last season. In 2002-03, Princeton was 3-26-2.
Centurion... Princeton senior defenseman Matt Maglione played in his 100th game as a Tiger on Sunday, Dec. 20, 2003. In 100 games wearing the Orange and Black, Maglione has 11 goals and 26 assists for 37 career points, second among all active Tigers.
Points Leaders... Junior Mike Patton and freshman Grant Goeckner-Zoeller are tied for Princeton's team-lead in scoring. Both forwards have three goals and seven assists in 16 games this season. Goeckner-Zoeller posted two assists against Miami to climb into the tie. Sophomore Patrick Neundorfer leads the team in goals with four.
Who is Hot... Sophomore Seamus Young and freshman Grant Goeckner-Zoeller have each recorded points in two of the last three games. Goeckner-Zoeller had a goal against Harvard and two assists against Miami, while Young assisted on a goal against Harvard and scored versus Miami. The other goals in the game against Miami were scored by sophomore Mark Masters and freshman Darroll Powe. Senior Steve Slaton and sophomore Brian Carthas assisted on Masters' goal, while Goeckner-Zoeller posted the single assist on the goals scored by Young and Powe.
Power Play Wake Up... After struggling on the power play all season long, Princeton has averaged over a power-play goal per game over its last 12 outings, including two against Miami. In that span the Tiger pp has jumped from 4.3% to 15.2% efficiency.
In the Pipes... Sophomore goaltender Eric Leroux continues to handle the bulk of the work in the Princeton net, playing all but 20 minutes in net this season. Leroux has five wins and two shutouts in 16 starts this season. Three times, he has made over 40 saves in a game, including 40 stops on Miami in Princeton's last outing.