Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Colgate
Colgate Rallies to Top Men's Hockey 3-2
December 03, 2005 | Men's Ice Hockey
Dec. 3, 2005
Box Score
HAMILTON, N.Y. - The Princeton men's hockey team opened up a 2-0 lead at Colgate but three-straight Raider goals lifted 13th-ranked Colgate to a 3-2 win. Senior Patrick Neundorfer and sophomore Kyle Hagel scored the goals for Princeton.
Play bounced from end-to-end in the opening period with Princeton holding an 8-7 shot edge, but it was Princeton's eighth shot that broke a scoreless tie and put Princeton ahead 1-0 with 52 seconds left in the first period.
On the face-off following a Colgate penalty, Neundorfer won a face-off back about two feet. Junior Daryl Marcoux pinched in to pick up the puck then circled up to the point. From there he fired a shot through traffic that Colgate goaltender Mark Dekanich saved, but the puck trickled by him and Neundorfer got a swipe at it to score his fourth goal of the season. Junior Darroll Powe assisted on the goal. Princeton senior Eric Leroux made seven saves in the period.
Princeton extended its lead to two goals at 7:43 of the second period when Hagel scored his third goal of the year on a blast from just inside the blue line. Junior Brett Westgarth created the play when he stood Colgate's Marc Fulton up at the Tiger blue line. Fulton fell to the ice and Westgarth quickly passed the puck to Hagel. Hagel skated into the Colgate zone and rocketed a shot past Dekanich.
The Tigers held onto the two-goal lead for slight less than five minutes when Colgate scored to make it a one-goal game. Jesse Winchester worked the puck low to Tyler Burton who would through traffic before feeding Eric Main as he pinched in from his spot at the blue line. Main just had to redirect the puck into the net to make the score 2-1. Shots were even 9-9 in the period and each goalie made eight saves. Princeton entered the third with a one-goal lead but Colgate scored twice to take a 3-2 lead, then Dekanich made several big stops late to preserve the 3-2 win for the Raiders. Jon Smyth made the score 2-2 at the 2:54 mark when he skated out from behind the net and slid the puck by Leroux. Burton then made the score 3-2 at 6:09 when he converted on a turnover and scored high on the stick side. Burton and Winchester each finished the night with three points.
The Tigers pulled Leroux late to try and even the score and came very close as Princeton fired several good shots on Dekanich late. The goaltender was up to the task, though, and he made numerous big saves, including one on Powe with eight seconds later to hold on to the win for Colgate.
Princeton falls to 3-9 overall and 2-8 in the ECAC Hockey League with the loss.
Princeton returns to Baker Rink next weekend for a two-game series with Alabama-Huntsville.