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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Men's Hockey Opens Season With Pair Against Bentley
October 26, 2006 | Men's Ice Hockey
Princeton vs. Bentley
2006-07 RECORDS: Princeton (0-0, 0-0 ECACHL); Bentley (1-3, 1-1 Atlantic Hockey)
SERIES RECORD: Princeton leads 1-0-0.
LAST MEETING: Princeton won 4-2 on Jan. 25, 2005 at Princeton.
STREAK: Princeton won the last meeting.
GAME NOTES: Click here for PDF.
GAME 1
GAMETIME: Friday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m.
SITE: Richard Codey Arena at South Mountain (West Orange, N.J.)
AUDIO: Click Here.
GAME 2
GAMETIME: Saturday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m.
SITE: Hobey Baker Memorial Rink (Princeton, N.J.)
TICKET INFO: Click Here.
AUDIO: Click Here.
VIDEO: Click Here.
LIVESTATS: Click Here.
This Week's Storylines
Drop the Puck
The puck drops on the 2006-07 Princeton men's hockey season with a two-game series against Bentley. The teams play Friday at the Codey Arena in West Orange, N.J., then meet on Saturday night at Baker Rink in Princeton.
Hockey for Hope
Friday night's game marks the first annual “Hockey for Hope” charity game. Proceeds from the game will benefit the Cheer Me Up Foundation, a non-profit organization that financially aids sick and underprivileged children.
CIV
Tonight's game kicks off the 104th season of varsity hockey at Princeton. The first game was played on Nov. 30, 1900 against the Drisler School. Princeton did not compete for two seasons during World War II.
It's About Time
Ivy League rules mandate that men's hockey teams can begin practicing on Oct. 13 and can play regular season games the weekend of Oct. 27. Friday's game will take place exactly three weeks after the first regular season games of the season, which were played on Oct. 6, seven days before Princeton's first official practice.
Getting Things Going
Princeton saw its first competitive action of the season last Friday night with an exhibition games against McGill University. The teams played a tight game that the Tigers won 3-2 in overtime.
Special Teams
None of the five goals scored in the McGill game came with the teams were at full and even strength. Princeton scored a shorthanded goal and two power-play goals, one coming with the two-man advantage, while McGill also scored with the two-man advantage, as well as with the teams skating four-on-four.
Offensive Defensemen
Two Tiger defensemen record two points in the McGill game. Senior Max Cousins scored the Tigers second goal and assisted on its third goal, while junior Mike Moore assisted on Cousins' goal and the third goal.
Game Winner
The game-winning goal in the McGill game came off a deflection from sophomore Brett Wilson. Wilson was a member of the ECACHL All-Rookie team a season ago as he registered 21 points in 25 games to rank third on the team in scoring.
Shorthanded
Senior Grant Goeckner-Zoeller scored Princeton's first goal in the McGill game while killing a Tiger penalty. The goal was Princeton's first shrothanded goal in more than a season as Princeton did not score a shorthanded goal last season. Senior Darroll Powe (against American International) and junior Landis Stankievech (at Cornell) scored shorthanded goals in the 2004-05 season.
Winning in Overtime
Princeton's overtime win against McGill marked the Tigers' first win in the last 23 overtime games it has played. The stretch goes back to a 2-1 win over Yale on Nov. 20, 2001.
Who Are These Guys?
Ten of the 27 players on the Princeton roster are freshmen. That makes it Princeton's largest class. All 10 saw the ice in the exhibition game against McGill.
Experience Too
Almost equal in size to the freshman class is the senior class and its nine members. Five of those players have played more than 80 games in their careers, led by Grant Goeckner-Zoeller's 92.
Returning Scoring
Princeton returns 77.5% of its scoring from last season. A year ago the Tiger juniors, now seniors, led all Princeton classes with 35 goals, 56 assists and 91 points. They accounted for 43.75% of the team's goal scored.
Season Openers
Princeton is 57-42-4 all-time in season-opening games. That includes a 36-21-2 record at home, a 10-12-0 record on the road and an 11-9-2 record at neutral sites. Princeton last opened the season at a neutral site on Oct. 30, 1999 against Niagara at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo. The Purple Eagles won 7-2.
Home Openers
Princeton is 43-32-4 in its first home game of a season. Last season the Tigers shut out Dartmouth 3-0 in their home opener, snapping a three-game losing streak in home openers.
The Series With Bentley
Princeton and Bentley have met once prior to the 2006-07 season with the Tigers winning the game 4-2 at Baker Rink on Jan. 25, 2005. Current senior Kevin Westgarth had a goal and an assist in the win, while current senior goaltender B.J. Sklapsky made 26 saves for the win.
Scouting the Falcons
Bentley is 1-2 on the young season and is 1-1 in league games. The Falcons have allowed five goals in all three games they have played. Bentley opened the season with a 5-1 loss at Colgate, then split games last weekend at Air Force, losing 5-1 and winning 6-5. Bentley played in the Atlantic Hockey championship game a season ago.
Princeton vs. Atlantic Hockey
The Tigers have faced two Atlantic Hockey members, both coming in the 2004-05 season. That year Princeton defeated American International and Bentley, both by identical 4-2 scores. Princeton has also faced members Air Force and Army, but those meetings came prior to their joining of the league.
The ECACHL vs. Atlantic Hockey
The ECACHL is 4-0-1 this season against teams from Atlantic Hockey. St. Lawrence and Clarkson both beat RIT, Union and RIT tied, and Colgate beat both RIT and Canisius.
Who is Left?
Last season Princeton faced two new opponents in Quinnipiac and Robert Morris. That means Princeton has faced 50 of the 58 possible Division I men's hockey opponents. Princeton has not faced Canisius, Connecticut, Ferris State, Mercyhurst, Minnesota State, Northern Michigan, RIT, and Sacred Heart. Minnesota State appears on Princeton's schedule this season.
Scoring More…
Princeton has scored 81 goals in each of the past two seasons. Last season the Tigers did it despite the graduation of two of its top-three scorers from the previous season. That number iss 19 more than the total of 62 that Princeton scored in 31 games two seasons ago.
and Allowing Less…
Princeton allowed 96 goals last season, the lowest goals against total for Princeton in akmost 40 years. The 1968-69 Tiger squad allowed 95 goals.
Polling Station
Princeton was picked to finish 10th by both the coaches and the media in the ECACHL preseason polls for the second straight season. The Tigers finished ninth in the ECAC Hockey League standings a season ago.
On the Horizon
Princeton jumps into league play next weekend with games at Rensselaer and Union. It marks the second season that the Tigers will make their first league road trip of the season to the Albany area to skate against those opponents.