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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Playoff Hockey Returns to Baker Rink This Weekend as Princeton Hosts Brown
February 28, 2007 | Men's Ice Hockey
ECACHL First Round - No. 11 Brown at No. 6 Princeton
GAMETIMES: Friday-Sunday, March 2-4, 2007, at 7 p.m. (Sunday if necessary)
SITE: Hobey Baker Rink (Princeton, N.J.)
RECORDS: Princeton (13-13-3, 10-10-2 ECACHL); Brown (10-13-6, 6-12-4 ECACHL)
SERIES RECORD: Brown leads 77-53-7, leads 33-24-4 at Princeton
THIS SEASON: Princeton won 3-2 in overtime on Jan. 13 at home. The teams tied 1-1 on Feb. 2 at Brown
STREAK: Princeton is unbeaten in four games (1-0-3)
GAME NOTES: Click here for PDF.
TICKET INFO: Click here for ticket information.
PROMOTIONS: Free Growl Towels to the first 1000 fans on Friday. Spirit Shakers to the first 1000 fans on Saturday.
LIVESTATS: Click here.
LIVE AUDIO: Click here.
LIVE VIDEO: Click here.
This Week's Storylines
Second Season
The Princeton men's hockey team opens its second season this weekend at Hobey Baker Rink when it kicks off the postseason by hosting a best-of-three ECAC Hockey League first-round series against Brown. Princeton took the season series from Brown 1-0-1 and a trip to the ECACHL is at stake for the series winner.
Last Time Out
Princeton swept the league's top-two teams, Clarkson and St. Lawrence, at Baker Rink last weekend to secure the sixth spot in the league standings and home ice in the first round of the playoffs. Princeton jumped on Clarkson early on Friday night in a 7-1 win, then pulled away from St. Lawrence in the third period for a 4-1 win.
Lucky Number 13
Princeton picked up its 12th and 13th wins of the season last weekend, giving the Tigers their highest win total since the 1998-99 season when Princeton won 20 games.
.500 Mark
Princeton flirted with the .500 mark in early January, but fell below later in the month. With Princeton's sweep of Clarkson and St. Lawrence the Tigers returned to .500 overall and in the league. Princeton was last at or above .500 overall in 1998-99 and last did that in the league in 2001-02. Princeton's .500 mark in league play marked just the eighth time in Tiger history that it finished the league season with a record at or above .500. The others came in 1967-68, 1987-88, 1989-90, 1996-97, 1998-99, 2000-01 and 2001-02.
6th-Place Finish
Princeton finished the regular season tied for sixth in the ECACHL standings. That finish ties three other seasons as the Tigers third-best league regular-season finish. Princeton finished the regular season fourth in 1998-99 and was fifth in 1996-97. The Tigers won the ECAC Postseason tournament in 1997-98, but finished seventh in the regular season that year.
Playoff Hosting
Princeton will host a playoff series for just the second time in Tiger history when Brown visits Baker Rink this weekend. Princeton hosted Cornell in a three game-series in 1999 and won the series with a win and a tie (at the time, three points was needed to win a series). Princeton also hosted play-in games in 1991 and 1995. In 1991, the Tigers fell to Yale, and in 1995, Princeton defeated Union on its run to the ECAC Championship game.
Friday in Further Detail
Princeton's seven goal output on Friday against Clarkson was its highest goal output in Guy Gadowsky's three season behind the Tiger bench. Princeton last scored seven goals in a game on Feb. 17, 2001 when it won at Union 7-2. Princeton last scored seven goals in a game at home on Feb. 13, 1998 in a 7-4 win over Harvard.
Sweeping the Knights Away
Princeton completed its first season sweep of Clarkson in 16 years when Princeton won 7-1 on Friday, coupled with its 3-2 win in Potsdam in November. Princeton swept Clarkson in 1989-90. Princeton has won the last three regular-season games against Clarkson dating back to last season.
The Weekend Sweep
Princeton's weekend sweep of Clarkson and St. Lawrence marked the second season in a row that Princeton swept the North Country pair at home. Since the travel partner system began in 1984-85, Princeton only had one other home sweep of the pair, which came in 1986-87.
Team Awards
The Princeton men's hockey team held its banquet last Saturday night following its win over St. Lawrence. The team handed out its four year-end awards. Senior captain Darroll Powe was awarded the Blackwell Trophy (team mvp) and Vaughan Cup (perseverance and dedication). Senior Daryl Marcoux won the 1941 Championship Trophy (winning spirit and inspiration) and freshman Mark Magnowski won the Hobey Baker Trophy (top freshman).
Record Against the Top Three
Princeton is 4-1-1 against the top three finishers in the ECACHL this season. Princeton went 1-1 against first-place St. Lawrence, 2-0 against second-place Clarkson, and 1-0-1 against third-place Dartmouth. That record is what gave Princeton the tiebreaker over Harvard in the final league standings.
The Opponent
The Series With Brown
Princeton trails its all-time series with Brown 53-77-6 and is 24-33-4 in the series at home. The Tigers and Bears have gone to overtime in their last four meetings, with three games ending tied, and one going to Princeton on a goal from Grant Goeckner-Zoeller.
The Postseason Series With Brown
Princeton and Brown have played nine games in the postseason with Brown holding a 5-4 edge. The teams have played three best-of-three series with Princeton winning two of them 2-1 in 1995 and 1998. Brown swept a two-game series in 2003 and won a play-in game in 1996.
Scouting the Bears
Brown finished the regular season with a 10-13-6 record and was 6-12-4 in the ECAC Hockey League. Brown placed 11th on the final day with its 3-1 win over Union. That win snapped a five-game winless streak for Brown which included losses to Clarkson, St. Lawrence, Dartmouth and Rensselaer, and a tie with Harvard.
The Season Series
Princeton went 1-0-1 against Brown in 2006-07, winning the season series for the first time since 1998-99 when the Tigers also went 1-0-1 against Brown. This season the Tigers took the first game 3-2 in overtime. In a game Princeton never trailed, and dominated in shots, it took Princeton's 42nd shot to decide the game as Grant Goeckner-Zoeller's second goal of the game gave the Tigers the win. He scored twice in the win, while Daryl Marcoux provided Princeton's other goal. Jeff Prough had two points for Brown. Less than a month later in Providence, the teams played to a 1-1 deadlock despite 47 Tiger shots to 19 from Brown. Aaron Volpatti gave Brown a 1-0 lead, but Mark Magnowski evened things up for Princeton in the 1-1 final.
Team Notes
Home and Away
Princeton is 8-7-0 on its home ice this season, is 5-6-2 on the road and is 0-0-1 at neutral sites.
Ranked Teams
Princeton's sweep of Clarkson and St. Lawrence last weekend gave Princeton two more wins against ranked opponents. The Tigers are 4-3-1 in their eight games against ranked teams, defeating Clarkson twice, St. Lawrence and Quinnipiac, losing to Cornell twice and Quinnipiac and tying Dartmouth. Clarkson, ranked sixth last week, is the highest ranked team Princeton has played.
Special Teams
Thirty-nine of Princeton's 82 goals this season have come on special teams. Princeton has 36 power-play goals and three shorthanded goals this season. Princeton scored five goals on the power play last weekend to boost the power play to 19.8% for the season. Princeton has scored at least one power play goal in each of its last seven games.
With a Two Man Advantage
Princeton converted on its first 5-on-3 power play in the Rensselaer win. The Tigers had been held goalless in nine previous chances. Princeton also scored with the two-man advantage against Minnesota State and Clarkson and is now 3-for-14 in 5-on-3s while opponents are 9-for-15 against Princeton.
Lots of Shots
Princeton has outshot 20 of 29 opponents this season. Last season Princeton outshot its opponents in 13 of 31 games.
Spreading the Puck Around
Princeton has received points this season from 23 of its 24 skaters and one of its goaltenders. Nineteen different players have scored goals and 21 players have tallied assists. Every player that has appeared in at least half the games has recorded a point.
An Immediate Impact
Princeton's freshman class has had an immediate impact. All nine skaters and one goaltender have recorded a point and seven of those have scored goals.
Scoring More...
Brett Wilson's empty-net goal against St. Lawrence was its 82nd of the season, and surpassed the goal total 81 it has scored the last two seasons. That number is 19 more than the total of 62 that Princeton scored in 31 games three seasons ago. Princeton is on pace to score 102 goals in 31 games this year.
And Allowing Less
Princeton is on pace to allow 95 goals this season, which is less than the 96 it allowed last season. Princeton has decreased the amount of goals it has given up in the past four seasons, from a high of 140 in 2002-03.
Individual Notes
Captain's Contribution
Senior Darroll Powe scored his 12th goal of the season in Princeton's win over Clarkson and moved into a tie with Lee Jubinville atop the team's scoring charts. Powe has 12 goals and 13 assists for 25 points.
Century Mark
Senior Grant Goeckner-Zoeller picked up three points over the weekend, scoring in the Clarkson win and adding assists in both games. That lifted his career point total to 103, which tied him with Hank Bothfeld for 10th on the all-time Princeton scoring chart. He needs three more points to reach ninth-place Ed Lee. He is one of 12 Tigers to reach 100 points. See Page 12.
Player of the Week
Senior Kevin Westgarth took home the ECAC Hockey League's Player of the Week award, as well as the InsideCollegeHockey Player of the Week award, for his performance last weekend. Westgarth had five points in the Clarkson win and two against St. Lawrence. He finished the weekend with two goals and five assists and set up both game-winning goals. He is the first Princeton player to receive either honor this season. His seven points last weekend represent a third of his season point total of 21.
Rookie of the Week
Freshman Mark Magnowski reached the 20-point mark with four points last weekend and was named the ECACHL Rookie of the Week. Magnowski had a goal and three assists over the weekend and helped set up the game winner on Saturday.
First Point of the Year
Senior B.J. Mackasey notched an assist on Princeton's first goal on Friday night to become the 23rd Tiger skater to earn a point this season.
More Four Pointers
Junior Mike Moore and sophomore Brett Wilson also record four points over the weekend. Moore scored a pair of power-play goals and added a pair of helpers from his spot on the blueline. His goal on Friday was the game winner and his score on Saturday drew Princeton even at 1-1 after St. Lawrence scored the opening goal. Wilson set up two goals, including the game winner on a face-off win on Friday night, then had an assist and scored an insurance goal on Saturday afternoon.
25-10-15
Princeton's line of juniors Kyle Hagel and Landis Stankievech and senior Kevin Westgarth contributed four goals in Friday night's win. Hagel scored his third of the year and his second against Clarkson, Stankievech added his fifth of the season and Westgarth notched his sixth and seventh.
Goalie Point Streak
Freshman Zane Kalemba assisted on Landis Stankievech's goal against Clarkson, marking his second assist in as many games. He also had an assist two Saturday's ago at Cornell on senior Christian Read's goal. Kalemba became the first Tiger goaltender to garner a point in more than two years, since Eric Leroux had an assist at St. Lawrence in February of 2005.
Goalies In Net
Senior B.J. Sklapsky and freshman Zane Kalemba split the games last weekend with each coming away victorious. On Friday night, Kalemba made 30 saves in a win over Clarkson, his second over the Golden Knights this season. A day later, Sklapsky made 20 saves to stymie St. Lawrence for his fifth win of the year.
Odd & Ends
Around the ECACHL
The ECACHL playoffs kick off this weekend with four best-of-three first-round series. Fifth-seeded Quinnipiac hosts 12th-seeded Union, sixth-seeded Princeton hosts 11th-seeded Brown, seventh-seeded Harvard hosts 10th-seeded Yale and eighth-seeded Colgate hosts ninth-seeded Rensselaer. During the regular season, Quinnipiac was 3-0 against Union, Princeton was 1-0-1 against Brown, Harvard went 0-2 against Yale, and Rensselaer was 2-1 against Colgate.
On the Horizon
This weekend's winner will visit the top four teams for next weekend's quarterfinal series. Those series will take place at St. Lawrence, Clarkson, Dartmouth and Cornell. If Princeton wins the series, it will head to either Dartmouth or Cornell depending on the other results. A Brown win would send the Bears to either St. Lawrence or Clarkson.