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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Men's Hockey Season Preview
October 29, 2008 | Men's Ice Hockey
The Princeton men's hockey team enters the 2008-09 season off of the heels of the best season in the 104-year history of the sport at Princeton. The 2007-08 Tigers set a program record for wins in a season with 21 and captured the ECAC Hockey and Ivy League championships. Princeton finished second in the ECAC regular season standings, its highest finish in 47 years of league membership, and won the league tournament for the second time and the first time since 1998. Princeton's Ivy Championship was its fourth, with the others coming in 1941, 1953 and 1999.
Princeton's successful season was the next step in a steady climb for the program since fifth-year head coach Guy Gadowsky took the reins beginning with the 2004-05 campaign. Princeton's record and league finish has improved in each season, and the Tigers have now hosted playoff series in two consecutive seasons, after hosting a playoff series just once prior.
Princeton's season had many highlights, from picking up its first win at Cornell in 13 tries to a 5-2 triumph over Dartmouth in a nationally televised game on ESPNU from Hobey Baker Rink. The Tigers won six straight games in the month of January and had a stretch where they won 12 of 14 games late in the season. Princeton had a dramatic win at home against Harvard when junior Kevin Kaiser scored in the closing minutes, and the Tigers scored a season-high seven goals at home against Colgate. Princeton clinched the Ivy League title with a win at Dartmouth in February and locked up a top-two finish in the ECAC standings with a win over Cornell late in the season.
The Tigers' postseason run included an ECAC quarterfinal series win over Yale in which the Tigers shutout Yale twice, and a semifinal win over Colgate, in which junior goaltender Zane Kalemba starred before the Tigers pulled ahead late. Princeton captured the league title with a 4-1 win in the championship game over Harvard.
Individually, senior Lee Jubinville led Princeton and the ECAC in scoring and received several honors including first-team All-America, All-ECAC and All-Ivy. He was also the ECAC and Ivy League Player of the Year and was named a Hobey Baker Award Candidate.
Then-senior Mike Moore was also a first-team All-America, All-ECAC and All-Ivy selection. He won the ECAC's award for Top Defenseman and signed with the NHL's San Jose Sharks following the season. Senior Brett Wilson had another exceptional year and was a second-team All-Ivy selection, while Kalemba was named the Most Outstanding Player of the ECAC Tournament.
Princeton scored 112 goals last season, besting the previous season by 10 goals, and the Tiger defense held opponents to five less goals despite playing an additional game.
The Princeton men's hockey coaching staff hopes to take the important wins and milestones from the 2007-08 season and continue that success in the 2007-08 campaign.
FORWARDS
Returning - 11, Lost - 4, Newcomers - 2
Additional goal scoring has been an emphasis since the arrival of Guy Gadowsky four seasons ago and Princeton has seen an increase in the amount of goals it has scored. The Tigers saw a 30% increase in goal production in their first season of playing under Gadowsky's aggressive but disciplined style, compared to the 62 goals scored in each of the previous two seasons. Two seasons ago Princeton scored 102 goals, making a 20% leap in production and the Tigers jumped another 9.8% last season by scoring 112 goals. Since arriving at Princeton, Gadowsky has seen his teams increase their scoring output by more than 80%.
Offensively the Tigers are led by pair of seniors in Lee Jubinville and Brett Wilson. The pair have 78 and 79 career points respectively and both had more than 30 points a season ago. Both are legitimate threats whenever they are on the ice, and they have had tremendous chemistry when teamed together over the past two seasons.
Jubinville had a career high 35 points last season on his way to several individual postseason accolades. He was the league's scoring champion and recorded points in 19 of Princeton's 22 league contests. He had five games in which he tallied three or more points, including a career-high four assists in a win at Brown.
Princeton's other leading returning scorer is Wilson, who has reached the 20-point mark in each of his three seasons at Princeton. A member of the league's all-rookie team as a freshman, Wilson had 35 points last season, which included a team-high 15 goals. Wilson had nine multiple-point games last season.
Senior Brandan Kushniruk served as an assistant captain last season and logged crucial minutes all season. One of Princeton's top defensive forwards, Kushniruk had three goals and five assists for eight points.
Wilson and Jubinville's linemate for much of the season was junior Cam MacIntyre, who gave the Tigers three players with more than 30 points. He scored 13 goals and added 18 assists for 31 points and now has 44 points in his career. In addition to his offensive contributions, which included Princeton's first hat trick in more than three seasons, MacIntyre provided a strong physical presence on the ice, as he delivered several momentum-changing hits throughout the season.
Junior Mark Magnowski ranked fifth on the Princeton roster in scoring for the second straight season. Magnowski had 18 points on eight goals and 10 assists and now has 41 points in his career. His 23 points were the most by a Princeton freshman in the past 10 years.
Sophomores Mike Kramer and Matt Arhontas emerged as scoring threats last season. Kramer came alive when he was placed on a line with Jubinville and Wilson midway through the season. He finished the year as the Tigers' top scoring freshman with 16 points on eight goals and eight assists.
Arhontas finished the season strong as eight of his 15 points came in the final eight games of the season. Arhontas scored big goals late in the year. He had two in Princeton's Ivy League clinching win over Dartmouth, and then scored in the first four ECAC playoff games. His shorthanded goal in the third game against Yale sealed the series for Princeton and his breakaway goal in the third period of the semifinals against Colgate put Princeton ahead in the 3-0 Tiger win.
Junior Kevin Kaiser also contributed 15 points with five goals and 10 assists. His game-winning goal against Harvard sent the Tigers on a run where they won 12 of 14 games and he also was strong defensively throughout the year.
Junior Dan Bartlett has reached double digits in points in each of his two seasons, including 12 a season ago. Bartlett scored the game winner for Princeton at Rensselaer. Sophomore Kevin Lohry also had 12 points for the Tigers with four goals and eight assists. Lohry had three multiple-point games, including a two-goal performance in the ECAC semifinal against Colgate. He was named to the All-Tournament team.
Junior Tyler Beachell also had a goal and an assist last season and will add more depth at the forward position.
The Tiger forwards will be joined by freshmen Marc Hagel, Scott McNeill and Brodie Zuk. Hagel followed his older brother Kyle to Princeton and is a complete player. McNeill was the captain of his junior team in Grand Prairie and is an excellent skater. He is a former midget teammate of current Tiger defensemen Taylor Fedun and Cam Ritchie.
Zuk was an assistant captain at Nanaimo in the BCHL. He is a complete player that is smart in all zones and will contribute offensively and defensively.
DEFENSEMEN
Returning - 7, Lost - 1, Newcomers - 1
The Tiger defense entered last season with question marks as the defensive corps was comprised of one senior, three sophomores and three freshmen. The young group responded though and was steady throughout the season and helped Princeton allow just 95 goals in 35 games. That equates to a 2.71 average, which was Princeton's lowest team goals-against average in more than 40 years.
Several younger players gained experience on the blueline last season as there was just one upper-classman among the defenders. That player, Moore, provided the steady hand the younger players needed as he had one of the best season ever for a Princeton defensemen that ended with an All-America honor and an NHL contract.
In Moore's absence, the Tigers will look to juniors Jody Pederson and Brad Schroeder to lead the defensive corps.
Pederson is Princeton's leading returning scorer on defense with 25 points in his career. Last season he had three goals and 13 assists and was a +8, the second highest mark for a defenseman on the team. Schroeder appeared in all but two games last season and is a dependable defensive minded player. He contributed three assists last year.
Sophomores Taylor Fedun, Matt Godlewski and Cam Ritchie all saw significant playing time as freshmen. Fedun was named the team's Rookie of the Year after a 14-point season and a team-high +15 rating to end the season. The defender had a presence at both ends of the ice and will be looked to for that again this year.
Godlewski is a more defensive-minded defender for the Tigers. He played in 32 games a season ago and contributed a goal and two assists. Ritchie had 11 points on the blueline last season while also offering an added physical presence. Ritchie's season was limited to just 24 games as an injury late in the year kept him out of the lineup.
Junior Kevin Crane filled in late in the season when Ritchie was injured and appeared in 18 contests. Crane adds speed and versatility to the blue line. Sophomore Sam Sabky was a member of the Tigers last season and served an eighth defenseman in practice.
Freshman Derrick Pallis joins the group this season. Pallis played prep hockey at Noble and Greenough and was a first-team All-New England East selection. The top-scoring defender on his team, Pallis is an agile skater with great vision.
GOALTENDERS
Returning - 3, Lost - 0, Newcomers - 0
Junior Zane Kalemba emerged as one of the top goaltenders in the ECAC last season as he recorded 19 wins and five shutouts for the Tigers. Kalemba started 30 of Princeton's 35 games last season and set program records for save percentage (.916) and shutouts in a season, while his goals-against average (2.38) is the second-best mark.
Kalemba was at his best during the postseason as he recorded shutouts in three of Princeton's five ECAC playoff games en route to being named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. In five games, he played to a 1.01 goals-against average and a .967 save percentage. His three tournament shutouts also set a tournament record.
Junior Thomas Sychterz saw action in four games last season, making three starts. He was 0-1-0 with a 3.65 goals-against average and a .842 save percentage. His starts came against Clarkson, Notre Dame and Nebraska-Omaha.
Sophomore Alan Reynolds also saw action as a freshman, appearing in five games and going 2-2 with a 4.39 goals-against average and a .824 save percentage. Reynolds backstopped the Tigers to wins at Quinnipiac and Nebraska-Omaha. He made starts against Quinnipiac and Rensselaer.