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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Men's Hockey Meets #4 Northeastern at RPI Tournament
November 27, 2008 | Men's Ice Hockey
No. 4 Northeastern vs. No. 7 Princeton
GAMETIME: Friday, Nov. 28 at 4 p.m.
2008-09 RECORDS: Princeton (8-1-0, 7-1-0 ECAC); Northeastern (9-2-2, 7-2-1 Hockey East)
SERIES RECORD: Northeastern leads 25-12-3, series tied 1-1-1 at neutral sites
LAST MEETING: Northeastern won 4-0 on Dec. 13, 2003 at home
STREAK: Northeastern has won six straight and is unbeaten in 16 (14-0-2)
No. 7 Princeton vs. Mercyhurst/Rensselaer
GAMETIME: Saturday, Nov. 29 at 4 or 7 p.m. *
2008-09 RECORDS: Princeton (8-1-0, 7-1-0 ECAC); Mercyhurst (3-8-1, 3-2-1 Atlantic Hockey); Rensselaer (2-8-2; 1-4-0 ECAC)
SERIES RECORD: First meeting with Mercyhurst; Rensselaer leads 57-27-9
LAST MEETING: Princeton beat Rensselaer 4-1 on Nov. 14, 2003 at Rensselaer
STREAK: Princeton has won two straight against Rensselaer
* Mercyhurst will play at 4 p.m. and Rensselaer will play at 7 p.m. on Saturday regardless of who wins on Friday.
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This Week's Storylines
Tourney Time
Princeton takes a break from league play for this weekend's 58th annual RPI tournament. Princeton has played eight straight league games since opening the season with a non-league game at Brown.
First and First
Friday's game against Northeastern features the first-place teams in the ECAC and Hockey East. Both teams are ranked in the Top 10 nationally.
Last Time Out
Princeton took the second of three meetings this season from Quinnipiac at home on Wednesday night. The 2-1 Princeton win completed a sweep of the league games between the teams, which meet next week in a non-conference tilt.
Sweeps
Princeton's sweep of St. Lawrence and Clarkson was its second weekend sweep in a row following a sweep of Rensselaer and Union a week earlier. It marked the first time that Princeton has swept consecutive league series on the road since the league adopted the travel partner system in the 1984-85 season.
Historical Context
Princeton swept St. Lawrence and Clarkson in North Country for the first time in 10 years dating back to November of 1998. Princeton's win at St. Lawrence was its first in nine tries in Canton.Princeton won at Clarkson for just the fourth time in 37 tries, but Princeton has won there in two of the last three years.
Historical Context - Part II
Princeton's win over Quinnipiac was its first over the Bobcats at home. Princeton is 4-1 all-time at Quinnipiac and 1-3 all-time against its travel partner at home.
Fast Start
Princeton's 8-1 start is its best in 10 years. The 1998-99 team went 7-1-1 in its first nine games.
Win Streak
Princeton enters tonight's game winners of its last seven contests. Princeton's all-time longest win streak is 11 games which happened in the early 1900s. The Tigers last won seven in a row in the 1931-32 season as part of a 10-game win streak.
On the Road
The middle five games of Princeton's win streak have all come on the road. Princeton's longest unbeaten streak away from home came in the 1998-99 season when the Tigers won their first eight games of the season away from their home ice.
In the Polls
Princeton's two wins last weekend lifted the Tigers to seventh in both national polls. The Tigers have been ranked each week this year. The only other season in which Princeton has been ranked in the Top 10 was in 1998-99. Princeton's highest-ever ranking is sixth, which happened on Feb. 1, 1999.
Stingy Defense
Princeton has allowed nine goals in nine games this season and has only allowed more than goal in a game on one occasion. That gives Princeton the nation's second best defense, just behind league rival Cornell, which has surrendered five goals in six games.
Disciplined
The Tigers are the least penalized team in the nation, averaging 8.7 minutes of penalties per game. Princeton and Army are the only two teams in single digits.
31 Kills
After allowing a goal to Brown on the first penalty Princeton took this season, the Tigers killed off the next 31 power plays before Quinnipiac converted with the man advantage in the third period on Wednesday. Princeton's 94.1 percentage ranks third nationally, just behind Cornell and Miami, and even with Colorado College.
Upcoming Opponents
Princeton vs. Northeastern
The Tigers are 12-25-3 all-time against Northeastern are even at 1-1-1 against the Huskies at neutral sites. Princeton is winless in 16 against the Huskies at 0-14-2 and last won in the series in the 1974-75 season.
vs. Hockey East
Northeastern is Princeton's first Hockey East opponent in almost three seasons. The Tigers last played a team from the league in December of 2005 in a loss to Boston College.
Scouting the Huskies
Northeastern is 9-2-2 overall and 7-2-1 to sit atop the Hockey East standings. The Huskies are 4-1-1 in their last six games and defeated New Hampshire and UMass-Lowell last weekend.
Princeton vs. Mercyhurst
Should Princeton face Mercyhurst on Saturday, it would be the first meeting between the two teams. Mercyhurst is one of seven current NCAA Division I teams that Princeton has not yet faced. The others are Canisius, RIT, Connecticut, Sacred Heart, Ferris State and Northern Michigan.
Scouting the Lakers
Mercyhurst is 3-8-1 overall and 3-2-1 in Atlantic Hockey. The Lakers enter the weekend off a sweep of Army at home.
Princeton vs. Rensselaer
Should Princeton face Rensselaer on Saturday, it would be the 94th meeting between the teams. Princeton is 27-57-9 all-time against Rensselaer, but defeated the Engineers 4-1 earlier this season. Princeton has won its last two games at the Houston Field House.
Scouting the Engineers
Rensselaer is 2-8-1 on the season and has dropped its last three games since beating Harvard on Nov. 7. RPI was idle last weekend.
In Tournaments
Princeton last played in an inseason tournament in the 2005-06 season at the Denver Cup. Princeton topped host Denver in the opener and fell to Boston College in the title game. The Tigers last won a tournament in December of 1998 by beating Minnesota and Boston University to take the Mariucci Classic. Princeton last played in the RPI Tournament in 2002-03, falling to Wayne State in the opening round and downing Rensselaer in the consolation game.
Non-League Schedule
Princeton is 1-0 in non-league play although the win came over Brown, a league opponent. The Tigers have a similar game scheduled against Quinnipiac on Dec. 3. Princeton could also face Rensselaer in non-league play in their tournament in November. Princeton will face Northeastern, Nebraska-Omaha, Minnesota State and Robert Morris as well.
Team Notes
Against Ranked Teams
Princeton is 0-1 against ranked teams with its loss to Cornell. The Tigers next ranked opponent will be No. 4 Northeastern, which it will face on Nov. 28 at the RPI Tournament.
Trending Up
Princeton has increased upon its win total in each of the past five seasons. After a three-win season in 2002-03, the Tigers won five games in 2003-04, eight games in 2004-05, 10 games in 2005-06, 15 games in 2006-07 and 21 games a season ago.
Home and Away and Neutral
Princeton was 9-7 in games played at Hobey Baker Rink and 10-6 on the road last season. Princeton was once 1-6 at home before finishing its home schedule with an 8-1 stretch. Princeton was 2-1 at neutral sites. Princeton is 2-1 at home and 5-0 away from Baker Rink this season.
Balanced Effort
Princeton's 62 points this season have been split among 18 different skaters and all players that have appeared in more than half the games have at least one point. Fifteen players have two or more points.
Offense From the Back
Princeton had four defensemen with double-digit point totals last season. Princeton last accomplished that in the 1994-95 season. Six Princeton defensemen have points this year.
Overtime
Princeton's trip to overtime against Colgate was its first trip to an extra session in the last 40 games dating back to the 2006-07 season. Princeton's last overtime game was on March 3, 2007, a 2-1 win over Brown at home in the ECAC first-round playoffs. The Tigers have played 56 games without a tie.
Put the Puck on the Net
Princeton is averaging 38.67 shots on goal per game which is the highest number in the nation. Princeton's 41 shots on Wednesday against Quinnipiac marked the fifth time in nine games that Princeton has had more than 40 shots on goal.
Even or Ahead
Princeton has been even or ahead on the scoreboard for 95.1% of the minutes played this season. The Tigers have only trailed for 26:25, trailing by a goal late against Cornell and for a few minutes in a win at Rensselaer.
On the Horizon
Princeton wraps up the first part of its season on Wednesday at home against Quinnipiac in a non-league game. The Tigers are then off for the holidays until Dec. 29 when Minnesota State visits Baker Rink.
Individual Notes
Captain Kush
Senior captain Brandan Kushniruk provided the game-winning goals in both wins last weekend as he scored both goals on the backhand. He was named the ECAC Player of the Week for his efforts.
Two-Goal Game
Junior Mark Magnowski recorded his second two-goal game of the season and of his career on Saturday at Clarkson. The junior leads the team with five goals and seven points.
Adding Assists
Junior Jody Pederson and sophomore Matt Arhontas each had two assists in Saturday's win at Clarkson. They were the first points of the season for Pederson.
Unlikely Source
Sophomore Matt Godlewski, who had a goal and three points as a freshman, now has three goals and three assists for the Tigers in nine games this season, including points in each of the last two games.
Unlikely Source: Part II
Sophomore Sam Sabky, who went his freshman season without playing in a game, has six points this season, including a pair of power-play goals. He scored Princeton's first goal against Quinnipiac.
Three Straight
Junior Kevin Kaiser scored the game winner against Quinnipiac and now has points in three straight games.
Only One a Game
Junior goaltender Zane Kalemba, the Most Outstanding Player at last year's ECAC Tournament, has allowed a single goal or less in eight of his nine starts this season. Kalemba has a 1.00 goals-against average and a .957 save percentage.
Game Winners
Junior Mark Magnowski and senior Brandan Kushniruk each have two game winners to their credit this season.
Something Against Quinnipiac
Four of sophomore Matt Godlewski's nine career points and both of his goals have come against Quinnipiac. His goal two Tuesday's ago was his first in a 27-game span dating back to Nov. 24, 2007 when he scored in a win at Quinnipiac. Sam Sabky has three of his six career points against the Bobcats.