.png&width=24&type=webp)
.png&width=24&type=webp)
Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Men's Hockey Hosts UMass Lowell This Weekend
December 08, 2010 | Men's Ice Hockey
GAMETIME: Friday, Dec. 10 & 11 at 7 p.m.
RECORDS: Princeton (6-5-0, 6-3-0 ECAC); UML (2-12-2, 2-10-0 HE)
SERIES RECORD: UML leads 4-1-0 overall, is 2-0-0 at Princeton
LAST MEETING: Princeton won 3-2 on Dec. 12, 2009 in Lowell
STREAK: 1 Princeton win
LINKS: Livestats | Video | Audio
Games Notes (PDF)
PRINCETON (12/8/10) -- The Princeton men's hockey team hosts UMass Lowell for a two-game non-conference series this weekend at Hobey Baker Rink to close out the first part of the season. Princeton currently sits 6-5-0 overall and 6-3-0 in ECAC Hockey as the league schedule takes a break until the new year.
It will be another busy weekend of hockey at Hobey Baker Rink as both men's games will be the second half of doubleheaders with the women's team. On both days, the Princeton women host Syracuse at 4 p.m., followed by the men's games with the River Hawks at 7 p.m.
Princeton split its league games last weekend, falling to Clarkson before rebounding with a win over St. Lawrence. Princeton scored eight goals over the weekend with six of them coming on the power play. The Tiger power play now has eight goals in its last three games and has climbed to a 22.6 percent efficiency for the season.
On Friday, Eric Meland gave the Tigers an early lead, but Clarkson answered quickly and would score the game's next four goals to build a 4-1 lead. Goals from Rob Kleebaum late in the second period and Taylor Fedun early in the third got Princeton within a goal, but the Tigers could not score the equalizer and Clarkson eventually sealed its win with an empty-net goal.
A day later, Princeton broke a scoreless tie in the second, scoring twice in two quick bursts to build a 4-0 lead. Matt Farris and Meland scored 1:26 apart midway through the period and Matt Arhontas and Farris then scored 41 seconds apart in the 18th minute of the period. St. Lawrence would get on the scoreboard early in the third period but Mike Kramer iced the win with an empty-net goal. Sean Bonar made 18 saves as Princeton outshot the Saints 47-19.
A total of 14 different Tigers recorded points last weekend. The goals came from six scorers with Meland and Farris each scoring twice. Meland, Fedun and Jack Berger had points in both games over the weekend. Kleebaum, Derrick Pallis, Fedun, Arhontas, Kramer and Farris each record a multiple-point game over the weekend.
Princeton's six wins and 12 points have the Tigers tied with Yale atop the ECAC Hockey standings entering into the holiday break. Quinnipiac and Harvard play a league game Wednesday night, but after that there will not be another league game until January 3 when the Tigers host Quinnipiac at Baker Rink. The rest of the ECAC teams return to league play the following weekend with a full slate of 12 games scheduled.
Seven of the 12 league teams will be in action this weekend with non-conference games. Union hosts both American International and Army, Quinnipiac visits Providence, Boston University visits Rensselaer, Colgate hosts Niagara, Vermont travels to Dartmouth and Clarkson is at Sacred Heart.
Princeton and UMass Lowell meet this weekend for a two-game series. The series is the second part of a home-and-home as the Tigers visited the River Hawks for two games a season ago. UMass Lowell leads the all-time series with Princeton 4-1, winning the first four meetings before Princeton won the last meeting. Princeton is 0-2 in the series at home.
In last year's games, the River Hawks won 4-1 in the opener after Dan Bartlett gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead in the first period. The following day Meland scored two goals 10 seconds apart in the first period to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead. UML trimmed the lead but Kevin Lohry scored to make it 3-1 before UML closed within a goal late. Zane Kalemba made 45 saves in the win.
UMass Lowell is currently 2-12-2 overall and 2-10-0 in Hockey East entering the weekend. The River Hawks have wins over Providence and Vermont this season and ties at Niagara and RIT. Last weekend UMass Lowell fell to New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Riley Wetmore, who scored goals in both games against Princeton last season, leads the team with seven goals and six assists for 13 points.
Princeton breaks for the holidays following this weekend's games and has 18 days off before returning to action against Bowling Green on Dec. 29 at the Toyota UConn Classic. Princeton will play Connecticut or Holy Cross the following day.