Princeton University
Yale
Players Mentioned
Men's Hockey Falls Short in Game 1 of ECAC Playoff Series
March 02, 2012 | Men's Ice Hockey
Princeton made it a one-goal game in the third but an empty-net goal by Yale with one minute left in the game would give the Bulldogs a 4-2 win in game one of the ECAC Hockey first round best-of-three series.
FIRST PERIOD
GOALS
Yale grabbed a 1-0 lead at 6:12 of the first period when
Brian O'Neill took advantage of a loose puck in front of the crease. Colin
Dueck took a shot from the left point and Jesse Root deflected it right in
front of the Princeton cage where O'Neill got his stick on it and scored.
Dueck scored his own goal at 16:38. Root wrapped around the back of the net and found Dueck perched on the right face-off dot. Dueck fired blocker side and the puck caromed off the left pipe and into the back of the net.
SAVES
Sophomore Sean Bonar made a big stop at 12:13 on an odd-man
rush when O'Neill sent a cross-ice pass to Trent Ruffalo. Bonar was about to
cut off the challenge with a stop at the left pipe. Three minutes later he
squashed another, as Kevin Limbert had a breakaway but pushed the puck too far
ahead and Bonar was able to push the puck aside with his stick
CHANCES
Princeton wasn't without its scoring chances in the first.
With seven minutes left, junior Michael Sdao ripped a shot that rebounded out
to the right side and sophomore Andrew Ammon backhanded the rebound that went
just wide of the open left side. Fifteen seconds later Ammon rifled another
shot that went just wide. The Tigers nearly scored in the waning seconds after
a shot by junior Eric Meland. Meland's shot was saved and the rebound was
batted around on the doorstep but the Tigers ran out of clock time before they
could get it past Nick Maricic.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Princeton was able to kill off two penalties in the first
period with some offense. The Tigers Yale to just one shot on goal in 3:11 of
time, and had two short-handed chances during that time.
SECOND PERIOD
HITTING THE PIPE
Yale had three shots hit the pipe in the second period,
along with one in the first by Kenny Agostino. Andrew Miller hit the pipe
midway through, Agostino picked up the rebound but Bonar caught the second
chance in his pads. Two minutes later Limbert intercepted a fanned shot by
Princeton on the blue line and took the puck in all alone, but hit the
crossbar. The third pipe of the game for the Bulldogs
SHOTS
Princeton outshot Yale 12-7 in the middle frame. The Tigers
had a flurry of chances three minutes in when they were on the power play. The
Tigers put three on cage and Jack Berger had Maricic on his belly to prevent
the score. A few minutes later, junior Rob Kleebaum had a great chance when he
was in the slot but his shot went to the breadbasket of Maricic. With less than
five minutes to play, junior Eric Carlson had a shot from the right boards that
rebounded out to the left side to junior Will MacDonald. MacDonald's back hand
was a touch too late as the puck hit the side netting.
ON THE BOARD
Kleebaum made it a one-goal game at 14:28 with a power-play
goal. Senior Marc Hagel had the puck in the corner and Meland came over to
support, he grabbed the puck off the boards and popped the puck into the left
circle to an undefended Kleebaum who shot over the blocker.
Nick Jaskowiak answered with a power-play goal for Yale less than two minutes later. Agostino sent a centering pass to Jaskowiak at the top of the point and Jaskowiak fired top shelf to make it 3-1 at 16:7.
STRONG FINISH
Sophomore Andrew Calof nearly stuffed the puck in on the
left side in the final minute but Maricic had his glove down at the left post
to protect the net. The Tigers had another flurry of chances in the final 30
seconds, but Maricic was up for the challenge, stopping four shots.
THIRD PERIOD
MOMENTUM
Princeton had the momentum entering the third period. The
Tigers were able to capitalize on it 4:20 into the period when Berger scored to
make it a 3-2 game. He brought the puck down the right boards and whipped it
around the boards to Hagel on the opposite side. Hagel put it in the slot for
Kleebaum and Kleebaum saw an open right side of the goal and gave it to Berger who
went five hole.
STOPPING SHOTS
Yale tried to stave off a Princeton comeback by getting
another goal but Bonar was up to the task. Seven minutes in he made a save on a
shot by Tommy Fallen and the rebound was picked up by Princeton to take it the
other way. Anthony Day used a flip shot at 12:31 but Bonar made the save at the
left pipe. Miller hit another pipe with 2:35 left, Yale's fourth of the game.
EXTRA SKATER
Princeton pulled Bonar for extra skater and called a timeout
with 1:11 remaining. A shot wide
by Princeton was picked up by Antoine Laganiere and he skated down the left
side and delivered the empty-net goal with one minutes left on the clock. The result would be some pushing and shoving on the ice.
Yale's Young received a two-minute minor for cross checking while Hagel got a
five-minute major and game misconduct for contact to the head. He is eligible
for tomorrow's game. The goal remained empty as Princeton tried to get the third
goal on 5x4 but couldn't find the back of the net in the final 60 seconds.