Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Princeton Hosts Lehigh Tuesday Night In Final Non-League Game
April 11, 2016 | Men's Lacrosse
PRINCETON vs. LEHIGH
Sherrerd Field at Class of 1952 Stadium
Tuesday • April 12 • 7 p.m.
GAME LINKS
Ivy League Digital Network ($$$)
Live Stats
WPRB.com (free)
@putigers_live in-game Twitter updates
Princeton stats
Lehigh stats
Princeton game notes
The record books at Princeton and Lehigh don't agree on how many times the teams have played in men's lacrosse.
Prior to resuming the series two years ago, the last meeting was back before the U.S. got involved in World War II. How far before that? Well, that depends on which record book you read.
According to Lehigh, it played Princeton in 1940 and 1941, but Princeton has no record of ever having played those games. Princeton also has games against Lehigh L.C. - presumably the Lehigh Lacrosse Club - in 1934 and 1935, as opposed to against just Lehigh, whom Princeton played 11 times before that.
What everyone can agree on is that Princeton and Lehigh have played two thrilling lacrosse games the last two years.
The 2014 game on Sherrerd Field saw the Tigers tie it with Kip Orban goal with 2.7 seconds left and then win it on Tom Schreiber's OT goal. Final score: 11-10 Princeton.
The 2015 game was even more nuts. Played in a driving rainstorm in Bethlehem, the teams combined for 31 goals and 75 shots as the Mountain Hawks won 16-15.
This time, the game-winner came with 15.6 seconds left from Lehigh's Dan Taylor, who broke the 11th and final tie of the night.
This year's game comes around three days after both teams lost to ranked teams, Princeton 13-10 at home to Stony Brook and Lehigh 11-10 at home to Loyola.
* * *
Gavin McBride had his career high of four goals for Princeton in last year's game at Lehigh, while Ryan Ambler had a goal and four assists.
The game was the first start of his career for Tyler Blaisdell, who made three of his 12 saves to keep the game tied at 15-15 before Taylor's winner. Blaisdell has started every game since then.
* * *
Princeton has played nine games, of which six have been against teams currently ranked in the Top 20. Of those six, four are currently in the top eight and three are in the top five.
* * *
Princeton has three league games remaining. Lehigh has one league game remaining. The Mountain Hawks will play Princeton, Cornell and then Bucknell to finish the regular season. No matter what happens, Lehigh has clinched a spot in the Patriot League tournament.
After playing Lehigh, the Tigers will be home against Dartmouth Satuday, at Harvard April 23 and home against Cornell April 30.
Should Princeton win all three of its league games, it would put itself into a position to be in the Ivy League tournament but would not definitely be in. Princeton could conceivably lose one of its remaining three league games and get into the Ivy tournament - but there is no scenario in which Princeton could get into the Ivy tournament with a loss to Harvard.
* * *
Ryan Ambler needs one goal to become the fifth player in program history to have more than 70 career goals and 80 career assists. The other four: Kevin Lowe, Jon Hess, Tom Schreiber and Dave Heubeck. Ryan Boyle, if you're wondering, had exactly 70 goals and 162 assists.
Ambler currently ranks 12th all-time at Princeton with 153 career points (69G, 81A), tied with Gerald Ronon and10 away from David Tickner. Ambler would need 11 points to tie Justin Tortolani for 10th all-time in program history.
Ambler is also ninth in assists at Princeton, one away from Bo Willis for eighth and six away from Charles Stillwell for seventh.
* * *
Sam Bonafede won 19 of 27 face-offs against Stony Brook, with 12 ground balls and a goal, his second of the year.
Bonafede went 16 of 25 against Penn, leaving him 35 for 52 in those two games (.673). For the rest of the year, Bonafede is 25 for 66 (.379).
* * *
Austin Sims had no goals a year ago and five goals in the first five games this year. Since then, he has scored 12 goals in three games, giving him a team-best 17 on the season.
Sims has had four straight multi-goal games, including a career-high four against Yale.
* * *
Gavin McBride had no goals and no assists as a freshman. Since then he's had at least one point in all 24 games, for a total of 37 goals and 19 assists.
McBride had 24 goals in 2015, which is the most ever by a Princeton sophomore who didn't have any as a freshman (since freshman became eligible).
Austin Sims did not have any goals as a freshman a year ago. He currently has 17 for the year.
* * *
Zach Currier continues to lead Division I shortsticks in caused turnovers per game, and he ranks 13th overall.
He also ranks eighth in Division I with 7.0 ground balls per game. Currier is on pace for 84 ground balls for the year, which would be the most since James Mitchell had 95 in 1997. In fact, the second-best total by a Princeton player since Mitchell is 81, by Currier a year ago.
Oh, by the way, Currier is second on the team in points (22) and assists (12).
* * *
Princeton has played nine games and scored exactly 10 goals in five of them. Princeton also played Stony Brook to a 13-10 score each of the last two years.
* * *
Princeton had a 35-16 edge on Stony Brook in ground balls.
Prior to that, Princeton had been out-ground balled 263-235 for the year. Not including the opener against NJIT, Princeton had been out-ground balled 237-190.
* * *
ONE LINERS
Bear Altemus – junior with a year of experience on the second midfield line who has only played in two games this year due to injuries
John Alvarez – freshman backup goalie who played final 4:51 against NJIT with no saves or goals-against
Ryan Ambler - senior captain, fourth-year starter on attack, MLL draftee and Tewaaraton watchlist selection; leads team in points (31) and assists (18) and needs one goal to become the fifth player in program history with more than 70 goals and 80 assists
Alistair Berven – veteran who can play defense or longstick midfield and has played a lot of both last year and this year
Tyler Blaisdell – had 20 saves against Johns Hopkins, making him the first Princeton goalie in 10 years to reach 20 in a game
Sam Bonafede – won 19 of 27 face-offs against Stony Brook, with a goal and 12 ground balls; won 16 of 25 face-offs against Penn
Matt Brophy – cleared to return after missing first half of the season due to injury
Luke Brugger – senior who can play longstick midfield
J.T. Caputo – two-way middie who had a goal and assist against NJIT for his first two career points
Sean Connors – started two games on attack, scoring once in each, and has played middie the rest of the time
Emmet Cordrey – freshman high school All-America who had two goals in his first collegiate game
Zach Currier – leads Division I shortsticks in caused turnovers per game and is eighth in Division I in ground balls per game, not to mention the second-leading scorer on the team (10-12-22)
Austin deButts – captain and top shortstick defensive middie
Charlie Durbin – freshman who has faced-off and played as an offensive middie and who scored two goals in the season opener against NJIT; had first career assist against Rutgers
Alexander Fish – offensive middie who walked on a year ago
Carter Flaig – leading scorer all-time at St. Paul's; had first career multi-goal game at Brown
Braedon Gait – sophomore middie who had his first career goal against NJIT
Bear Goldstein – junior captain who is the only player on the team who has started every game of his career
Sam Gravitte – second on the team with seven caused turnovers; moved from close D, where he had started the first six games, to shortstick defensive midfield against Yale and Brown
Adam Hardej – middie who has three goals
Gavin McBride – had a four-point day against Stony Brook (3G, 1A) and has at least one point in 24 straight games, the longest current streak on the team
Dawson McKenzie – freshman who has five goals and two assists, including a goal last week against Yale
Greg Merrill – will miss the season due to injury
Mike Morean – freshman shortstick D middie who has also played well on the wings on face-offs and had a three-ground ball, one caused turnover day against Stony Brook
Jack O'Brien – face-off man who won the gray T-shirt with the Spartan Shield after the preseason conditioning program
Drew O'Connell – offensive middie who has worked through injuries
Matt O'Connor – senior captain who has started 16 games in goal in his career; played the final 54:08 against Brown
Will Reynolds – started at close D against Yale and Brown after starting on D as a freshman and then playing LSM a year ago (he missed the final 14 games due to injury) and then LSM for the first six games this year
Oliver Schmickel – freshman backup goalie who played 4:58 against NJIT
Austin Sims – sophomore who made the U.S. U-19 team; has four straight multi goal games and now leads the team with 17 goals
Mark Strabo – made his return to the starting defense against Hopkins after starting every game on D his first two years and then missing almost all of last year after getting injured in the opener
Charlie Tarry – freshman who is now the No. 2 LSM
Riley Thompson – has 19 points (10G, 9A); has started every game either on attack or in the midfield
Strib Walker – freshman who plays shortstick D middie and had two ground balls against NJIT
Bobby Weaver - two-way middie who was one of the top shortstick D middies a year ago; had multi-goal games against Hofstra and Rutgers and his first multi-assist game of his career with two against Yale
Dylan White – senior defenseman who is in his first year with the lacrosse team after playing four years of football
Daniel Winschuh – sees time as a longstick midfielder and on man-down D
GAME BY GAME
NJIT (W, 21-4)
GOALS - Currier 4, Thompson 3, Ambler 2, McKenzie 2, Durbin 2, Cordrey 2, Sims 1, Bonafede 1, Flaig 1, Caputo 1, Gait 1, Hardej 1
ASSISTS - Ambler 3, Currier 3, Thompson 2, McBride 1, Morean 1, Gravitte 1, deButts 1, McKenzie 1, Flaig 1, Caputo 1
GOALIES - Blaisdell (39:54 min, 3 goals-against, 3 saves),
O'Connor (10:17, 0 goals-against, 4 saves), Schmickel (4:58, 1 goal-against, 0 saves, Alvarez 4:51, 0 goals-against, 0 saves)
HOFSTRA (L, 11-10 OT)
GOALS - McBride 3, Weaver 2, Ambler 2, McKenzie 1, Thompson 1, Sims 1
ASSISTS - Ambler 4, Flaig 2, McBride 1, McKenzie 1, Thompson 1
GOALIES - Blaisdell (60 min, 11 goals-against, 6 saves)
JOHNS HOPKINS (L, 17-7)
GOALS - Sims 2, McBride 1, Thompson 1, Hardej 1, McKenzie 1, Weaver 1
ASSISTS - Ambler 2, Connors 1
GOALIES - Blaisdell (60 min, 17 goals-against, 20 saves)
MARYLAND (L, 17-5)
GOALS - Ambler 2, Sims 1, Thompson 1, Hardej 1
ASSISTS - Ambler 1, McBride 1, Currier 1
GOALIES - Blaisdell (60 min, 17 goals-against, 8 saves)
RUTGERS (W, 10-7)
GOALS - Ambler 3, Currier 2 Weaver 2, Thompson 1, McBride 1,
Connors 1
ASSISTS - Thompson 2, Durbin 1, Ambler 1, Currier 1
GOALIES - Blaisdell (60 min, 7 goals-against, 14 saves)
PENN (L, 20-10)
GOALS - Sims 3, Ambler 2, McBride 2, Thompson 1, Weaver 1,
Connors 1
ASSISTS - Sims 2, Thompson 2, Currier 2, Ambler 1, Thompson 1, Weaver 1
GOALIES - Blaisdell (60 min, 20 goals-against, 4 saves)
YALE (L, 11-10)
GOALS - Sims 4, McBride 2, Currier 2, Ambler 1, McKenzie 1
ASSISTS - Thompson 2, Weaver 2, Ambler 1, McBride 1, Flaig 1
GOALIES - Blaisdell (60 min, 11 goals-against, 5 saves)
BROWN (L, 19-8)
GOALS - Sims 3, Flaig 2, Weaver 1, McBride 1, Thompson 1
ASSISTS - Currier 4, Ambler 3
GOALIES - Blaisdell (5:52 min, 4 goals-against, 3 saves), O'Connor (54:08 min, 15 goals-against, 7 saves)
STONY BROOK (L, 13-10)
GOALS - McBride 3, Sims 2, Currier 2, Ambler 1, Bonafede 1,
Thompson 1.
ASSISTS - Ambler 2, Currier 1, McBride 1
GOALIES - Blaisdell (60:00 min, 13 goals-against, 5 saves)
Career Points
247 Kevin Lowe (73G, 174A) 1991-94
232 Ryan Boyle (70G, 162A) 2001-04
215 Jon Hess, (82G, 133A) 1995-98
211 Jesse Hubbard (163G, 48A) 1995-98
208 Mike MacDonald (132G, 76A) 2012-16
200 Tom Schreiber (106G, 94A)......... 2011-14
192 Chris Massey (146G, 46A) 1995-98
182 Dave Heubeck (83G, 99A) 1977-80
174 Wick Sollers (114G, 60A) 1975-77
164 Justin Tortolani (120G, 44A) 1989-82
163 Dave Tickner (94G, 69A) 1975-77
153 Ryan Ambler (70G, 83A) 2013-present
153 Gerald Ronon (97G, 56A) 1980-83
Career Assists
174 Kevin Lowe 1991-94
162 Ryan Boyle 2001-04
133 Jon Hess 1995-98
99 Dave Heubeck 1977-80
96 Don Hahn 1982-85
94 Tom Schreiber 2011-15
89 Charles Stillwell 1982-85
84 Bo Willis 1951-53
83 Ryan Ambler 2013-present