Kuffner's Hat Trick Propels Princeton to 7-2 Win Over Rensselaer

Friday, February 16

Princeton, N.J.

7:00 PM

Princeton University

12-11-3, 9-9-1

Rensselaer

5-22-4, 4-13-2

Team	1	2	3	F
Rensselaer	0	1	1	2
Princeton	4	0	3	7

Photo by: Shelley M. Szwast

Kuffner's Hat Trick Propels Princeton to 7-2 Win Over Rensselaer

February 16, 2018 | Men's Ice Hockey

Box Score

Junior Ryan Kuffner picked up his second hat trick in just two weeks as Princeton skated to a 7-2 win over Rensselaer on Friday night at Hobey Baker Rink. Sophomore Jackson Cressey, junior Max Véronneau and senior David Hallisey had three-point nights as well.

Princeton (12-11-3, 9-9-1) can clinch home ice in the ECAC playoffs with four points, and can still finish between 4-9 place in the standings.

It took 27 seconds for the Tigers to score and within the first 43 seconds it was 2-0. By the end of the first period Princeton held a 4-0 lead. It was a reversal of what happened the last time out when Princeton got behind 3-0 at Yale in a flash.

"We had a quick jump and we stressed that right off the bat," head coach Ron Fogarty said. "Yale did that to us last weekend and you get out to a 3-0 lead and it's tough to chip back and you have to change your game style, so tonight was good. We had a lot of chances in the second, but I didn't like some of our pass offs. I thought we should have been shooting more. We were looking for the back door easy goals, the pretty ones, then we got back to it in the third period. Especially with a team like Union coming in we have to make sure we play heart and soul hockey."

Princeton's power play entered the weekend ranked fifth nationally converting 26.1 percent of its chances. The Tigers easily handled its first power play scoring 22 seconds in and working off the momentum of the second scored four seconds after the penalty was released.

RPI (5-22-4, 4-13-2) got on the board with a power-play goal by Emil Ohrvall, the lone goal of the second period.

Kuffner solidified his hat trick with the first goal of the third and Cressey made it a 6-1 game by the five-minute mark.

Donovan Ott and Owen Stout teamed up for a quick give-and-go less than four minutes later but the game was already out of rech for the Engineers.

Hallisey delivered the gut punch with his 16th goal of the season at 16:16 and third point of the night with senior Eric Robinson and freshman Matthew Thom assisting.

Freshman Ryan Ferland made 31 saves in the win for the Tigers, while Linden Marshall stopped 44 for the Engineers.

Princeton hosts Union tomorrow night in the final home game of the regular season. The program will also honor its champions, as part of #ChampionsWeekend with Stanley Cup champions George Parros and Kevin Westgarth, the 1998 ECAC Championship team and the 2008 Championship team. Game time is at 7 p.m., at Hobey Baker Rink.