Princeton University
Brown
ECAC Playoffs Begin This Weekend at Hobey Baker Rink: Princeton vs. Brown
March 01, 2018 | Men's Ice Hockey
| ECAC First-Round Series: Brown at Princeton | |
| Game Times | Friday, March 2 at 7 p.m., Saturday, March 3 at 7 p.m., Sunday, March 4 at 7 p.m. (if necessary) |
| Hobey Baker Rink l Tickets | |
| Game Coverage | Live Video l Live Stats |
| Series Info | Princeton trails Brown 69-87-11 (streak: 1 win) |
| Princeton | Roster l Schedule l Stats l |
| Brown | Roster l Schedule l Stats l @BrownMensHockey 8-17-4, 7-14-1 - No. 10 seed l Game Notes |
EYE ON THE TIGERS
Princeton earned the No. 7 seed with a 10-10-2 ECAC record and overall are 13-12-4. The Tigers are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games. Juniors Max Véronneau and Ryan Kuffner rank third and fourth in the nation in scoring with 44 and 41 points. Véronneau leads the nation in assists per game with 31 in 29 games, while Kuffner is second in the nation in goals per game with 25 in 29 games. Adding to the nation's sixth best scoring offense is senior David Hallisey and sophomore Jackson Cressey, who both are in the top 25 nationally with 30+ points apiece. Princeton's power play ranks fourth at 26.7 percent (28/105). Freshman Ryan Ferland has started in all but one game in goal and has a .908 save percentage and a 3.15 GAA. He's made 30+ saves in 15 games this season.
THE PRINCETON/BROWN SERIES
The teams split during the regular season with Brown taking a 3-0 win in November at Hobey Baker Rink before Princeton grabbed a 7-2 victory at Meehan Auditorium three weeks ago. Brown holds an 87-69-11 advantage in the all-time series, that began in 1900-01. Cressey has the best numbers against Brown with eight points in four games. Hallisey has eight in five and Véronneau has seven in six.
MEETING IN THE PLAYOFFS
Brown is one of Princeton's most common opponents in the playoffs, having met 12 times. The teams are dead even at 6-6. The last time the teams met was the first round of the 2007 playoffs at Hobey Baker Rink with Brown taking Game 1 and Princeton winning the next two. All three games were one-goal games.
SCOUTING THE BEARS
No. 10 seed Brown finished the ECAC season with a 7-14-1 record. Overall the Bears posted an 8-17-4 record. Brown had a streak of five straight losses, in which it was outscored 21-10, before this past weekend's results. The Bears stunned, defeating Harvard 6-4, in Ryan Donato's first game back from the Olympics, and then earned a 3-0 shutout the next night over Dartmouth - proving anything can happen. The team is led offensively by senior Sam Lafferty (PIT) who has eight goals and 11 assists for 19 points. Junior Tommy Marchin has scored the most goals with 11 and chips in five helpers for 16 points. Sophomores Zach Giuttari and Brent Beaudoin add 15 points apiece. Freshman Luke Kania has been the go-to goaltender lately and a .914 save percentage and a 2.64 GAA. Gavin Nieto, who earned the shutout over the Tigers in November, was given the nod in the second game but gave up five before being pulled for Kania. Nieto has an .893 save percentage and a 3.52 GAA but has not played since that Princeton game on Feb. 9.
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