Men's Hockey Denied Late At Providence, 3-2

Saturday, December 11

Providence, R.I.

7:00 PM

Princeton University

3-9-1

Providence

14-7-0

Princeton

Providence

Photo by: Beverly Schaefer

December 11, 2021 | Men's Ice Hockey

Box Score

A great start for Princeton came undone late in the third at Providence as a pair of power-play goals in the final 1:45 denied the Tigers in a 3-2 game at Schneider Arena.

The Friars came out firing in the third, and eventually Riley Duran found the back of the net 2:34 into the period. A Providence regroup found its way to Duran at the top of the circle for a slapshot which beat Forget to the far post.

The tying goal came on a five-minute major power play that was called after video review led to a penalty on Ian Murphy for grabbing a Friar's facemask following a scrum at the Tigers' net. Parker Ford tied the game with 1:45 left, pouncing on a rebound. With 0:39 left, Brett Berard tipped home a Patrick Moynihan shot to net the game winner.

The result did not reward the effort of an undermanned Tigers team that again only had five defensemen in the lineup as a result of multiple injuries to blueliners. The Tigers had killed five Providence penalties before the Friars connected twice on the major.

Spencer Kersten tallied his first career multi-point game with a goal and an assist. Corey Andonovski also had multiple points with a power-play goal and an assist of his own. Kersten and Pito Walton each had six shots on goal for the Tigers.

Jeremie Forget finished with 44 saves – including 20 in a busy first period while his teammates built a 2-0 lead.

Princeton jumped out quickly, posting its first multi-goal opening period since netting three in the first against St. Lawrence six games ago.

Spencer Kersten got the Tigers on the board with a goal just 0:28 into the game. Princeton dialed up a regroup which led to an aerial pass into the neutral zone which Corey Andonovski knocked down to Mackenzie Merriman just inside the blue line. From there, Merriman fed Kersten streaking into the slot for a quick wrist shot by Jaxson Stauber and a 1-0 lead.

The Tigers added a power-play goal midway through the first period. This time it was Kersten who had the assist on an Andonovski goal as Kersten and Liam Gorman worked a puck loose from the crease area to a wide open Andonovski who made quick work of a wrister to tally his fourth PPG of the season.

The Tigers are off for exams before returning to ECAC play with a home-and-home series against Quinnipiac. The Tigers head to Hamden on January 2 (4 p.m.) before the two teams meet at Hobey Baker Rin on January 3 (7 p.m.)