Men's Ice Hockey Stunned By Colgate, 4-3

Friday, February 25

Princeton, N.J.

7:00 PM

Princeton University

8-17-2, 7-12-1

Colgate

14-15-4, 9-8-4

Colgate

Princeton

Photo by: Shelley M. Szwast

February 25, 2022 | Men's Ice Hockey

Box Score

PRINCETON – A quick two-goal spurt from visiting Colgate late in the third period stunned Princeton as the Raiders escaped Hobey Baker Rink with a 4-3 result.

Colgate never led in the game until Josh McKechney scored with 5:03 to go, his winner coming 1:36 after Tommy Bergsland had tied the game.

Jack Cronin, Mike Kennedy and Spencer Kersten scored Princeton's goals, Cronin (power play) and Kersten (shorthanded) connecting on special teams.

Jack Cronin got the Tigers on the board just before the midway mark of the first period, snapping home a power-play goal 9:51 into the game. Pito Walton picked up the primary assist after carrying the puck up the ice and finessing a pass just before two Colgate defenders converged on him.

Tigers On Top!

Walton carries the mail, Cronin snaps it home. pic.twitter.com/lpzHiTOFPM
— Princeton Men's Ice Hockey (@princetonhockey) February 26, 2022

Colgate tied the game 4:11 into the second period via an Arnaud Vachon goal. He planted himself in the slot, and redirected a Tommy Bergsland pass from the wall to knot the game at 1-1.

Mike Kennedy regained the lead for Princeton with 4:06 left in the second period. Usually a defenseman, Kennedy was called into a forward role due to injuries for the Tigers, and he swatted home a loose puck right on the doorstep with assists from Alex Konovalov and Mackenzie Merriman.

Any Role. Any Time.

Mike Kennedy jumps into the lineup at forward from his usual defenseman spot and he swats home Princeton's second goal of the game. pic.twitter.com/MKEMLuwiyL
— Princeton Men's Ice Hockey (@princetonhockey) February 26, 2022

The Raiders answered with 0:45 to go in the middle period. Griffin Lunn one-timed a power-play goal, cashing in a cross-ice pass from Ethan Manderville.

Spencer Kersten scored 2:24 into the third period, stripping a Colgate defender of the puck in the neutral zone and heading in on a short-handed breakaway where he potted Princeton's fourth shorthanded goal of the season with a bank shot off the near post and in.

Go Shorty...

Kersten picks off the Raiders and goes off the post and in to give the Tigers a 3-2 lead. pic.twitter.com/oCu8gdBxhz
— Princeton Men's Ice Hockey (@princetonhockey) February 26, 2022

Colgate battled back, Bergsland scoring with 6:39 to play off a slapper from inside the top of the circle that ricocheted off a Princeton defender and in. Just over 90 seconds later, McKechney scored over Porter's glove to net the game-winner.

The Tigers are home twice more this weekend, hosting Cornell (Feb. 26; 7 p.m.) and Harvard (Feb. 27; 4 p.m.) at Hobey Baker Rink.