Winter preview 2016

The Daily Princetonian

Wednesday november 16, 2016

Winter Preview

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Indoor Track and Field

Women’s Basketball

Men’s Hockey

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MEN’S BASKETBALL

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Tigers seek to win NCAA bid after close loss last season

By Mile Hinson Sports Editor Emeritus

Just six points across two games kept the Tigers from taking the Ivy League title outright, and a two-point loss to Harvard in the waning days of the season kept them from sharing the league title and a chance for a playoff game with Yale. This year, in the 2016-2017 season, the Princeton Men’s Basketball team hits the court as experienced and as hungry as the school has seen them in a long time.

Having gone to the Big Dance last in 2011, the Tigers have long since shown they are a force to be reckoned with among the Ancient Eight. Since their tournament appearance, they have not once finished below third place in the league. One challenge of late, however, has been a surplus of younger team members and lack of a veteran presence in their rotation. Since 2014, the Ti-

gers have not had a senior among their top five in minutes played.

In addition to their woes last season, in both veteran leadership and impact on the stat sheet, the team lost star center senior Hans Brase to a knee injury. Without this difficult combination of injury and close losses, the Orange and Black could have easily been the ones going toe-to-toe with the nation’s best this past spring.

“Certainly, last year was heartbreaking. Losing two games by a combined total of six points to win the league,” senior guard Spencer Weisz noted, “but that’s something that comes with the territory of the Ivy League.”

This year, with Brase back in the lineup and with another year of grueling battles under their belt, the Tigers look raring to go.

They can look to proven weapons like their playmaking guard Weisz, slashing and dynamic senior guard Steven Cook, and senior forward Henry Caruso. Ca-

ruso in particular made a huge leap his junior year, leading the Tigers in scoring with 15 points a game (up from 6.1 points the previous season), shooting an efficient 52.6 percent from the field.

The ability to find the bottom of the net is not lost upon the Orange and Black as a whole. In the 2015-2016 campaign, the Tigers ranked first in points per game in the Ivy League at 79.4 and came in second for field goal percentage at 46.4 percent.

Just as exciting for the Tigers is the continued development of their young underclassmen, whose talents were on full display last season. Sophomore guards Myles Stephens and Devin Cannady will certainly be looked on for more this year.

Stephens appeared in 29 games last season, putting up 6.6 points per contest. Cannady was a firecracker off the bench, ranking third on the team in scoring at 11.6 and shooting a scorching

45.6 percent from deep.

Cannady was the focal point of perhaps the most exciting game in the Ivy League basketball last season. Facing Columbia on the road and down by ten with under eight minutes remaining, the Tigers came back but found themselves ultimately down five with just 29 seconds to go, 73-68.

It was here Cannady would shine, scoring eight straight points (as Princeton fouled Columbia into free throws to stop the clock) to bring the game level, forcing the teams to go into overtime at 76 apiece. After a rocky start to overtime, the Tigers would overtake the Lions yet again, with Cannady continuing to light up the defense en route to 23 points, and an 88-83 victory for Princeton.

This is a team that has been through battle together and become quite familiar with how each member plays.

“We went from a little inex-

perienced to being very old and very experienced. As long as the seniors continue to play [like] they’ve been there before, nothing should really rattle us that much,” head coach Mitch Henderson said. “We talked about this as a group. Last year’s ancient history for us. We’re going to lean heavily on the guys that have the experience.

The ability to remain composed under daunting circumstances will be critical if Princeton wishes to represent the Ivy League in NCAAs come March.

Moreover, the end of the season becomes even more exciting with the change to the Ivy League postseason this year. Prior to 2017, the Ivy League remained the one Division 1 basketball conference where the representative to the NCAA tournament was decided by record, as opposed to an intraleague single-elimination tournament. This year, however, the top four teams will compete in a

tournament to decide who earns the bid to the Big Dance. The possibility of an at-large bid, however, is still possible for any team.

“This year we’re really looking to get at it, looking to be a topfour team in the league, make it to the Palaestra, and have a shot at making that bid to the NCAA tournament.” Weisz commented.

With their arsenal and years of experience, the sky’s the limit for this 2016-2017 Tiger squad. Henderson pointed out that by now, they know how to play with each other – the final frontier comes when they push themselves.

“We learned how to win games with a disciplined approach defensively and looking for each other on offense.” Henderson said. This year, though, he wants his team “to try new things, push new boundaries, fail, keep pushing [themselves] to new limits.”

According to Henderson, “We have a lot of room to grow.”

ship title and went to the NCAA tournament for the first time in ten years and for the second time ever. After losing in the quarterfinals to No. 3 Minnesota, the team hopes to not only get an NCAA bid once again, but make it even further in the tournament. Senior de-

fender Kelsey Koelzer commented, “Last year ended with PWIH’s second appearance in the NCAA tournament and that is obviously a goal for this year as well. Having the experience of playing at that level is definitely something that pushes us to reach the same levels

this year and even go beyond.”

In June, Koelzer was the first overall pick in the 2016 National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) Draft to the New York Riveters.

The current senior was named the 2016 ECAC Best Defender of the Year, a finalist for the league’s Player of the Year, and the 2016 Ivy League Player of the Year. At the end of her junior year, Koelzer ranked second in the country amongst defenders in scoring, averaging one point per game, tallying 33 points on 17 goals and 13 assists. Koelzer is the second Tiger to be drafted in the NWHL Draft, behind goaltender Kimberly Newell ’16, who was selected 17th overall by the Riveters as well. Koelzer has already started out strong this season and the team looks forward to watching her perform going forward.

Another player to look out for is sophomore forward Karlie Lund, who was honored as last year’s Ivy League Player and ECAC Rookie of the Year. She led the team in scoring last season, finishing with with 39 points on 17 goals and 22 assists. Lund has already

scored six goals this season, with two multi-scoring games against Brown and Dartmouth.

After shutting out Cornell to claim the Ivy League Championship, the Tigers are excited to play their league rivals once again. Koelzer remarked, “Obviously any Ivy league game is huge for both the Ivy league and ECAC, so fans should definitely look out for those.” The team has already faced-off in four thrilling Ivy League games against Brown, Yale, Harvard and Dartmouth, with a tie against the Bulldogs, victories against the the Bears and the Crimson, and a last-minute loss against the Big Green.

In order to achieve their lofty goals, the team’s strategy this season is to stay focused. Junior goaltender Alysia DaSilva commented, “[Last year] was an unforgettable experience, but now it’s a new season so we have to focus on our games ahead. While it’s important to remember what contributed to our success last season, we can’t let that be a distraction as we work to achieve our goals for this season.” Despite the

graduation of Newell, the team has confidence in DaSilva as their starting goaltender for this season. She captured two shutouts against Brown and Union last year and was also honored as a member of the ECAC All-Academic Team.

On the defensive end, the team will also look to sophomore defender Stephanie Sucharda, who was an ECAC All-Rookie selection and a member of the Canadian U-22 team this summer. She is joined by fellow Canadian freshman goaltender Steph Neatby, who was also elected to the U-22 team this past summer as well.

According to Koelzer, achieving the same level of success as last year will be even harder this season because of the overall improvement within the league.

Despite the many success of last season, the Tigers remain modest and know they have their work set out for them. DaSilva remarked, “As far as expectations go, we’ve learned you can’t go into a game simply expecting a win based off talent. Every team in the ECAC is competitive and we know we’ll have to work hard for every point.”

WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY Ice Hockey looks for continued success after historic season

By Claire Coughlin staff writer

Last year, the Princeton Women’s Ice Hockey Team had one of their most successful seasons in program history. The Tigers captured the Ivy League Champion-

JASPER GEBHARDT : STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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JACQUELINE LI : STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER (L) AND PRINCETON ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS (R)

By Jay Lee Contributor

High expectations await the Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving team as they start the Ivy League season this Saturday, Nov. 18. The men’s team will be looking for their third consecutive Ivy League title.

The reigning champions experienced a truly historic 2015-2016 season as they capped their 7-0 regular season record in the Ivy League with a dramatic comeback at the Ivy League Championships. But with a series of great efforts, the Tigers secured their 31st Ivy League title. The foursome of then-junior Julian Mackrel, then-sophomore Ben Schafer, Sandy Bole ‘16, and EnWei Hu-Van Wright ‘16 came out victorious in the 400-yard freestyle relay with a stunning Ivy League re-

cord of 2:52.06. The Princeton squad came out 21.5 points ahead of the Crimson by the last event and was awarded their seventh title in the past eight years.

As the team comes off this historic and emotional season, a lot will be asked of them this year. In fact, one major consideration for the first few weeks will be filling the shoes left behind by ten members of the Class of 2016. “We just graduated a really significant class. They provided a lot of variety and talent to the team,” said junior Corey Okubo, a two-year NCAA qualifier. “A lot of us will be swimming a slightly different schedule than what we are used to. We need to fill in the gaps that the seniors have left.”

Naturally, a lot of pressure will be placed on the fourteen members of the Class of 2020. “Many freshmen are very new to this whole process.

Wednesday november 16, 2016

SWIMMING & DIVING Tigers look for Ivy League success We need to make them feel as welcomed as possible, so they can train and perform at their full potential,” Okubo noted.

Co-captain senior Brett Usinger expressed similar opinions on this issue: “The freshmen compose nearly half of our team this year. Although they haven’t been in a highpressure environment yet, they have been stepping up and showing good potential. We are confident that they will be able to fill many of the gaps left my last year’s seniors.”

Fellow co-captain senior Julian Mackrel added, “And it’s not just up to the freshmen to carry the burden.

We have a lot of veterans that know the ropes. Everyone’s always getting faster – we’re also ready to fill in those gaps.”

The women’s team will come back more motivated as they look to recapture the Ivy League crown this

season. Despite an impressive 6-1 record in the Ivy League last year, the Crimson were powered by their diving team and surged to first place in the championships. The Tigers, narrowly edged out by the Bulldogs, grabbed an impressive third-place finish.

Although this was not the result the Tigers were hoping for, the Princeton squad had plenty to be proud of as they left the pool. Thensophomore Lindsay Temple broke a six-year Princeton record, exhilarating the crowd as she won her first Ivy League individual title.

There were standout performances across the board. The freshmen class also asserted themselves, showing their potential for the years to come. In particular, the then-freshman trio of Lindsey Swartz, Kathryn Didion, and Janet Zhao claimed fourth, sixth, and

seventh in the 200m breastroke final. The relay team of Temple, Nikki Larson ‘16, Elizabeth McDonald ‘16, and then-sophomore Maddy Veith capped off the race with a great final swim, finishing second place in the 4x100m freestyle relay.

The women’s swimming and diving team have had a long tradition of success and there is little reason to doubt this will continue. The Tigers won their last Ivy League title in 2015 and have never gone more than two years without a title since 2000. Many on the Princeton squad know the joy of success and will be undoubtedly looking to recapture it this season.

However, both teams will be facing stiff competition. On the men’s side, Harvard will be looking to make a comeback to grab the title from the Tigers. “Harvard’s very hungry. We beat them two years in a

row now, and they’re really going to give everything they got this year,” said Usinger.

For the women’s team the situation is reversed. The Crimson will be looking to recapture another Ivy League title as the Tigers try to comeback with a victory. In addition, the Bulldogs, who came in second in the Ivies, will also be tough rivals to beat as they handed Princeton their only loss during the regular season.

Yet both teams look eager and prepared to face the challenges to come.

“That’s what makes this sport fun,” added Mackrel. “It wouldn’t be fun if it wasn’t a challenge. Being competitive – that’s what we want.”

This weekend, the Tigers will take on the Big Red and the Quakers at Ithaca in their first Ivy League meet of the season.

as the main obstacle to achieving this title. “A big thing in cross country and track is the Triple Crown, which is winning cross country, indoor, and outdoor. We really have our eye out for Harvard, who just won cross country, and we definitely want to block them from getting the Triple Crown.”

Following a fourth-place finish at the 2016 Indoor Track and Field Championships, the Tigers lost key mid-distance runners, including NCAA finalist and Olympic hopeful Cecilia Barowski. Freshman mid-distance runner Madeleine Sumner is expected to step up to the plate, while freshman jumpers Hadley Wilhoite, Maia Haus-

child, Kayla Dobies, and Carson Brisk are predicted to earn the Tigers more points on the field.

Princeton is also hoping to rake in more points from returners Julia Ratcliffe, who is a former NCAA champion in the hammer throw, and junior AllAmerican and Ivy League champion distance runner Megan Curham.

The first home meet, the New Year Invitational, is scheduled for Dec. 11 at Jadwin Gymnasium. Switzer expresses the need for encouragement from the student body. “We have a lot of home meets for indoor and outdoor, and we would love to get some people out there for support.”

TRACK AND FIELD Princeton looks for Ivy League title

By Miranda Hasty staff writer

The men and women’s track and field teams are scheduled to kick off the indoor winter season on Dec. 2 at the Metro Holiday Meet in Staten Island. While the men are aiming to tackle long-time rival Cornell for the Ivy League title, the women are ready to take on the Ivy League, armed with an entirely new coaching staff and the return of two accomplished athletes.

Feeding off last year’s indoor championship win, junior sprinter and Ivy League Champion Carrington Akosa succinctly stated that the collective goal for the upcoming season is “to become Ivy League champions both in the indoor and outdoor season. Also, we are expected to send more people to nationals this season.”

Akosa is also confident in the team’s underclassmen’s ability to contribute to this quest for the Ivy League title. “Watch out for our freshmen, especially Joey Daniels, a short hurdler from Canada - he will prove to be the best hurdler the Ivy League has seen in its history,” Akosa stated.

“Charlie Volker is another strong force on the team and we expect a lot from the sophomore. Adam Kelly, a sophomore hammer thrower, is another force to reckon with. Least to say, we have a lot of talents on the team and we are super excited.”

Cornell, however, has posed a consistent barrier between the Tigers and the championship title. Senior sprinter Bryant Switzer describes how this rivalry helped to set the foundation for the team’s mentality heading into the winter season.

“Our rival was Cornell, and we came out and won almost every event at the indoor championship, and set a bunch of track records, but they won the title for outdoor. That set the mindset for this year: staying focused, being ready to go, and staying healthy.”

Leading the team is a trio of NCAA Regional Qualifiers and Ivy League Champions that includes, senior hurdler and jumper Greg Leeper, senior shot put thrower Chris Cook, and senior high jumper Xavier Bledsoe.

Coaching the Tigers are Jason Vigilante, newly appointed Robert Abdullah, and Fred Samara, who is entering his 34th season as the William M. Weaver Jr. ’34 Head Coach of Men’s Track and Field.

While the men are looking to the guidance of a familiar staff, the women have been equipped with five new coaches after the retirement of 39-year veteran Peter Farrell. Joining the program are assistant coaches Brad

Hunt and Reuben Jones, and head coach Michelle Eisenreich.

Eisenrich came to Princeton after leading Stanford to four NCAA team top ten finishes in four years.

Senior distance runner Alexandra Markovich describes the new coaches as “full of energy and making the team committed in a way that I’ve never seen it in my time.”

Captaining the team are senior mid-distance runner Elisa Steele, junior thrower Kennedy O’Dell, and senior pole vaulter and hurdler Allison Harris, all of whom hold Ivy League champion titles.

Junior distance runner Melissa Reed, who just concluded an

impressive cross country season as one of Princeton’s top runners, describes the team’s expectation to claim the Ivy League this winter with the help of a new sense of team solidarity.

“We always want to win the Ivy League title. The whole team is going to be coming into the season in such good shape and ready to clinch the Ivy League title for indoor. I think one of the big things we’re really focusing on is making sure that we’re not only a team within our event group, but a holistic team. That’s the type of mentality and work ethic that we’ve demonstrated that will allow us to win the Ivy League title.”

Reed also identifies Harvard

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Wednesday november 16, 2016

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WOMEN’S SQUASH Women’s Squash hope to recapture last year’s success

By Isabella Haeg Contributor

Fresh off of a team training trip to Greece and riding the momentum from a 12-4 season, Princeton Women’s Squash look to replicate their success from last year, boasting seven clean 9-0 sweeps and reaching a national ranking of 3.

The Tigers capped off their regular season matches with a thrilling 5-4 victory against Trinity, a historically strong team that looks to challenge Princeton again this season.

“We hadn’t beaten them in a while, and they are always a really deep and experienced team of international players, so beating them 5-4 was an incredible way to end the regular season,” said junior Olivia Fiechter, who has played No. 1 on the ladder since her freshman year.

The team graduated four seniors from last year, including Rachel Leizman and Tara Harrington who played in the starting lineup for all four years, Captain Libbie Maine, and Isabella Bersani

who rounded out the bottom of the ladder.

After losing such an integral class, the team looks to their freshman recruits Madison Soukup and Morgan Steelman to step in and fill their shoes.

Soukup has been ranked as high as No. 4 at both the U15 and U17 levels nationally, and Steelman was ranked No. 1 at the U13, U15 and U17 age levels and reached No. 5 at U19. The two will bring a high level of play to Princeton’s already deep lineup.

Senior Captains Maria Elena Ubina, who played at No. 2 last season, and Alexandra Toth, who played in the middle of the lineup, will lead the team with a combined eight years of experience on the starting lineup and a host of wins under their belts. Seniors Ashley Richards and Gabriella Gar will also be integral in their last season as Tigers.

Looking forward to the season, the Tigers have a number of strengths to rely on.

“I would say that one of

our team’s strengths is that in from 3-10 on our lineup, anyone could win on any day, so we are super deep.

We have an amazing chemistry on the team and get along really well. Being so close off court makes it that much easier to push ourselves and work hard on court,” said Fiechter.

Agreed Soukup, “We all really support each other on and off the court. Everyone always shows up in practice ready to work really hard, which is especially important because an individual’s performance has a direct impact on the other person she is hitting with for the day. We are all really spirited and will run down every single ball during a rally, which is highly important in a tight match.”

Despite their talent, the Tigers have their work cut out for them as they go into the season with a number of injured players from their lineup.

“We want to keep people healthy because we’re currently dealing with a bunch of injuries. While it’s tough

to set goals for the season with so many injuries, staying in the top 4 will be a tough but attainable goal for us if we all continue to work hard and play well,” said Fiechter.

Teams that haven’t been considered threats to the Tigers in the past have recently had strong recruiting classes, placing more pressure on the team to perform at their best to maintain their ranking.

Improving their mental game will be crucial in rising to meet this challenge.

“Squash is such a tough game and things can happen so quickly, so if you aren’t mentally sharp and able to make adjustments quickly, the match can be over like that. Mental strength in tough moments is something we always work on,” added Fiechter.

The Tigers hope to grow their individual level of play and peak at the end of the season so they can bring their best game to Nationals.

Concluded Soukup, “I’m really looking forward to

see how much we improve as the season progresses.

Already, we have all improved a lot since we first started Captains practices in September. After kicking off the season last weekend at Ivy scrimmages, I think we all are recharged to go

full force into the season’s matches. I am excited to see the improvement in people’s games and how we can all come together and pull out tough matches when it is needed most.”

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WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Tigers look to build upon historic stretch

By Chris Murphy contributor

The 2016 Tigers have a big task on their hands. Their mission: to continue the success of the previous seasons and cement a legacy of their own.

The Princeton women’s basketball team comes into this season looking to continue what has arguably been the greatest stretch in the team’s history, and quite possibly in the entirety of the Ivy League.

In 2014, the Princeton Tigers finished the season at a perfect 29-0, won the Ivy League, earned an 8th seed in the 20142015 NCAA victory. They also won their first ever NCAA tournament game, beating No. 9 Green Bay. This was only the second NCAA tournament win in Ivy League history. Princeton also finished the season with the highest tournament seed (8) and highest NCAA ranking (13) in the Ivy League’s long history.

Following this historic season was yet another successful campaign for the Tigers. The Tigers finished the year at 23-5 and earned the first ever at-large bid for the NCAA tournament - an 11th seed - in Ivy League histo-

ry. They also finished second in the Ivy League, losing in the final game of the season to eventual champion Penn. Princeton finished ranked in the top ten nationally in several defensive categories, including rebounding and scoring margin. The Tigers also saw guard Annie Tarakchian ’16 sign with the WNBA team New York Liberty.

Now that 2016 has arrived, the Tigers are focused on balancing honoring the past and playing for the future. The Tigers unveiled their 2016 tournament banner during their home opener this Friday, in which they celebrated the success of the class of 2016. The festivities led up to the opening of the 2016 season against the Rider Broncos. “Everyone is ready to go and ready for the year” said senior Vanessa Smith. “I think we are going to be a fun team to play and watch this year.”

“The emphasis this year has been to focus on winning the day, which I think is huge, because, to reach any goal, you have to focus on the steps, focus not on the destination but on the journey. And I think that everyday this team has come ready to play and ready to win

the day, and if we continue to dial into that, good things are going to be in store for us,” said senior Taylor Brown.

This season, the Tigers know that they have the attention of everyone in the Ivy League and around the nation, and that they will get the best play out of every team they face. Said Head Coach Courtney Banghart, “we are now the hunted, but I think there is an element in this program that wants to be the hunted. It means something to play for this program and other schools on our schedule want to beat us.” The Tigers face a tough non-conference schedule that features games against George Washington, Dayton, and Georgia Tech; each of those teams received some AP votes in the pre-season rankings. In addition to these teams, Princeton faces some long road trips to Kansas State and Lipscomb.

The Tigers will play nine teams in total that went to the NCAA tournament last year. On the tough schedule, Brown commented, “Coach has instilled on us not to focus too much on the opponent. Focus more on how we play and no matter who we play we will bring our style to

the game.”

Once through a tough nonconference schedule, the Tigers begin Ivy League play with a string of five home games. Conference play begins with a rematch against last year’s champion UPenn. The two teams square off Jan. 7 and then again to close out the season on March 7. Both of these teams will be contesting for the league title, so these games play critical roles in the race for the conference championship. However, many other critical conference games, including the Harvard game on Feb. 4, take place at home in the beginning of the year, and conclude on the road.

It will be interesting this year to see how every team in the conference handles the new Ivy League conference tournament.

In years past, the team that won the regular season title earned automatic access to the NCAA tournament. This year, the regular season determines the conference champion and the seeds to a new tournament that will occur in the middle of March.

The tournament will determine who wins the automatic bid, with other teams left to hopefully receive at-large bids.

Princeton comes into this season looking to replace four of the five starters from last year. The Tigers will look to their younger players to replace the seniors that led the team to one of the nation’s best defenses and one of the conference’s best offenses last year. Banghart now in her 10th season with the Tigers - is looking for rising stars such as senior Vanessa Smith and junior Kenya Holland to step up and fill the void left by the graduated seniors.

“The people that are coming up are ready to step up and fill their roles” stated returning starter Smith.

Fortunately, the Tigers were able to enjoy a rewarding and fun preseason. This year, the Tigers traveled to Australia to practice, play exhibition games, bond as a team, and interact with the communities that they visited. “We got to play games there which was huge”, commented senior Taylor Brown, “We got to come into this season with a notch under our belt, which I think gave us a bit of confidence and definitely showed us what we need to work on and what we are good at.”

One thing to watch out for this season is how the new freshman class fits into the offense and defense. The “Core Four” looks to replace the void left by the graduating seniors and begin a legacy of their own.

These four freshman - Sara Lewis, Taylor Baur, Jordan Stallworth and Bella Alarie - have been described as “a force to be reckoned with” for all opponents this season. Said Smith, “... that group is a dynamic group. They’re going to contribute and we are really excited to have them and they mesh really well with our team.” The freshman are in good hands under the leadership of captains Vanessa Smith and Taylor Brown.

According to coach Banghart, “They’ve been spot-on all year.

I’m proud of them, as I have been all season so far”. They will try and start their legacy as early as possible as they will all look to get off to hot starts in the opening weeks. “We may be young, but we are eager and ready to go and we are going to get it done” said Vanessa Smith.

“We are all in it together,” explained Coach Banghart, “this is a unique experience and we are enjoying every minute of it.”

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Wednesday november 16, 2016

PHOTO COURTESY OF RAYE KESSLER : STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

MEN’S ICE HOCKEY

Men’s Hockey optimistic about future prospects despite rocky start

By Jack Graham Contributor

Despite a somewhat rocky start, Princeton Men’s Hockey remains optimistic for a successful season.

Though the team has posted a record of 0-4-1 through five regular season games, it is confident that its quality of performance will lead to wins later in the year.

“I’m happy with the way we’ve played,” said senior captain Ryan Siiro. “The outcomes aren’t there yet, but the team has definitely played well.”

It appears that the team has good reason to be op-

timistic. Its top five point leaders from last season, including the sophomore duo of Max Veronneau and Ryan Kuffner, who led last year’s team with 11 goals and 15 assists, respectively, will be returning. Sophomore forward Eric Robinson, who scored 2 goals in this Saturday’s tie against Dartmouth and senior goalie Colton Phinney, who has long anchored the Princeton defense and posted a 92.4% save percentage last season, will also undoubtedly be central to the team’s success. Due to the combination of an experienced group of veterans and a

talented crop of freshmen, the team will benefit from depth that will allow them to consistently play 4 competitive lines. “We have confidence in every line to do their job and produce,” said Siiro. “Up and down the lineup we have guys from every class playing.

We’ve got the experience of the older guys and the youth and fresh legs of the younger guys.” Siiro also emphasized the team’s attention to detail, particularly in the defensive zone, and playmaking ability as attributes that will help the team win games.

The team hopes that this

on-paper talent will translate into a high finish within the ECAC conference, which consists of Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, St. Lawrence, Quinnipiac, RPI, Clarkson, Colgate, and Union College.

To achieve its professed goal of a top 8 regular seasons finish in the conference, Princeton will need to hold its own against other deep and talented teams. For example, many might be most familiar with Quinnipiac for its renowned polling institute, but the university also boasts a perennially ranked hockey team that advanced to last sea-

son’s national championship game. For Princeton, a strong performance in the home-and-home matchup against Quinnipiac on Dec. 9 and 10 will be an indicator of the program’s progress.

Of course, in many ways, the team has already begun to prove itself early into the season. Against a Harvard team that finished third in the ECAC and qualified for the NCAA tournament last year, Princeton held the shot advantage 25-21 through two periods before conceding three goals in the third period and falling 5-2. One strength so far has been the team’s ability to

kill penalties. Over 19 power plays, the team has allowed only a single goal, though it has only converted 2 out of its 25 power plays, an area in need of improvement.

The team can be seen at Hobey Baker Rink from now until February as it continues its regular season and prepares for the all-important conference tournament. Those in attendance are likely to witness the best hockey played by Princeton in years. “We’ve been steadily progressing and getting better every year,” said Siiro. “We’re focused on winning and getting better as a team.”