ECAC Semifinals - No. 8 Princeton vs. No. 9 Cornell

Hi and welcome to downtown Albany’s Times-Union Center for the ECAC Hockey semifinal between No. 8 Princeton University and No. 9 Cornell University. Earlier today No. 14 St. Lawrence beat No. 7 Yale 3-2 to advance to tomorrow’s finals. The Bulldogs will await the winner of tonight’s contest.

The Tigers (22-10-0) won their best-of-three series against Union last weekend in the three games behind strong play from junior goaltender Zane Kalemba and junior forward Dan Bartlett. Princeton won the first game 3-2, dropped the second 5-2, and won the deciding game 3-2 thanks to three first-period goals.

But hidden behind the series victory was a serious flaw in Princeton’s game: its physicality. The Tigers were abused physically by the Dutchmen, especially in their ugly Game 2 loss, and must come out tonight with heightened intensity. The return of junior forward Cam MacIntyre should help – MacIntyre dressed for the third game against Union and gave Princeton a much-needed physical presence – but the Tigers will need intensity from more than just one player. Princeton is the least penalized team in the nation (10.6 minutes per game) which is beneficial as long as that discipline does not impinge on the team’s physicality. Last weekend the Tigers found themselves on the wrong side of that line and it will be interesting to see if Cornell comes out tonight with the intention of attacking Princeton on the boards.

Tonight’s game is a showdown between two of the nation’s best goaltenders. Kalemba, recently named one of the ten Hobey Baker finalists, ranks second in the nation in save percentage (.936) and fourth in goals against average (1.6876). Cornell junior goalie Ben Scrivens is tied with Kalemba with a .936 save percentage and third in the nation with a 1.6808 GAA.

Big Red sophomore forward Riley Nash is sixth in the ECAC with a team-high 32 points. Riley is strong on the puck, but the line to watch for Cornell is centered by senior Michael Kennedy with junior Colin Greening on the left wing and freshman Locke Jillson on the right wing. Greening and Kennedy have excellent on-ice chemistry, and the Tigers must be aware of where they are at all times. Another Cornell skater to watch is junior Tyler Mugford, who centers the third line.

For the Tigers, the line to watch is senior Lee Jubinville between senior Brett Wilson and sophomore Mike Kramer. It seems as though all the Tigers’ recent offense has come from this group, and they must continue their recent tear tonight. That being said, the Tigers will need offense production from somewhere else as well. Sophomore forward Kevin Lohry had a huge tournament here last year, so look for him to step up. Same goes for MacIntyre, who was second on the team in scoring last season, but has been plagued throughout this season by injuries.

Keys to the Game:

Eric Dodds: Power Play. The Tigers were 0-16 against in their three games against Union, and have converted only 4 of their last 53 chances on the man-advantage.
Zach Kwartler: The Tigers need a goal from either sophomore forward Kevin Lohry, junior forward Cam MacIntyre, or junior forward Mark Magnowski – Production from a line other than the Wilson-Jubinville-Kramer juggernaut.
Eben Novy-Williams: Establish a physical presence. The Tigers need to show early on that they will not be pushed around like they were last weekend.