PRINCETON, N.J.-For about 21 hours last weekend, the Harvard men's hockey team boasted the best record in the EC AC. A win or tie against a sub, 500 Princeton team would have left the Crimson as the regular season champion for the first time since 1975.
Instead, the Crimson hit a roadblock in the person of Princeton goalie Ron Dennis. And when the Tigers netminder, playing his final game in orange and black, had turned away 55 of Harvard's 57 shots of net the visitors at Baker Rink were once again in second place.
All of the Tiger seniors-Jim Matthews who scored two goals, Captain Keith Benker who set up two others, and Dennis, who stymied the Crimson after being shelled by Harvard in December-turned in inspired performances. After the first period, the rink forever seemed tilted towards the Princeton end, but the Tigers held on for a 4-2 edge at the final buzzer.
The visitors were forced to play catch-up hockey for all but a few minutes of the game Defenseman Rick Valdarchi gave Princeton its first lead just 67 seconds into the contract when he slapped a high one from the right point past Crimson goalie Grant Blair.
Harvard retalisted four and a half minutes later, when Starbuck passed to Gary Martin on a two-on-one to set up Martin's third goal of the season.
But Princeton took the lead for good on Matthews two first-period goals, and freshman pat Brodeur made it 4-1 in the second period when he slammed home a loose rebound.
The only goal in the final 20 was a Scott Fusco wrist shot from the slot right off a faceoff, four seconds into a power play at the 6:30 mark.
But the real story of the game was the non scoring, especially the many difficult Crimson.
Read more in Sports
Scoreboard
