On Saturday night, the Princeton Tigers men’s ice hockey team extended their winning streak with a determined and disciplined performance against Clarkson University. Despite needing some time to adjust to Clarkson’s physical and fast-paced style of play, the Tigers ultimately took control of the game, outshooting the Golden Knights and skating away with a hard-earned win.
Clarkson struck early, taking advantage of the slower-paced start. The Golden Knights opened the scoring in the first period with goals from freshman Owen Van Steensel and sophomore Luke Pakulak, giving Clarkson a 2-0 lead. Princeton generated several promising chances but was unable to convert, closing out the first period scoreless while trailing by two.
Princeton’s turning point came late in the second period. After completing his stint in the penalty box, sophomore Luc Pelletier jumped back into the play at just the right moment. As he exited the box, he found himself alone on the puck from a pass from David Jacobs and on a breakaway. Pelletier buried the opportunity, cutting Clarkson’s lead in half and swinging the momentum back in Princeton’s favor. The goal marked Pelletier’s second of the season, with the secondary assist awarded to junior Conor Callaghan. The Tigers continued applying pressure the remainder of the period, finishing strong with a 5-on-3 advantage and several quality scoring chances, though they were unable to capitalize before the horn.
Princeton carried that energy into the third period, and it didn’t take long for them to even the score. Just over five minutes in the period, senior Kevin Anderson unleashed a perfectly timed one-timer off a crisp setup, recording his first goal of the season and tying the game 2-2. Junior Kai Daniells and senior Brendan Wang collected the assists on the play.
The Tigers knew they weren’t finished when minutes later, senior left wing Jaxson Ezman threaded a beautiful pass across the slot to sophomore Julian Facchinelli, who wasted no time burying the go ahead goal. The insurance marker was Facchinelli’s second of the year, with senior Brendan Gorman picking up the secondary assist.
Princeton added to their lead midway through the period with what would ultimately stand as the game-winning goal. Junior standout Kai Daniells continued his strong season, snapping home his eight goal of the year off a setup from sophomore Jake Manfre. The goal extended Princeton’s lead to 4-2 and gave them a much-needed cushion.
The Tigers extended their lead with a game-winner from Kai Daniells assisted by sophomore Jake Manfre. This marked Daniells’ 8th goal of the season.
Clarkson made things interesting in the final minute, scoring with less than sixty seconds left in regulation to tighten the game to 4-3. However, Princeton held strong defensively and closed out the remaining time to secure the victory.
With the win, the Tigers improve to 5-2 on the season. Their next matchup will take them on the road to Ohio, where they begin a two-game series against Bowling Green State University on November 28. The Tigers will look to carry their momentum into the Thanksgiving weekend as they continue building on their strong start to the season.
