Box Score Yale Gets ECAC Sweep with 4-1 Win
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Chad Ziegler had a goal and
an assist and Nick Maricic stopped 33 of 34 shots as the No. 10
Yale men's hockey team earned a conference weekend sweep by beating
Princeton 4-1 before 3,123 at Ingalls Rink.
The Bulldogs (7-3-2, 4-1-2 ECAC), winners of four of their last
five games, got a great performance from their freshman goalie
Maricic while outshooting the Tigers 43-34. Maricic blanked
Princeton (3-7-1, 2-6-1) on all three power-play chances.
The Elis entered the game as the top scoring team in Division I,
but Ziegler had played 21 collegiate games without finding the net.
"It's a huge load off my chest," said Ziegler, whose teammates
celebrated his first goal on the bench. "It felt so good to get one
tonight, especially being right before the break. I hope there are
more to come."
Alan Reynolds made 39 saves and was the primary reason the game
remained close. He had 15 saves in the first and survived allowing
two goals and giving all the momentum to the home team.
"There was no letdown. This team has developed a sweep
mentality, and we judge our success on getting four points," said
Keith Allain '80, Yale's Malcolm G. Chace Head Coach of Hockey.
"The line of [Kevin] Limbert, Ziegler and [Antoine] Laganiere got
two goals tonight. Shift in and shift out they played very well."
The Blue struck first with another freshman getting his fourth
goal of the year at 2:30. Antoine Laganiere skated over the
blueline with a defender on him but managed to snap off a quick
one. The puck sailed over Reynolds' left shoulder.
Yale made it 2-0 just 88 seconds later when Mark Arcobello
(3rd goal) converted a pretty pass from linemate Sean
Backman. Arcobello skated into the middle of the slot and received
a feed on his backhand. The senior kept it on his backhand and
waited for an opening before flicking it inside the right post at
3:58.
Sam Sabky (2nd) cut the margin in half at the 14:00
mark on a high wrister over a sprawled-out goalie. The junior
Princeton winger got to a rebound that came out to the bottom of
the right circle, turned and sent one into the open, top-half of
the net.
The home team increased the lead to two early in the second. The
puck was batted back and forth between the circles in the Princeton
end before Ziegler took it from a Tiger defenseman and fired a low
wrister stick side on Reynolds.
Both teams put 15 shots on net in a middle frame full of great
chances and huge saves, but the Bulldogs got the only goal.
Reynolds, who came in with three games played and a 2.30 goals
against average as the backup to last year's conference player of
the year, Zane Kalemba, made save after impressive save down the
stretch of the third period to keep the visitors close.
The Elis finally broke through with the clincher. Defenseman
Jimmy Martin picked off a clearing attempt and found his classmate
open in the right circle. Broc Little one-timed the feed low and
inside the near post at 18:12.
"They [Princeton] are always a good team. They have a lot of
speed and we have speed too," said Little, who has a team-high 10
goals. "It's always a fast game and I always enjoy playing them."
The Elis are off until early January when they play Ferris State
in the Badger Hockey Showdown at Madison, Wis.
Recap filed by Steve Conn, Yale Sports Publicity Director
Video by David Dikranian
