ECAC QUARTERFINALS, GAME #2 (First to 3-pt. series)
 
Princeton (16-12-4) 1-1-0_2
Brown (15-11-3)     1-1-1_3
 
First Period
1745 P: Kelley (23) (PP) (Flahr, Sharp)
1853 B: C. Humber (8) (Traggio)
 
Second Period
1110 B: Clapton (5) (PP) (Martino, Andersson)
1553 P: Sinclair (3) (Flahr)
 
Third Period
9:03 B: Clapton (6)
 
PP_ P: 1/4; B: 1/3.
 
Shots_ P: 5-5-5_15
       B: 9-11-7_27
 
Saves_ P: Konte 24.
       B: Audette 13.
 
A_ 1257
 
Comments:
 
A near-reversal of Friday night's 4-3 Princeton win. The Tigers controlled
the tempo in the first game and had Brown running around in its own zone.
Last night it was the Bears that mandated the style and flow of play.
A much more physical game, and Brown established forechecking pressure
from the opening whistle.
 
The first period was the most evenly played of the three. The Tigers
opened the scoring on a Jonathan Kelley slapshot (patent pending) from
the left wing circle during a power play. Audette got a stick on it,
but the puck trickled over the line regardless. Brown answered 18
seconds later when Mike Traggio found Charlie Humber alone at the
Princeton blueline, behind the defense. Humber handled the pass
beautifully as he turned to his right, pulled Konte from the net
and flipped it home. The Tigers argued that Humber came out
of the penalty box (he was assessed a coincidental minor for
holding at 16:44) and never touched up at his own blueline
(pursuant to Rule 2-5(d)) before scoring at 18:53. The referees talked
to captain Ian Sharp for a long time, then went to coach Don Cahoon
before announcing that the goal stood. Since Cahoon seemed to be
assuaged by the chat with the ref, I assume that Princeton accepted
the ref's rationale. Humber had 8 seconds to get back to his blueline
and back up to Princeton's line, certainly realistic.
 
Brown turned up the pressure in the second period and really started
pounding on the Tigers physically. Humber, unfortunately, was the
lone casualty as he left the game with a damaged shoulder and is
probably done for the season. Clapton scored on a 4-on-3 power play,
firing a slapshot by a screened Konte. Robbie Sinclair answered
for the Tigers on a 2-on-1. Mike Traggio gave him the shot and the
rookie roofed a slapshot to the short side from 25 feet.
 
Clapton won it in the third on a great solo effort. He stickhandled by
Brent Flahr at the Princeton line, then cut to the middle on his backhand
around a backchecking forward. Konte took one step to his right just as
Clapton let the backhand go and the puck slipped inside the right post.
 
The teams combined for 29 penalties (74 minutes) compared to just 8 (16)
on Friday. Audette was rarely tested - only two shots from in close, both
by Ethan Early in the final minute with the Princeton goal empty. It
will be interesting to see who gets the call for Brown tonight (although
if the Bears play as they did last night, it won't matter). Konte was
outstanding. He made five or six unbelievable saves in the second period
to keep Princeton in the game. As his his strength, he made every
conceivable save - glove, stick, butterfly, splits, blocker - but
Princeton never picked up the momentum. Brown played with 10x the
intensity that it did on Friday, and became the surly, chippy team
that the ECAC has come to hate but the Meehan faithful love. The only
positive for the Tigers was a good defensive effort against Brown's
top line of Mulhern, Trach & Clapton (at 5-on-5), although the downside
was that Princeton's top line of Kelley, Early & Kopeck were the ones
largely responsible - and, consequently, they weren't involved in much
offense themselves.
 
By the way, the Bears have now played five exciting ECAC quarterfinal
games in a row at Meehan, including last year's three-game victory
over Vermont, to an attendance of 1610, 1817, 1432, 1157, & 1257.
In 1992/93, against Yale, Brown drew 2450 and 2254. Meehan's capacity
is 3100. I sense a marketing problem, don't you?
 
Geoff Howell
The Trenton Times
Drop the Puck