Mike Sheridan asked for a Princeton preview, here is what I sent
him privately.
 
The Tigers have not played at home, so what is below is based on
what I have heard about the team.
 
The Princeton freshman class consists of 5 forwards; Coach Cahoon
primarily went looking for people who could put the puck in the net.
The top scoring line over the past two seasons (Morris, Bigelow,
Zlinkas) graduated, so the Tigers obviously needed scoring help.
Jean Verdon, from the Lawrenceville School just down the road from
Princeton, scored twice last weekend in Princeton's exhibition wins
over McGill and Middlebury.  With 5 freshman and 2 sophomore forwards,
the Tigers will be very young up front.
 
The centers are led by juniors Ian Sharp and Mervyn Kopeck; sophs
J.P. O'Connor and Jon Kelly saw a lot of action last year.
 
There are 5 sophomore defensemen; senior Sean O'Brien and junior
Scott Almon are expected to provide a lot of leadership.
 
Both junior Rod Yorke and soph James Konte saw plenty of minutes in
Goal last year.  They are joined by freshman walk-on Tom Best.
 
Princeton will be without the services of sr forward Troy Ewancyhna
(broken ankle, out for 3 months) and NHL draft pick Sophomore Defenseman
Jason Smith (Mono, out for 4 weeks).  They will both be missed.
 
I think the Tigers may surprise a few teams this year, especially if
some of their freshman can provide some needed scoring.
 
Chris Dietrich,
Princeton U.