Brad Parsons couldn’t have picked a better time to break out of his mini scoring slump.
The junior forward scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner, as Princeton defeated Cornell, 4-1, at Hobey Baker Rink. The win allowed the Tigers to avenge a 3-0 setback to the Big Red earlier this season.
Parsons’ goals were the first he scored since Princeton’s 8-3 loss to Bowling Green on Jan. 5. The Tigers welcomed his contributions with open arms, especially since Princeton went 1-3 during Parsons’ temporary drought.
“We got some chances tonight,” said Parsons. “I’ve been in a little slump, and I was happy I was able to break out of it tonight. I hope it continues.”
The loss knocked Cornell out of first place. Four of the top five teams in the ECAC won on Friday, but St. Lawrence’s OT win put the Saints one point up on the Red. Princeton moved to within a game of .500 (6-7-2) in the conference, and is in 8th, two points back of Dartmouth and Vermont.
Princeton goalie Dave Stathos made Parsons’ offense stand up, as he made 29 saves. Last night’s game was Stathos’ second straight strong effort. He made 35 stops in the Tigers’ win over St. Lawrence on Feb. 2.
“David was very sharp, he was quick from spot to spot,” said Princeton coach Len Quesnelle. “The defense was able to clear the way in front of net.”
“I felt great tonight,” said Stathos. “I tried to empty my mind and concentrate on not thinking. That made the biggest difference.”
Perhaps the real star of the game was Princeton’s penalty killing unit. Cornell was only able to convert on one of its six power play chances. The Big Red also had a pair of two-man advantages, but Stathos and the Princeton defense was able to dispose of those also.
“Their power play is very simple, they try to work the puck outside and outnumber their opponent in front of the net,” said Quesnelle. “We had some trouble with it when we played at Cornell, but tonight we did a really good job.”
Doug Murray put Cornell up 1-0 when he ripped a slapshot past Stathos. The Big Red didn’t get too much action after that, as they only registered six shots on goal in the period.
The Tigers weren’t exactly lighting up the net either, as they only took seven shots. Each shot Princeton managed was turned away by Cornell’s Matt Underhill. The junior goaltender made several big saves during the period. His best was when he stopped Parsons, who was left unattended on the doorstep. Underhill was able to stretch his pad and take away the space Parsons was aiming for.
“I didn’t get discouraged at all,” said Parsons. “I knew that we would keep getting chances. I actually was getting excited.”
Princeton used a little good fortune to tie the score in the second. Shane Campbell took a shot that deflected off of Cornell’s David Kozier and fluttered past Underhill.
Princeton went up 2-1 when Parsons tipped in a Kirk Lamb shot. It was David Schneider who worked hard to keep the puck in Cornell’s zone and get off a decent shot.
Parsons picked up his second goal five minutes into the third. The puck was swung around the boards and right onto the tape of Parsons’ stick. He didn’t let Underhill get the best of him that time however, as he wristed the puck that deflected off a Cornell defender and into the bottom left hand corner. The Tigers were making the old adage, “It’s better to be lucky than good,” stand up.
“I was actually trying to pass to Kirk Lamb, but I’ll take it,” Parsons said. “Underhill robbed me in the second, so I guess I made up for it.”
The Tigers hope Friday’s momentum will carry them into Saturday’s game against Colgate at 7 p.m. Princeton has not won both games of a weekend home series this year.
“I am not expecting anything tomorrow (tonight), said Quesnelle. “It’s a new team, new game and we’ve talked about how to come off of a good win.”
Joe Dyton covers Princeton hockey for The Trentonian.
