On the strength of two goals from freshman Brett Wilson, Princeton jumped ahead 2-0 on Alabama-Huntsville, but three goals in the final seven minutes of the game resulted in a 4-2 win for the Chargers. UAH goaltender Scott Munroe made 48 saves in the game to keep the Chargers close for the late comeback. He made 24 in the first period.
The Tigers were flying from the drop of the puck and played one of their best periods of hockey all season in the first. Princeton fired 25 shots on net, one less than the Chargers had in the whole game, and broke through at 16:39 to take a 1-0 lead when Wilson knocked home a loose puck for his fourth goal of the season. Junior Kevin Westgarth and senior Seamus Young assisted on the goal.
Princeton extended its lead to two goals when Wilson notched his second power-play tally of the night at 6:48 of the second period. After a shot from Westgarth, Wilson backhanded the puck through traffic and by Munroe to make the score 2-0. Junior Grant Goeckner-Zoeller assisted on the goal.
Alabama-Huntsville answered with a power-play goal of its won at 13:52 of the second period to get back within a goal when Grant Sellinger scored the goal off of his own rebound. Sellinger deflected Bruce Mulherin’s point shot in front, but Princeton freshman Thomas Sychterz stayed with it and made the save. Sellinger stuck with it and slid his own rebound in for the goal.
The game entered the third with Princeton holding a 2-1 lead, which it maintained until Alabama-Huntsville drew even with 6:08 remaining. Brett McConnachie scored the goal as he took a seeing-eye wrist shot through traffic that found the top corner. Mulherin and Scott Kalinchuk assisted on the goal.
UAH then took its first lead of the night 3:01 later. After Dominik Rozman’s shot was blocked to the corner, Todd Bentley picked it up and fired it towards the Princeton crease. The puck then deflected off Sychterz as he came across and went over the line to make the score 3-2. A.J. Larivee added an empty netter.
Munroe made 48 saves for the win, while Sychterz made 22 in the loss.
The two teams complete their series tomorrow at 7 p.m.
