Princeton Preview
Clarkson (5-20-3 overall, 1-13-2 ECAC Hockey) returns home after a four-game road trip to finish the regular season with four of its last six games in Cheel Arena.
Princeton (10-11-2, 6-9-1), which faces the Golden Knights at 7 tonight, struggled earlier in the year but has gone 7-3-1 in its last 11 games.
Princeton is also coming off a 5-3 upset of No. 5 Cornell. The Tigers are 2-1 against Cornell this season, including a 3-2 win in the Florida College Classic.
Here is some footage shot from the stands of Princeton's Hobey Baker Rink of last Saturday's win:
Stat of the Night: Princeton is 10-2-1 this season when it holds the opposition to three goals, or less. The last time Clarkson scored more than three goals in a game was on Nov. 27 in a 6-5 loss to Boston College.
Who to Watch
Clarkson: Matt Beca leads all Golden Knights with seven career points against the Tigers. He has three goals and four assists in seven games. Scott Freeman has two goals and three assists in five games and Lauri Tuohimaa has five assists in five games. Paul Karpowich is 0-2 with a 3.02 goals-against average and .924 save percentage against the Tigers. Richie LaVeau is 0-1 with a 4.11 goals-against average and .897 save percentage.
Princeton: Mark Magnowski, like Beca, has three goals and four assists in seven career games against the Golden Knights. Matt Arhontas has three goals and three assists in just four games. Zane Kalemba if 4-1 with a 2.21 goals-against average and .910 save percentage against Clarkson. Alan Reynolds is 1-0 with a 2.40 and .922 save percentage.
Special Teams Watch
Clarkson: Brandon DeFazio leads Clarkson with five power-play goals. Matt Beca and Adam Pawlick both have four power-play goals.
Princeton: Dan Bartlett leads the Tigers with four power-play goals and Mark Magnowski has three.
Hot and Cold
Clarkson: Corey Tamblyn has scored a goal in three straight games. Matt Beca has two goals and three assists in the last five games. Nick Tremblay has assists in the last two games. Mark Borowiecki has one assist in three of the last four games, including two straight. Scott Freeman has been scoreless for eight straight games.
Princeton: Mike Kramer has scored in three straight games. Mark Magnowski has six points in his last four games. Kevin Lohry has five points in his last four games and Marc Hagel has three goals and one assist in the last four games.
Last Meeting: The Tigers earned a 4-1 victory over Clarkson in Hobey Baker Rink on Nov. 7. Matt Arhontas led Princeton with two goals and an assist. Matt Beca scored Clarkson's only goal.
Stats and Notes: Clarkson's last conference win was a 3-2 decision at Dartmouth on Nov. 20. The Golden Knights are 0-7 in conference home games. ... Clarkson dressed just 16 skaters for last Friday's game at Union and had only 17 for Saturday's game at Rensselaer. The Golden Knights could see Brandon DeFazio, Bryan Rufenach and Dan Reed return to action this weekend. ... Like Clarkson, Princeton has been hit hard by injuries this season. The Tigers have played with a short lineup seven times and have not had a healthy scratch in 13 of their 23 games. ... Princeton ranks second nationally in fewest penalty minutes, averaging 10.5-per game. Alaska leads the nation at 9.9
