PU men’s hockey wins sixth straight
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
In appearance, it was just like all the rest Taylor Fedun had seen in his years of ice hockey.
Hard rubber, one inch thick by three inches in diameter.
But the hockey puck that the Princeton University freshman was handed on Tuesday night was something special. It was the first game puck he was awarded in his Tigers career.
”I had a lot of pride when I did receive that,” Fedun said. “They’re not easy to come by, especially when you have the group of guys we have.”
Fedun’s selection — by the previous game’s winner Brad Schroeder — might have seemed curious to the outside observer. He did not have a goal or an assist, but the Tigers knew how the defenseman had helped set them up for a 5-2 win at Robert Morris, the sixth straight win for Princeton.
”We were able to create offense not just from the tempo of the forwards, but with the defense joining the play,” said PU coach Guy Gadowsky after his team improved to 11-8-0 heading into tonight’s game at Union. “We created offense and tempo from the back end.
”It’s something we’ve always stressed. It’s difficult to execute. We’re getting more comfortable with that.”
Fedun was plus-three in Tuesday’s game. His presence brought plenty of success to the offensive end while still fulfilling his role as a defender. He fits well in that style of play. It’s something that attracted him to Princeton.
”That was a big,” said Fedun, who comes from Edmonton, Alberta. “Aside from being Princeton, I really liked the direction Guy was taking the program. Speaking with him, the style of play he does coach, he loves the offensive side of the game. That was something that drew me to come here. I did feel that was something I could contribute to.”
Fedun seemingly has always played on good teams that succeeded in scoring plenty. And he has always been able to contribute at both ends. He continues to do so for the Tigers.
”He’s been pretty darn good right from Game One,” Gadowsky said. “He’s just a hockey player. He sees things. He’s a tough kid. He has great hands. Offensively, he makes things happen. He’s really been a great addition to how we play the game. He likes to jump up and use his puck skills.
”Not only with Taylor, all the freshmen defensemen have done a good job in transitioning to the college game. Taylor knew the style of play he wanted to play. He wasn’t sure he could play that way, but he’s been able to do it. He enjoys playing that way. Not only does he have the skills, he has the mentality and conditioning to do it. It’s not easy. He has the confidence and the skills to do that.”
Early in the season, Gadowsky worried about how Fedun, Matt Godlewski and Cam Ritchie would fare in their first season of college hockey. All have been impressive, which has helped the Tigers continue to move forward.
”One of the biggest reasons for that is we had about a month of captains’ practices before the season,” Fedun said. “We really used it to the advantage of the entire team. We really practiced hard. Even if it was just a captains’ practice, everyone was going all out. That helped in adjusting to the level of play and the speed.
”The first couple of practices it was like, this was something else. By the end of the month, we started to get into real practices. It felt like the transition had already been made because we worked hard in the first month. All along the way, guys have embraced the freshman class. There was never a feeling of hierarchy. That has made the transition easier for all of us in the freshman class.”
Fedun might have had a harder time adjusting to living away from home than playing college hockey. The learning for the Tigers hasn’t ended once the season began. Princeton won its first four games of the season, but then lost eight of its next 10.
”We set out a lot of objectives that would provide us with success,” Fedun said. “There was a stretch where we went on a skid where we got away from those things. We took a step back and were able to focus on things that have made us successful. We’ve reaped the benefits lately.”
The Tigers are back to their winning ways, and back in a big way with their first six-game winning streak since the 1933-34 season. It’s hard to believe in the program’s existence it has been so long between such streaks.
”I was quite shocked to hear that,” Fedun said. “But in our league, there never is a chance to take a night off. You have to be prepared for everything. If you’re not prepared, they’ll make you play for it. At first, I was quite shocked about that.”
Added Gadowsky: “It’s a little like putting in golf. You can do the same thing and sometimes the putts drop and sometimes they don’t. A big thing is we’re getting timely goaltending. It’s allowing us to come back and create offense the other way. And all four lines are scoring. Teams can’t concentrate on one line or one player to shut us down.”
Fedun credited Zane Kalemba with making some early saves against Robert Morris to help provide the offense some opportunities at the other end. Kalemba finished with 25 saves for the Tigers. Fedun’s fellow freshmen Kevin Lohry and Matt Arhontas each had a goal and assist.
Princeton returns to Eastern College Athletic Conference action tonight against Union, which has won seven of eight games. Saturday, the Tigers are at Rensselaer. The Tigers are 8-2 on the road this season and sit in second place in the conference.
”I think this weekend will be a really tough weekend,” Fedun said. “It’s important to prepare like we need to. Ultimately, we want to come out with our best foot forward. Union is on a tear. The only team they’ve lost to in their last eight games is Clarkson and Clarkson is a good team.”
Princeton has shown lately that it can be a tough team to beat as well. The Tigers are hoping that trend continues this weekend.
”The ECAC, because the league is so close, you have to be prepared to play games like this,” Gadowsky said. “I don’t think we’ll face anything different than what we expect. It’s more of the same. As we get closer to March, every game gets a little more meaningful.”
And those little pucks get a little more meaningful too. Taylor Fedun is happy to have his first, and ready to play for more as he tries to help the Princeton men’s hockey team prolong its historical streak.