PRINCETON: Bartlett gives PU lift

Junior helps Tigers skate by Union into ECAC semifinals

By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
   Dan Bartlett was happy to be a big part of the Princeton University men’s ice hockey team’s ECAC series against Union.
   The junior forward was thrilled even more that his most successful stretch of the season — four goals in three games — meant so much to the Tigers.
   ”It feels good,” said Bartlett, who had the second goal in Sunday’s 3-1 win over Union. “Most importantly, it keeps the season going. It keeps the seniors playing. It’s good it came at a pretty good time.”
   Bartlett scored his first goal of the series in Princeton’s 3-2 win to start the best-of-three series Friday, scored the Tigers’ lone goals in a 5-2 loss on Saturday, and notched the game-winner in Sunday’s series-clinching 3-1 win over the Dutchmen. Zane Kalemba stopped 38 shots, one off his career high, to bolster the defense in the deciding game.
   Third-seeded Princeton advances to the final four in Albany. They will play Cornell, a 2-1 series winner over RPI, 7:30 p.m. Friday. The championship is Saturday, and the Tigers are hoping for a chance to defend their 2008 championship and advance to the NCAA Tournament.
   ”It is a little different,” said PU head coach Guy Gadowsky of the return. “I will never take going to Albany for granted. It’s a tough, tough thing in this league.
   ”No college hockey is easy. It seems there are favorites in other leagues. Here, it’s just so tough. You look at what Brown and RPI did. Our league is tight. It’s really close. Getting to Albany in the ECAC is something you have to be very proud of.”
   The Tigers did so by setting a new program record for wins as they improved to 22-10 this season. They might not have gotten there without Bartlett’s contributions, and he may have even surprised Union with his success.
   ”Playing on a team with Brett Wilson and Lee Jubinville, they’re two of the best players in the conference,” Bartlett said of the pair that accounted for the Tigers other first-period goals Sunday. “I think every night they pretty much get the other team’s best set of defensemen. If we’re going to succeed, we need other people to step up and take a little pressure off them.”
   Bartlett is a perfect player to do so. He now leads Princeton with 13 goals to go with 10 points — the only Tigers player other than Wilson and Jubinville with 20 or more points this season. Bartlett scored Sunday’s game-winner on a wrap-around.
   ”He’s just a highlight reel,” Gadowsky said. “One thing he doesn’t get enough credit for is he’s one competitive (player). He scores the sweetest goals, but in terms of being competitive, he’s anything but sweet.”
   There was nothing sweet in a series that grew increasingly physical throughout. Princeton, though, seemed to be better after taking penalties than when the Dutchmen had them Sunday. The Tigers were 0-for-16 on power plays in the series, but scored a pair of 4-on-4 goals to open Sunday’s game and followed it with a short-handed score for a 3-0 lead less than seven minutes after the puck dropped.
   ”That’s pretty unusual,” Bartlett said. “I don’t think we’ve had many other 4-on-4 goals. It’s not something we work on too much, but it was good to get them there.
   ”I think it was a little different (Sunday),” he added. “Last night, I don’t know if we were completely ready to go from the start and they obviously were. They came out real hard. Tonight we made sure we were completely ready and had no excuses.”
   Saturday, it had been Union that jumped to a 4-0 lead midway through two periods. Matt Cook, a Belle Mead resident, iced Union’s win with an empty-net goal after Princeton pulled within 4-2 on Bartlett’s second goal. Cook, the Dutchmen’s senior captain, also had an assist on the second goal of the game for Union, which ended the season 19-17-3.
   Princeton showed it could bounce back Sunday. The Tigers have won Game 3 at Baker Rink three straight seasons and are 6-0 now in deciding games.
   ”Tonight, we had our backs against the wall and we had to win,” Bartlett said. “Every game here on in is the same thing. You’ve got to win or your tournament is over. We were put to the test tonight and I think we played pretty well so we’ll take that going forward.”
   The key for Princeton was the fast start, though it was a fast finish that helped the Tigers win Game 1. Bartlett had the Tigers’ first goal of Friday’s 3-2 win. Princeton broke away from the Dutchmen in the third period with goals from Mark Magnowski and Jubinville. Kalemba made 25 saves in the win. Kalemba was called on a number of times to come up with big saves Sunday as the Tigers rode the wave of momentum of some early goals.
   ”It allows us to really put the pressure on the other team, just get it deep and go to work,” Bartlett said. “Playing from behind causes us to take a few more chances and puts us behind a little bit. We definitely prefer to get an early one and then attack the other team.”
   After trailing the entire game Saturday, Princeton scored three first-period goals to jump out to an insurmountable lead over visiting eighth-seeded Union on Sunday. The Tigers used a pair of third-period goals to pull away for a 3-2 win Friday.
   ”I think you hope for that every game and it seldom happens,” Gadowsky said. “They certainly came out flying and we needed it because the next two periods we faced an incredibly tough hockey team. They have a lot of character on that team and their leadership really shines through. They’re an extremely tough hockey club. I feel great and I feel really proud to beat that hockey team because they’re excellent.”
   The Tigers have another difficult task Friday. They split their season series with Cornell, a 2-1 series winner over RPI Sunday.
   ”Their physical play is pretty similar,” Bartlett said. “Union did a pretty good job of taking the body all over the ice. That’s the same thing Cornell does.
   ”We just need to get a little bit of rest in the next couple of days. It’ll be a physical series. And then we need to be ready to play when the first game starts.”
   Princeton took this route last year. They won in three games in the quarterfinals, then put together back-to-back wins at the final four to reach the NCAAs.
   ”Any time you’ve done something already,” Gadowsky said, “the fact you know you can do it helps.”
   If it’s true, Cornell would be wise to focus a lot more on Dan Bartlett on Friday. He’s already provided some big goals in the ECAC playoffs, which is why the Princeton men are returning to the conference final four.