Ice hockey reaches MCT semifinal
By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
In a game that certainly could have gone either way, the Princeton High ice hockey team got the last goal and moved on in the Mercer County Tournament.
Third-seeded West Windsor-Plainsboro South jumped out to a 3-1 lead after the first period, but the Princeton defense shut out the Pirates the rest of the way and the Little Tigers rallied for a 4-3 overtime win in the MCT quarterfinals.
”We came out a little flat and they jumped on us,” Princeton coach Terence Miller said after the win on Wednesday at Mercer County Park. “I was a little worried because I know how good their goalie is and if they build a lead on you that can steal games for them.
”There were a lot of penalties, especially in overtime. We were able to kill off two penalties and then we got the game-winner. It was a great game that could have gone either way.”
With the win, the sixth-seeded Little Tigers advanced to next Wednesday’s semifinals, where they will face second-seeded Notre Dame. In the other semifinal, top-seeded Hun will take on fifth-seeded Robbinsville.
WW-P South scored first on a goal by Brian Tso, but Princeton responded when John Reid scored to even it at 1-1. But the Pirates added goals by Nishant Modi and Jon Matthews before the end of the period for a 3-1 lead. Princeton responded with a pair of goals from Brendan McCormick in the second period to even the score at 3-3 and it stayed that way into overtime.
South had a pair of power-play opportunities in overtime but could not score. Princeton nearly scored on a McCormick breakaway but Pirate goalie Patrick Tso made a brilliant save to keep the score tied. And then with Princeton on the power play, Reid scored with 3:44 left in overtime to give Princeton the win.
”We’re going to keep fighting until the final horn, which we did today,” Reid said. “Getting those two penalties was tough but we just kept fighting. Their goalie is a great goaltender — one of the best in the CVC. He did a great job. But I thought we did a good job of putting the puck on net and eventually we scored the goal we needed.
”I got a great pass from Eammon (McDonald) on the blue line and I was able to cut up the middle and split their defense. I tried that same move during the season against Hopewell and I felt like I could go back to it and this time I scored. It was just jubilation when I scored. We were fighting for more than 45 minutes and it just took one second to change it all. It was a great feeling.”
Princeton, which had defeated Nottingham 10-0 in the opening round a night earlier, was able to stay in the game even after falling behind, which Miller felt was a testament to his team’s character.
”Their goalie deserves a lot of credit,” said Miller, whose team improved to 10-8-2. “He kept them in it and it just takes one trip down the other way for them to win it. We managed to get the winner there at the end.
”I think we showed some resiliency, especially after falling behind early, 3-1. We managed to battle back and I think that speaks to our character, especially of our leaders — John and Connor (McCormick). When it got to 3-1 we knew we had to get the next one and not let the game get away. I thought we showed a lot of heart by battling back.”
Reid, who finished with two goals and an assist, also felt like the team kept it together when the Pirates could have pulled away.
”Even though we were killing off the penalties there in overtime we were generating some offense,” Reid said. “We weren’t really pinned in our zone. They had a couple chances but we were able to keep the offensive pressure up.
”I thought we played really well in the offensive zone and in the second period I felt like we dominated. We never really played like we were down.”
Added Miller: “They had a lot of chances and Sawyer (Peck) came up with some big saves. They had a shorthanded breakaway that would have made it 4-1 and he made a nice save. South is a well-coached team and they play hard. This game clearly could have gone either way. By the end of that overtime both teams were gassed and we were just hoping we could get the next one.
”John is a guy we bump back to defense when we need him there. He’s on the penalty kill and the power play. I was happy for him to get that game-winner. He’s carried us through a lot of ups and downs so I was real happy for him.”
Now the Little Tigers will get a third shot at Notre Dame. During the regular season the Irish own a pair of six-goal wins over Princeton. But that won’t stop the Little Tigers from giving their best effort.
”We know we have a tough test in the semifinal but we get another shot to get back to a final,” Miller said. “Hopefully we can carry this momentum into the next one. It was such a good game. South could have very easily have won. It was a game that could have gone either way.”