Backman, Richards Lead Yale to 3-2 Win

Jan. 12, 2007

PRINCETON, N.J. - Sean Backman had a goal and an assist and Alec Richards made 29 saves as the Yale men's hockey team skated past Princeton 3-2 in an ECACHL contest at Baker Rink.

The win moved Yale (8-6-2, 5-4-0 ECACHL) ahead of the Tigers in the middle of the conference standings and increased the Elis' unbeaten streak to three (2-0-1) games.

Richards passed a big test by making a dozen stops in the third period as the Bulldogs were outshot 31-21. Zane Kalemba made 18 saves for the Tigers (8-9-2, 5-7-1) but gave up a pair of scores on 4-on-4 situations. Both teams tallied once on the powerplay.

"They [Princeton] are a good, fast team that clogged up the net and made it tough to get a good view of the puck," said Richards. "We blocked a lot of shots and got lucky on a few bounces. A few of those shots hit the pipe, but you need a few of those once in a while."

The Elis killed off a pair of penalties before cashing in on their first power-play chance. As Mark Arcobello was coming out of the penalty box to give Yale a man advantage, Backman grabbed the puck and sent it ahead to Will Engasser, who was crossing the Princeton blueline. Engasser left it for Arcobello (7th goal) and the freshman center took only a step before snapping off a low shot that went inside the post on the stick side for a 1-0 lead at 10:12 of the first period. It was the only goal of the frame that had Yale outshooting the home team 9-8.

Yale made it 2-0 early in the second during a 4-on-4. Jean-Francois Boucher carried the puck into the offensive zone and went around the boards to the right of the net before backhanding a pass in front that Kalemba got a glove on. The Princeton goalie could not control the puck and it bounced into the crease where two Yale players were headed. Defenseman Ryan Donald, looking for his first career tally, got to it first and banged it home at 1:16.

The second period was a wild one as referee Peter Feola raised his arm nine times and frustrated players and coaches on both sides with some strange calls, including his second diving infraction of the night.

"It was an important game for us and a real battle," said Yale captain Matt Cohen. "It was also an ugly game without much flow. We have to play better than that, but it's nice to keep winning."

The Tigers hit the post twice and stepped up the pressure on Richards before cutting the lead to 2-1. The home squad capitalized with a power-play goal at 6:48. Richards made a few tough saves but the Bulldogs couldn't clear the puck and Cam MacIntyre (4th) flipped a rebound past the Eli netminder at 6:48.

The Elis increased the lead to two again at 3-1 with another 4-on-4 score. This time it was Backman carrying the puck in with a 2-on-1 and Arcobello on his left in position to shoot. Backman (10th) tried to send the puck across to his linemate but the defender got a piece of it and re-directed it off Kelemba and into the net 85 seconds before the second intermission.

After Yale killed off Donald penalty that included a 10-minute misconduct, Princeton's Dan Bartlett (5th) made it 3-2 with 6:38 left when he thwarted Yale's attempt to clear the puck near the Bulldog bench by stealing it from a forward and heading for the right circle before unleashing a rising shot that got past Richards' glove.

The visitors were called for too many men on the ice with just under four minutes left and the Tigers pulled Kalemba for nearly a minute while trying to score 6-on-4. He came back out when the penalty expired and was back on the bench for good with 1:05 left. Princeton never got a shot on goal after that.

"We really had to earn this win, but there is room for growth," said Keith Allain '80, Yale's Malcolm G. Chace Head Coach of Hockey. "I give Princeton a lot of credit, they stretched us to our limits and are playing darn good hockey. I thought we were opportunistic and every line contributed something to the win tonight."

The Bulldogs are home Saturday night at 7:30 to host Quinnipiac. Tickets are available and the Ingalls Rink Ticket Office opens at 3 pm on Saturday.

report filed by Steve Conn, Yale Sports Publicity Director