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Looking to snap out of a lengthy losing skid, the Clarkson University Hockey team returns to Cheel Arena this weekend after a four-game road trip. The Golden Knights, guided by seventh-year head coach George Roll, associate coach Greg Drechsel and newly hired assistant coach Chris Rogles ’93, host Princeton University on Friday at 7:00 p.m. and Quinnipiac University on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. Following Saturday afternoon’s contest, the Green and Gold will hold their annual "Skate With a Knight."
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Due to injury and illness, the Golden Knights had to put together a patchwork lineup over the weekend in ECAC Hockey action in NY’s Capital District region. Clarkson, with only 16 skaters dressed in Friday’s game at Union, suffered its worst loss in 21 years with an 11-2 defeat to the Dutchmen. On Saturday, at Rensselaer, the Knights, playing with 10 forwards, put in a much better effort, but fell one-goal short in their bid for victory, losing to the Engineers 2-1.
With six games remaining in the regular season, including four at Cheel Arena, Clarkson owns a 5-20-3 overall record and is in 12th place in ECAC Hockey with a 1-13-2 league mark. The Knights have lost eight straight. Clarkson’s last victory was a 3-1 non-league triumph over Alabama-Huntsville on January 8 in Potsdam. The Knights’ lone league victory was a 3-2 triumph at Dartmouth on November 20. The Green and Gold also gained conference points with a 2-2 tie at Harvard (11/21) and a 3-3 draw at St. Lawrence (12/4). The Knights are 4-7-1 at Cheel and 1-11-2 on opponents’ home ice.
Senior Matt Beca (Mississauga, ONT) leads Clarkson in scoring with 27 points, including a team-high 14 goals. He has amassed 112 career points (45-67) through 140 games. The Knights are averaging 2.32 goals per game.
Sophomore Paul Karpowich (Thunder Bay, ONT) has seen the bulk of the action in the Clarkson crease. Through 22 starts, he posts a .886 save percentage, a 3.87 goals against average and a 4-15-3 record. Classmate Richie LaVeau (Arlington Heights, IL) has seen time in 10 games, including six starts, and holds a .895 save percentage, a 3.33 GAA and a 1-5 record. Clarkson is allowing 3.96 goals per game.
After a tough road stretch late in the 2009 portion of the schedule, Princeton is beginning to regain top form and is just one game below .500. Having won four of its last five contests, Princeton stands at 10-11-2 overall and is tied for ninth place in the ECAC Hockey standings with a 6-9-1 league slate. Guided by sixth-year head coach Guy Gadowsky, the Tigers split a weekend series at Hobey Baker Rink in New Jersey, losing 3-1 to Colgate last Friday, but bouncing back on Saturday with an impressive 5-3 victory over fifth-ranked Cornell. Princeton is 3-6 on opponent’s home ice, but has not lost an away game since falling 4-1 at Lowell on December 11.
Ranked among the top teams in the nation during the majority of the 2009 portion of the schedule, Quinnipiac hit hard times in 2010, suffering through a 10-game winless stretch (0-9-1). Guided by 16th-year head coach Rand Pecknold, the Bobcats returned to the win column on Saturday by shutting out Colgate 2-0 at TD Banknorth Center in Hamden, CT after falling by the same score to Cornell the night before. Quinnipiac enters the North Country with a 14-12-2 overall record and is in seventh place in the conference with an 8-8-0 ECAC Hockey mark. The Bobcats, who begin a four-game road trip at St. Lawrence on Friday, are 5-6-1 in road games this season.
The Series:
Clarkson holds a decisive 69-26-5 edge in the all-time series against Princeton, which began with an 8-5 Knight victory in New Jersey on January 17, 1928. The Tigers, however, have won five of the last seven meetings, including the last three.
Princeton won the opening game this season with a 4-1 triumph at Hobey Baker Rink on November 22. The Tigers swept the 2008-09 campaign, winning 4-2 at Cheel and 5-3 in Princeton. Clarkson won both games in 2007-08 and claimed the program’s 10th conference regular-season crown with a 4-3 victory in Cheel Arena on February 29, 2008 for its last win in the series. Clarkson is 19-3 all-time against Princeton at Cheel Arena. Matt Beca leads the way offensively against the Tigers with seven points (3-4). Paul Karpowich is 0-2 in the series with a .924 save percentage and a 3.02 GAA. Richie LaVeau is 0-1 against the Tigers with a .897 save percentage and a 4.11 GAA. George Roll is 9-6 against Princeton, while Guy Gadowsky is 6-7 against the Knights.
By winning the last three meetings, Quinnipiac has tied the all-time series against Clarkson at 6-6. The rivalry began with a 4-0 victory for the Golden Knights on February 8, 2000 in Northford, CT. The Bobcats, however, swept their first regular-season series from the Green and Gold last year, winning 4-2 in Potsdam and 5-3 in Hamden, CT, and posted a 4-2 triumph at the TD Banknorth Center earlier this season on November 6. Clarkson’s last win over the Bobcats was an overwhelming 8-0 win at Cheel Arena on March 1, 2008. Clarkson is 3-2 against Quinnipiac in Potsdam. The Knights claimed the program’s fifth ECAC Hockey Tournament title when they defeated the Bobcats in the 2007 title game, coming from behind for a 4-2 victory at the Times Union Center in Albany. Lauri Tuohimaa (2-4), Matt Beca (1-5) and Scott Freeman (1-5) each have a team-high six points in the series. Paul Karpowich posts a .886 save percentage, a 4.10 GAA and a 0-2 record against Quinnipiac. Richie LaVeau played the last game in the series and made 27 saves on 30 shots (.900 sv%) George Roll is 5-5 against Quinnipiac, while Rand Pecknold is 6-6 against the Knights.
Knight Notes:
Corey Tamblyn has scored a goal in each of the past three games and has 10 points this season (6-4) after recording just one assist in 18 games as a rookie last season. One of the fastest players in ECAC Hockey, Tamblyn began his current goal-scoring streak with a shorthanded marker at Cornell on January 30 … The Knights have been hampered in their bid to get back on the winning track as injury and illness have taken their toll on the Green and Gold lineup. Clarkson dressed just 16 skaters in Friday’s game at Union and 17 players on Saturday against Rensselaer ... Forwards, senior Tim Marks (Brownsville, NY) and sophomore Louke Oakley (Whitby, ONT) have seen extensive time on the blueline as the Knights have had to juggle players into different positions. Junior Eric Daddario (Medord, MA), a walk-on who is seeing his first collegiate action, has been pressed into service this year, helping to fill the gaps as they occur. Daddario has played in six career games … Five regulars – junior forward Brandon DeFazio (Oakville, ONT) and junior defensemen Bryan Rufenach (Cameron, ONT) and Dan Reed (Walworth, NY), and sophomore forward Julian Cayer (Lonqueuil, QUE) and sophomore defensemen Andrew Himelson (Monroe, NY) did not dress this past weekend. Junior forward Lauri Tuohimaa (Helsinki, Finland) sat out Friday, but was cleared to play on Saturday … Freshman goaltender Cody Rosen (Kingston, ONT) saw his first action as a Golden Knight, playing the third period of Friday’s game at Union. He made 13 saves on 16 shots over the final 20 minutes against the Dutchmen … Clarkson is unbeaten in its last 58 games (54-0-4) when leading through two periods. Unfortunately the Knights have not played with a two-period lead since holding a 3-1 advantage over St. Lawrence in a 3-1 non-league victory on October 24 ... Clarkson Hockey players have been reading storybooks at local elementary schools throughout January and into February.
