April 23, 2008: Sports

Cool under fire
Kalemba ’10 keys Princeton’s first ECAC Hockey title in a decade

Sure shots
Stellar offense propels women’s lacrosse

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Cool under fire
Kalemba ’10 keys Princeton’s first ECAC Hockey title in a decade

By Eric Dodds ’10

In a year of accolades and record-breaking streaks, the Princeton men’s hockey team never lost sight of its primary goal: winning the ECAC Hockey championship.

On March 22, the Tigers accomplished that mission, defeating Harvard 4–1 in Albany, N.Y., to seal their first ECAC Hockey title since the 1997–98 season. The victory capped a playoff run that included a hard-fought three-game series against Yale and a 3–0 shutout of Colgate in the semifinals.

The ECAC Hockey title guaranteed Princeton a spot in the NCAA Championships in Madison, Wis., where the Tigers drew North Dakota, ranked No. 3 in the nation. For much of the game, Princeton was up to the challenge, outshooting the Fighting Sioux but falling behind, 2–0, in the first two periods. North Dakota scored a third goal early in the third period and added two empty-net scores in a 5–1 win.

Goaltender Zane Kalemba ’10 might not have had all the answers against North Dakota, but he stole the show in the ECAC Hockey playoffs, recording three shutouts in five games. Kalemba also set a league postseason record with a shutout streak of 189 minutes and 59 seconds, spanning four contests.

“The bigger the game is, the better he is,” head coach Guy Gadowsky said. “Stress and pressure simply don’t affect him — he was fantastic.”

Though Kalemba surrendered one goal in the championship game against Harvard, he recorded 35 saves, outplaying ECAC Hockey Goalie of the Year Kyle Richter, the Crimson netminder, on his way to winning the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award.

Kalemba said his postseason play was not much different from his work in goal during the rest of the year. “But during playoff time,” he said, “I just was a little more focused and got a few more fortunate bounces.”

While Kalemba’s goaltending was the key to the Princeton victories, the Tigers also received solid offensive efforts from a pair of freshmen. Forwards Matt Arhontas ’11 and Kevin Lohry ’11 provided the Princeton scoring in the semifinal matchup.

Arhontas’ game-winning goal midway through the third period broke a scoreless tie and marked his fourth score in as many games. Lohry added two goals of his own late in the period to seal the victory over Colgate.

“We came out a little flat in the first two periods, but after [Arhontas’] goal, we gained momentum and were able to keep control the rest of the game,” Lohry said afterward.

The semifinal victory paved the way for an Ivy League showdown against Harvard in the finals. For the fifth consecutive playoff game, the Tigers struck first when defenseman Mike Moore ’08 shot through a screen 5:04 into the opening period.

Landis Stankievech ’08 added what proved to be the game-winning goal midway through the second period, with Moore assisting. “If the hockey gods smile down on anybody, it’s him,” Gadowsky said of Stankievech. “He works so hard every second. ... He plays for the team and [the] team alone.”

Brett Wilson ’09 and Mark Magnowski ’10 each scored late in the third period to seal the victory.

Notably absent from the Princeton stat line was forward Lee Jubinville ’09, the ECAC Hockey Player of the Year and one of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, hockey’s Heisman Trophy. After scoring less than a minute into the first quarterfinal game against Yale, Jubinville did not net another point in the playoffs, but Princeton’s offense flourished. “Jubs doesn’t have to score a point to have an impact — he was great defensively and created [scoring opportunities],” Gadowsky said.

Princeton’s lone playoff hiccup came in the second game of its best-of-three series against Yale, which the Tigers lost 4–3 despite outshooting the Bulldogs 35–26. The Tigers recovered the next night, winning 4–0 as Kalemba shut out Yale for the second time in three games.

Despite the NCAA loss to North Dakota, Princeton’s season was a success by any measure. The high-scoring Tigers (21–14–0) set school records for wins in a season and league wins (14), and their 75 goals in league play led all ECAC Hockey teams.

Eric Dodds ’10, from New York, is a senior writer for The Daily Princetonian.

Sure shots
Stellar offense propels women’s lacrosse

In women’s lacrosse, when a Princeton player shoots, more often than not the ball finds the back of the net. Or at least that was the case in the first eight games of the season. Princeton won all eight, including impressive victories against Duke and Virginia, and converted on 51 percent of its shot attempts — best in the Ivy League by a wide margin.

Four players — Katie Lewis-Lamonica ’08, Holly McGarvie ’09, Christine Casaceli ’09, and Lizzie Drumm ’11 — scored 13 or more goals in the season’s first month. Lewis-Lamonica and McGarvie led Prince-ton last season, with contributions from Casaceli and others, and the arrival of Drumm, a poised and tenacious attacker, has added another threat for opposing defenses to consider.

At the eye of the storm is Ashley Amo ’08, the captain of the offense and the team’s assists leader. Head coach Chris Sailer said Amo has worked to fit into the role of playmaker since she joined the starting lineup in 2007, and this year she “has really taken it over.” Amo seems most comfortable behind the goal, directing traffic and looking for cutting teammates. But when defenses play her tight to close the passing lanes, she does not hesitate to find her own path to the net. Through April 2, she had 11 goals and 14 assists.

Amo played a significant role in two of the Tigers’ most explosive performances — a 17–10 win over James Madison March 19 and a 19–10 thrashing of Cornell March 29 — but when speaking about Princeton’s potential, she pointed to a less gaudy win, a 7–6 victory at Penn State March 15. “We were very flat, we were down by three goals, and we came back,” Amo said. “There are going to be days when you’re not playing your best, and you’ve got to battle through. I think it says a lot about our team that we weren’t playing well, but we still came out with a win.”

For Princeton, which ranked No. 2 in the April 1 Inside Lacrosse media poll, reaching the NCAA Championships is almost a given. The Tigers have played in the postseason for 10 consecutive years. But this year’s seniors never have reached the Final Four. Amo, who was recruited by Sailer when the Tigers were defending national champions, is anxious to make a run at the title in May. “We’re definitely ready to take it to the next level,” she said.

By B.T.

Sports Shorts

Sophomore Alicia Aemisegger, above, of the WOMEN’S SWIMMING team earned All-America honors in four events at the NCAA Championships in Columbus, Ohio, March 20–22. Aemisegger finished fourth in both the 500-yard freestyle and the 400-yard individual medley and placed eighth in the 1,650-yard freestyle. She also joined teammates Brett Shiflett ’09, Justina DiFazio ’09, and Meredith Monroe ’11 on Princeton’s 800-yard freestyle relay team, which placed 16th. In MEN’S SWIMMING, Doug Lennox ’09 placed fourth in the 200-yard butterfly at the NCAA Championships in Seattle, Wash., March 27–29, claiming All-America recognition for the first time in his career.

In MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD, Michael Maag ’09 finished 10th in the mile at the NCAA Indoor Championships March 15. High jumper Justin Frick ’10, heptathlete Duane Hynes ’09, and women’s miler Liz Costello ’10 also represented Princeton at the championship meet in Fayetteville, Ark.

Freshman Graham Wicas of the MEN’S FENCING team won the bronze medal in the epee at the NCAA Championships in Columbus, Ohio, March 16. Wicas’ finish was the best by a Princeton fencer since 2006.

Goalie Alex Hewit ’08 starred in back-to-back wins for MEN’S LACROSSE. Against Rutgers March 25, he saved a point-blank shot with six seconds remaining to ensure Princeton’s 7–6 win. On March 29 against Yale, Hewit made 17 saves as the Tigers beat Yale, 11–8, in their Ivy League opener.

WOMEN’S GOLF standout Susannah Aboff ’09 won individual titles at the Shamrock Intercollegiate March 21–23 and the Hoya Invitational March 30–April 1.

SOFTBALL swept two games against Dartmouth March 29 and two against Harvard March 30 to start the Ivy season 4–0. Outfielder Kelsey Quist ’10 had six hits in 10 at-bats, including two home runs, in the four wins.

BASEBALL dropped its first two Ivy games to Dartmouth March 29 but bounced back with a pair of wins against Harvard March 30. In the first game of the Harvard doubleheader, pitcher David Hale ’10 struck out nine batters and allowed seven hits in seven innings as the Tigers won, 3–2.

Three baseball alumni began the season on Major League rosters. CHRIS YOUNG ’02 returned to the starting rotation with the San Diego Padres; ROSS OHLENDORF ’05 settled into a relief pitching role for the New York Yankees; and TIM LAHEY ’04, a former Princeton catcher turned pro pitcher, joined the Philadelphia Phillies.