Discovering the Ivy League Gem: A Journey Through Princeton University

Princeton vs. #20 New Hampshire | January 4 | 4 p.m.

Baker Rink

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LOOSE ENDS

The Tigers hold a 2-15-0 all-time record against New Hampshire in a series commencing in 1934 — marking a 5-4 Princeton victory at Hobey Baker Rink. This weekend signifies New Hampshire’s first visit to New Jersey since January 5, 1983 — which resulted in a 7-5 win for UNH. The last six encounters between these two squads have been in Durham, N.H., Estero, Fla., and Belfast. Last year, Princeton faced two defeats in New Hampshire, 5-2 and 3-1. Ian Murphy, Kai Daniells, and Brendan Gorman each notched PPGs for Princeton in this series, while David Jacobs contributed two assists.

ALL THE WAY HOME

The Tigers find themselves in the midst of a phase where they contest 11 of 13 games at home from 11/29 to 1/26, incorporating only two one-game road trips in between. The Tigers are 4-0-0 at the start of this series of games at Baker Rink and stand at 4-1-1 at home this season.

WRECKING BALL

Princeton arrives this weekend with a five-game winning streak — equaling their longest in regular season play since the 2017-18 season, when they won five consecutive games from 1/13 to 2/9, a season that concluded with an ECAC championship. Princeton’s current winning streak of five games is the third-longest ongoing streak in the nation, while their four consecutive wins at Baker Rink share the fifth-longest active home winning streak in the country.

ONE STEP UP

Princeton’s recent performances represent an advancement for the Tigers regarding the Pairwise rankings and overall national recognition. Following their success over OSU, the Tigers were acknowledged as “Team Of The Week” by College Hockey News and have climbed to No. 20 in the Pairwise rankings. As they enter this weekend, Princeton has faced the No. 22 toughest schedule, with previous opponents having a combined win percentage of .541 (72-60-16).

THE WALL

Arthur Smith received honorable mention All-Ivy recognition last season as a freshman goalie, supported by a 5-1-0 record against Ivy competitors alongside a 2.26 GAA and a .926 save percentage. This season, he earned ECAC Goaltender of the Week honors after stopping 66-of-68 shots across two victories against No. 12 Ohio State — achieving his second career ECAC Goaltender of the Week award. He subsequently earned ECAC Goaltender of the Month accolades for December due to a 3-0-0 record with a 1.01 GAA and .962 save percentage in Princeton’s three victories. This marks his second consecutive December in which Smith was acknowledged as ECAC Goaltender of the Month — for all December games over his two seasons, Smith’s record stands at 6-0-1, with a 1.40 GAA and a .947 save percentage.

Currently, he ranks No. 2 in the ECAC and No. 3 nationally in save percentage (.942), and holds the top spot in the ECAC and No. 5 in the country in GAA (1.67). His overall record is 5-1-0, leading the ECAC and occupying the No. 4 position nationally with a .833 winning percentage.

Smith has started — and triumphed in — each of Princeton’s last five matches, showcasing impressive statistics. Since 11/29 against Ohio State, Smith is 5-0-0 (including one shutout) with a 1.00 GAA and a .966 save percentage. He leads all goalies with five or more appearances in that timeframe in wins, GAA, and save percentage.

I’M ON FIRE

Brendan Gorman comes into the week boasting seven points (3g, 4a) across his last five matches. His average of 1.0 points-per-game ranks him No. 5 in the ECAC and No. 39 nationwide, while his 0.45 goals-per-game this season place him 9th in the ECAC and 54th overall. He has netted two short-handed goals this season, ranking 2nd in the ECAC and 3rd nationally.

MAN AT THE TOP

Jake Manfre leads the Princeton rookie scoring chart with 4-3-7 totals accrued through 11 competitions. After achieving an assist in his initial collegiate game versus Harvard (11/8), he secured his first career goal in his third game through a redirection at Yale (11/15), subsequently exploding for 2 PPGs and an assist in a 3-1 victory over Ohio State (11/29) and adding another assist against the Buckeyes on 11/30 for a four-point weekend, earning both ECAC Rookie of the Week and ECAC Rookie of the Month honors for November. Most recently, he scored the sole goal — a PPG — in a 1-0 success at Army. Manfre’s three PPGs this season rank him No. 3 in the ECAC, No. 26 nationally, and tied for No. 7 among all freshmen in the country. His two game-winning goals this season place him No. 4 in the ECAC, No. 24 overall in the nation, and tied for No. 2 among all freshmen nationally.

IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND

Princeton encountered difficulties at the start last season, being outscored in the first period by a margin of 42-21 over its 30 games during the 2023-24 season. So far this season, Princeton has achieved a +2 (7-5) goal differential in the opening period. The Tigers hold a record of 4-1-1 when leading after the first period and 0-3-0 when trailing after twenty minutes.