CORE VALUE: Princeton University men’s hockey player Corey Andonovski, left, goes after the puck in recent action. Last Friday, senior forward Andonovski contributed a goal and an assist as Princeton defeated Brown 6-1. The Tigers, now 5-11-2 overall and 4-6-1 ECAC Hockey, host RPI on February 4 and Union on February 5. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Hosting Brown last Friday afternoon for a rare 1 p.m. matinee contest, the Princeton University men’s hockey team took a while to get into a rhythm.

The foes were knotted in a scoreless tie after the first period with Princeton looking sluggish in the offensive end.

Getting untracked in the second period, Princeton jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Adam Robbins and Spencer Kersten. After Brown responded with a goal late in the second, Princeton exploded for four unanswered goals in the third period on the way to a 6-1 triumph.

Princeton senior forward Corey Andonovski, who chipped in a goal and an assist on the day as the Tigers moved to 5-11-2 overall and 4-6-1 ECAC Hockey, acknowledged that it took a little time for the Tigers to get going.

“Those early games, we are not necessarily used to it, routines get disrupted a little bit; that is part of being an athlete and D-I hockey player,” said Andonovski, a 6’1, 195-pound native of Uxbridge, Ontario.

“You have to deal with that and really focus when the time comes around. We had a slow start but we were able to bounce back and get some fire in us for the second and third. It is huge for our confidence going forward. There were times in the season when those bounces didn’t go our way and we were lucky enough today that they did.”

The Tigers had to deal with a major disruption as their first six games of 2022 were postponed due to COVID-19 concerns.

“Before the Christmas break, it wasn’t the best, there were a lot of losses in a row and then when we came back we had to deal with COVID delays and all of that,” said Andonovski.

“It is not easy when you have to come back and play the No. 1 team in the country (a 9-0 loss to Quinnipiac on January 18). We battled through that. We saw some developments in our game and that we are going to be going forward and that is what we focused on.”

Three days later, Princeton rebounded with a 5-4 win at No. 8 Cornell as Andonovski chipped in three assists.

“Any time you can go into Cornell’s rink and beat them in a very emotional and physical game, that is going to boost your confidence,” said Andonovski. “I think for us, that has been the turning point for sure.”

The line of  Andonovski, junior Kersten, and sophomore Ian Murphy has helped turn things in the right direction for the Tigers.

“You get two guys who are super skilled and super quick and can play physical when they need to and that is a good combination for our line,” said Andonovski.

“When we do get pucks full speed, heading up the ice with a little bit of space, we have guys that can make those plays. It is not just our line, it is our whole lineup. I think you saw that today for sure.”

Andonovski got Princeton’s fourth goal of the game early in the third period with Kersten and Murphy getting assists.

“I saw the puck get dumped in and it went around and we had two guys there,” recalled Andonovski, who leads Princeton in scoring with 14 points on seven goals and seven assists.

“I saw Murph come up with it and I was looking to stay in the high slot and saw some of their guys go towards him. It opened up a ton of ice in the middle and I was fortunate enough to pick it up and get a good move on the goalie.”

Andonovski is looking to make the most of his final campaign for the Tigers.

“It hasn’t been an ideal season so far, we are fortunate enough that we still have 11 or 12 games here,” said Andonovski.

“For me, you obviously want to give yourself some options after the season. Right now my focus is to do the best I can for our team and get ourselves at least to the first round and then on to the ECAC quarters. That is the goal. There is definitely a little bit of urgency with this games and trying to make the most of them. I have been here three years without last season and I am just trying to take on as much as I can and make the most of it and hopefully get myself a chance to keep playing after school.”

Princeton head coach Ron Fogarty didn’t like the lack of urgency he saw from his players in the early going against Brown.

“I wasn’t happy at all with how we played in the first period,” said Fogarty. “We went back to turning the puck over the blue line and not getting it in deep. We went back to bad habits like in our first game against Quinnipiac.”

In the second period, Princeton started getting deep and it paid off.

“Robbins’ goal was the result of getting the puck in deep, the second goal there by Spencer was the result of the puck getting in deep,” said Fogarty. “We got the puck in deep, we got the forecheck and got a turnover and we scored a goal. That is what we have to do.”

Andonovski is doing what he has to do to help the Tigers. “After the first game at Army (a 4-1 loss on October 30), we had a conversation and watched some videos as to what we need from him to be a leader for us,” said Fogarty.

“He has improved throughout each game in the first semester to where he has taken on that role. His Cornell game was the best of his career. He has put together a string of four or five games that have been really good.”

With Princeton hosting RPI on February 4, Union on February 5, and Yale on February 8 to wrap up a five-game homestead, Fogarty is hoping that his team can put together a string of good games.

“If we play like that we can get some momentum, if you are on the down side it doesn’t matter where you are playing,” said Fogarty.

“It is a good little break right now, this weekend, getting some time off. We will get ready for next weekend.”

Andonovski is confident that the Tigers will keep playing well.

“We didn’t have a great game against RPI earlier in the season (a 4-12 loss on December 4) and we dropped that weekend,” said Andonovski.

“I think the way that we are playing right now, there are a lot of better habits in our games, especially starting in the d-zone. The more we can continue that and playing with the puck, making the right plays, we are going to be good going forward.”