FREELANCING: Princeton University men’s hockey player Jake Manfre goes after the puck in a game earlier this season. Last Saturday, sophomore forward Manfre tallied one goal and one assist to help Princeton defeat Brown 5-3. The Tigers, now 14-9-1 overall and 10-6 ECAC Hockey, face No. 5 Quinnipiac in a home-and-home series this weekend, playing at the Bobcats on February 14 before hosting them on February 15. (Photo by Frank Jacobs III)
By Bill Alden
With the Princeton University men’s hockey team knotted in a 2-2 tie with Brown late in the second period last Friday night, Jake Manfre took matters into his hands.
Princeton sophomore forward Manfre knocked in a rebound off a Luc Pelletier shot to put the Tigers up 3-2.
“The power play was struggling a little bit, I wanted to get pucks on net,” said Manfre. “Pelletier made great tip in front of the net so I just cleaned out the dirty rebound.”
Princeton cleaned up from there, pulling away to a 5-3 win over the Bears as they improved to 14-9-1 overall and 10-6 ECAC Hockey.
“We kept it simple, getting pucks out as much as possible; that was a big thing,” said Manfre, reflecting on closing the deal. “We knew they were going to come hard to start and then it was just keep it simple from there.”
Manfre picked up his second point on the night when he assisted on empty net goal by David Jacobs that put the Tigers up 4-2.
“He was in a great spot in the middle so I just found him,” said Manfre. “He was calling for it and then luckily it went in.”
Having topped Yale 3-1 on Friday to start the weekend, Manfre and his teammates believe the sweep will get them back on the right track.
“I think it was just sticking to what works, getting pucks on net, stuff like that and dirty goals,” said Manfre. “That is what we really pride ourselves on and also playing good defensively, not letting too much in. That is what works for us.”
Things have been working well this season for Manfre as he has tallied 21 points on 12 goals and nine assists so far after totaling 17 points on eight goals and nine assists last winter.
“Confidence is a big thing,” said Manfre, a 6’1, 205-pound native of Kings Park, N.Y. “Freshman year went pretty well for me personally so it was just building off of that and getting the trust of my coaches. It is good to step into a good role this year.”
Skating on a line with junior star Kai Daniells and senior standout and team captain David Jacobs has helped Manfre pile up points.
“I think playing with Kai Daniells and David Jacobs helps, those two are unbelievable,” said Manfre. “David Jacobs is a dog, Kai Daniells can do anything with the puck. Then playing within the team structure. The coaches have implemented such a good system so when we stick to it, it works. We score goals and take care of it defensively.”
Princeton head coach Ben Syer liked the way his team started against Brown as it jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period.
“I thought our guys came out well here tonight, we did a lot of really nice things here,” said Syer. “Their goaltender [Tyler Shea] played outstanding. We will go back and watch the tape a little more. I think we could have had better net presence.”
Syer credited Brown with making things tough for the Tigers as the Bears scored two straight goals in the second period to make it a 2-2 game.
“Brown is a scrappy team, they never quit,” said Syer. “We needed to fight back. There was just constant ebbs and flows to the game. They just don’t quit.”
Manfre’s goal shifted momentum in favor of Princeton. “Jake has been great, that was a big time goal for us,” said Syer. “He scored that goal because he got above the play and ripped it. He does a nice job of that. He is reliable defensively as well too. He loves his line but he is playing the right way as his group is too. I think that leads to his success.”
The Tigers showed the right stuff as they held off Brown in a wild third period that saw the teams combine for three goals in the last minute of regulation.
“The guys did a nice job trying to maintain discipline throughout a little bit of a nailbiter,” said Syer. “It was a crazy finish; certainly an ability to finish it off and finish off a weekend was critical.”
With Princeton having gone 1-4-1 in its last six games coming into the weekend, Syer maintained that the Tigers performed better than the record showed.
“You watch some of those games we played the right way but we weren’t on the right side of the result we wanted,” said Syer. “There are other games where we weren’t good and we got the result we deserved. I think what it has shown that when we play the right way it puts us in a position that we have an opportunity to win. To me, that is not false confidence, that is showing as process and a pathway. That is something I hope our guys take here.”
Part of that process is keeping focus through ebbs and flows.
“In those games as a group you are trying to show poise and have urgency at the same time,” said Syer. “You are fighting. We had some power plays where we had looks but we didn’t have success. That is frustrating because you know, it is probably going to find a way to somehow even itself out.”
With Princeton facing No. 5 Quinnipiac (22-5-3 overall and 13-2-1 ECACH) in a home-and-home series this weekend, playing at the Bobcats on February 14 before hosting them on February 15, Syer believes his team is primed for that matchup.
“You watch them, they are scoring by the boatload so we are going to have our work cut out for us but we are excited for that challenge,” said Syer. “They are tops in our league right now. It will be a great challenge with a home-and-home here. If you want to be at the top you got to compete and beat the top.”
Manfre, for his part, is confident that the Tigers will compete hard as they look to build on the weekend sweep of Yale and Brown.
“They are a great team, we have to respect them,” said Manfre.
“We have to get above them and be physical on them. I think if we stick to what works, we can play with anybody in the country. So, yeah, just give them a tough time and frustrate them.”