KING ARTHUR: Princeton University men’s hockey goalie Arthur Smith turns aside a shot on Friday as Princeton defeated Union 5-2 in the opener of an ECAC Hockey best-of-three quarterfinal series. A day later, Smith made 32 saves to help the fourth-seeded Tigers top fifth-seeded Union 5-2 to sweep the series and earn a spot in the ECACH semis for the first time since 2018. Princeton, now 17-12-3, will face third-seeded Cornell (22-9-1) in a semifinal contest on March 21 in Lake Placid, N.Y. with the victor advancing to the final a day later against the winner of the Dartmouth-Clarkson semi. (Photo by Frank Jacobs III)
By Bill Alden
When Princeton University men’s hockey goalie Arthur Smith was sidelined by an upper body injury in November, he feared that his season might be over.
“At first that was definitely a possibility with some of the reports and the MRI and things like that,” said junior Smith, who was injured in a 2-1 loss to Brown on November 7. “I did a lot of work with the trainer Palmer [Trolli] who was great at making sure I could recover the right way.”
Smith did recover and returned to action on January 2, making 25 saves in a 5-4 win over Dartmouth.
“I felt my best and ready to go,” said Smith, a 6’4, 210-pound native of Farmington, Conn. “The coaches did a good job even down the stretch, making sure that I am training and practicing smart and being ready to play in Friday and Saturday. The team had my back. I feel like it is my turn to get their backs.”
Last weekend as fourth-seeded Princeton hosted fifth-seeded Union in an ECAC Hockey quarterfinal series, Smith had Princeton’s backs.
On Friday, Smith recorded 29 saves to help Princeton post a 5-2 win in the opener of the best-of-three series.
A day later, Smith had to weather a storm as a desperate Union squad took a 2-1 lead into the third period, outshooting the Tigers 22-13 in the process.
“They are a team that was playing for their season, they had their backs against the wall,” said Smith. “Any time you get a team with something to play for, it is hard but we also had something to play for too.”
The Tigers raised their level of play in the third period, scoring four unanswered goals to pull away to a 5-2 win and earn a spot in the ECACH semis for the first time since 2018. Princeton, now 17-12-3, will face third-seeded Cornell (22-9-1) in a semifinal contest in March 21 in Lake Placid, N.Y. with the victor advancing to the final a day later against the winner of the Dartmouth-Clarkson semi.
In helping Princeton book its trip to Lake Placid, Smith made 32 saves, getting sharper as the game went on.
“It gets a little bit easier and your confidence builds up as you are seeing shots,” said Smith. “A lot of them too were coming from the outside where I could see them the whole way. The defense did a good job keeping them to the outside. We will take those shots from the walls with nothing in front all day.”
The Tigers were confident that they could overcome the third period deficit.
“We just all trust each other, we have been playing close games all year,” said Smith. “The message has been the playoffs are going to be just like this. I don’t think we were really worried, even when we went down. We were just like, ‘OK, let’s get back to our game and get comfortable in the situation.’”
As Princeton closed in on the win, Smith stayed in the moment.
“I was really taking it one shot, one shift at time,” said Smith.
“Any time you start thinking too much about the outcome or too far down the line that is when things get away from you. For me especially, it is just one shot at a time, one shift really and taking it from there.”
Princeton head coach Ben Syer credited Smith with coming up big in the series.
“He was just really good this weekend and we need that,” said Syer. “We just need that consistency and he was really good.”
Over his career, Smith has gained more consistency by becoming more composed between the pipes.
“I think on the ice it has been dealing with adversity,” said Smith, a third-team All-ECACH selection this season who has posted a 2.42 goals against average and a .913 save percentage. “There would be a couple of times especially early on where they would score one or two goals and I would be like the game is getting away from me. I felt like I had to be perfect and if I got a bad bounce, it was all my fault. I think now I have been able to accept the things that are out of my control and do my best to control the things that are in my control and just keep working through that.”
Making it to Lake Placid is a big thing for the Tigers. “It really means the world, it is such a special opportunity,” said Smith. “I remember last year being at home watching Lake Placid and being like man we really have to get there. It seemed like such a cool experience. Now with the guys, every single one of us believes and I think that is the biggest part. When that is the case, teams find success.”
Smith and the Tigers are determined to make the most of that opportunity.
“We have done a good job of taking every game as it comes, game by game,” said Smith. “When we play our style, our way and find success, it definitely helps build confidence.”
And having Smith in goal will give Princeton a lot of confidence as it looks to continue its postseason run.