NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Two key ECAC Hockey points were up for grabs in New Haven Saturday, and the Yale Bulldogs snatched two points against the Princeton Tigers in a lopsided 7-2 final.
The offensive outburst came from a pair of forwards, with Evan Smith scoring four goals and Joe Snively scoring three in the first multi-hat trick game for the Bulldogs since 2012.
After chasing Princeton goaltender Ryan Ferland in the first six minutes of the game, the Bulldogs had the streaking Tigers on the ropes. The sophomore goaltender behind the team’s five-game win streak got the hook after surrendering three goals on six shots.
Smith scored two of his goals four minutes apart to open the game, both coming off of odd-angle shots on the side boards and goal line, respectively. His third goal came on a bobbled puck through center that he picked up and shot through two defensemen.
“I think when Evan is playing a full game, both on the physical side and he’s getting below the goal line, he’s been very good for us,” assistant coach Josh Siembida said. “Tonight, he was good for 200 feet. That’s part of the reason why he had the chances he had and he executed on them.”
Snively matched his teammate, posting three of his own on the night. Effective on the puck from center, the junior had open space from center ice for two goals, with room unchallenged to wreak havoc on the Princeton goaltending.
“We played the right way,” Smith said. “We got away from it a little bit, but that happens in hockey with the lows and the highs. We stuck with it, we came out hot in the third. We saw they like to go cross seams, so we adjusted properly. We were able to pick some off and go the other way.”
Ferland returned after Snively’s second to finish the game out between the two. Ben Halford handled 45 minutes of the game, but was spared the loss after being replaced in the third.
Midway through the second, the Tigers seized momentum, scoring two goals on Corbin Kaczperski in two minutes.
“We’re happy with the way we started; you can’t expect to keep them off the scoreboard or keep them from getting their chances,” Siembida said. “We came back, and we responded the way we needed to and at the right time.”
The victory comes as a tipping point for the Bulldogs, who have won all four games to start February. Four conference points enters Yale into a three-way tie for sixth in the ECAC standings, with a chance for a first-round bye just four points away.
“I think the guys are playing for themselves,” Siembida said. “They understand what needs to be done right now, they understand where we are in the season. That’s what the focus is.”
