Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright

Bright Hockey Center has been a house filled with nightmares for the Princeton men's hockey team.

March 12 and 14, 1994: ECAC Quarterfinals--Harvard completely destroys Princeton, winning 6-2 in the first game and 8-0 in the second. Even more humiliating was the way in which the Tigers finished the second game--a pair of players getting themselves ejected for hooliganism and for showing up the officials.

November 13, 1994: Harvard torches Princeton, 7-1. The defining moment in that carnage was big man Ethan Philpott (who is taking this year off) scoring a goal to the delirious cheers of the crowd. After that tally, goalie James Konte was yanked and received the customary verbal assault from the Bright crowd.

In fact, the Tigers hadn't won a game at Harvard since January 10, 1981, a stretch in which the Crimson went 14-0-1 and outscored Princeton, 97-27.

Those aren't your ordinary losses: 6-0, 7-1, 7-0, 8-0, 10-0, etc. Even the Ottawa Senators look good compared to those contests.

But boy did those awful memories fade away after the Tigers' 5-3 win last night over the Crimson.

"Last year was last year," Konte said. "We weren't afraid of them. We respect their talent, but we knew if we skate and play our game we had a chance."

Konte was in net for three of those lonely nights at the Bright, and he made sure last night would not be like the past. Konte stopped 14 Harvard shots in the first period, keeping his team in the game.

He robbed senior Steve Martins from point-blank range twice, and he stoned junior Brad Konik up close twice in those first 20 minutes. That outstanding netminding, coupled with a Harvard miscue on its power play, allowed the Tigers to escape the first period tied.

"We got a break, a reprieve," Princeton Coach Don "Toot" Cahoon said. "If Konte hadn't played the way he played, Harvard may have turned the lights out after one period."

From then on, it was all Princeton--goaltending, scoring, breaks and for the most part discipline.

For a change, it was Harvard committing the stupid retaliatory penalties in a Harvard-Princeton match. It was Harvard who was frustrated, Harvard who wanted to let its fury out on the opposition, Harvard being taught a tough lesson in its own rink.

Konte wasn't the sole reason, however. Another player who has suffered through the lean, lean nights at the Bright Hockey Center is senior Ethan Early. Losing big here in the past is all the more tough for Early, since his father graduated from Harvard in 1968 and his brother Brian is a current junior.

Early made sure February 3, 1995 would not be so enjoyable for his family. He scored his team's first two goals and then salted away the win with the hat trick 5:16 into the third period, a goal that put his team up by a 4-1 count.

"I said to Steve Martins that we've been waiting four years to win in this place," Early said. "It's nice to have one of them."

"Early bleeds black and orange, but he has a special spot in his heart for Harvard, too, so it's really nice to see him put out that effort here," Cahoon said.

The game was one that Princeton sorely needed to win. It hadn't tasted victory since December 23, losing twice and tying twice. And when the Tigers had accomplished what they needed to do, they let out all the frustration from the past with a triumphal cheer in their locker room.

They had finally conquered the beast in its own den.