FRESH START: Princeton University men’s hockey player ­Jonathan Liau goes after the puck in game last season. Junior forward Liau and the Tigers will be seeing their first regular season action under new head coach Ron Fogarty this weekend when they head to the Prudential Center in Newark to take part in the Liberty Hockey Invitational. Princeton plays Yale on October 31 and will then face either UConn or Merrimack on November 2. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Ron Fogarty is not making any bold pronouncements or predictions as he prepares to start his first season at the helm of the Princeton University men’s hockey program.

With Princeton coming off a rough 6-26 campaign in 2013-14, Fogarty sees rebuilding morale as job one.

“Team cohesion, team chemistry, and team unity are the keys right now,” said Fogarty, the former head coach at Division III Adrian College in Michigan and the replacement for Bob Prier, who resigned in the spring after a three-year tenure at Princeton that saw him compile an overall record of 25-58-12.

“We have agreed on our mission and that is to get better every day and be prepared for the playoffs.”

So far in the preseason, Fogarty is seeing daily improvement. “It is good, we are progressing,” said Fogarty, who posted a 167-23-10 record in seven seasons at Adrian, guiding the Bulldogs to four appearances in the NCAA Division III tournament, advancing to the championship game in 2010-11.

“It is different for everybody, both players and coaches. We are seeing what each player brings and they are learning our systems. It is going to take some time for us to go from average to good to great. We haven’t had any competition against us so it is hard to know how things are working.”

The Tigers will get into regular season competition this weekend when they head to the Prudential Center in Newark to take part in the Liberty Hockey Invitational. Princeton plays Yale on October 31 and then will face either UConn or Merrimack on November 2.

“The players are looking forward to seeing a different color jersey,” said Fogarty. “They are eager to get started, they are enthusiastic.”

Fogarty is enthusiastic about his core of veterans, noting that junior forwards Mike Ambrosia (4 goals and 7 assists in 2013-14) and Kyle Rankin (3 goals and 3 assists) along with senior forward Tyler Maugeri  (5 goals and two assists) have made a good early impression as well as a pair of defensemen, sophomore Quin Pompi (3 assists) and junior Aaron Ave (3 goals and 6 assists).

“Mike Ambrosia is doing a good job, he is showing some chemistry with Kyle Rankin and Tyler Maugeri,” said Fogarty.

“On the other end, Aaron Ave and Quin Pompi have done well, they are picking things up.”

At goalie, sophomore Colton Phinney (3.56 goals against average and .901 save percentage in 18 games in 2013-14), freshman Ben Halford, and senior Ryan Benitez (4.80 goals against average in one game) have all done some good things in the preseason.

“Colton is looking solid,” said Fogarty. “Adding Halford is good, he is pushing him. Benitez is first on, last off the ice. I am not sure who we will be starting. It will sort itself out.”

The Tigers aren’t sure at this point what they are going to get out of their crew of freshmen.

“We’ll bring the freshmen along slowly and let the upperclassmen take them under their wing,” said Fogarty. “Eric Robinson is playing well, we will give him opportunities with a top line.”

The new coaching staff plans to give the players every opportunity for success.

“It is up to them, we are laying the tracks for them to be successful,” said Fogarty.

“Each player on the ice has to do his job and trust that the other four guys will also do their job. We want it to flow but it takes time to do that. They have to invest trust in the team.”

Fogarty acknowledges that it is going to take time for Princeton to rise up the ranks of ECAC Hockey.

“We are going to be patient,” said Fogarty. “We are indifferent to results at the outset, that is not going to impact how we prepare for each game. We are going to be a solid team that plays all 60 minutes and looks to eliminate mistakes.”