NO JOSHING: Princeton University men’s hockey player Josh Teves takes the puck up the ice in recent action. Last Friday against visiting Union, freshman defenseman Teves scored a key goal in the third period as the teams skated to a 4-4 tie. The Tigers, now 4-12-2 overall and 3-7-2 ECAC Hockey, are currently on exam break and return to action when they host American International College on January 26. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

With the Princeton University men’s hockey team locked in a 3-3 tie against visiting Union in the third period last Friday evening, Josh Teves produced a brilliant one-man sequence that had the Baker Rink crowd roaring.

Nearly 14 minutes into the period, a Union shot bounced past Princeton goalie Colton Phinney and was floating toward the net when Tiger freshman defenseman Teves dove through the air to swat the puck away. Gathering himself, Teves raced down the ice and took a pass from Ryan Kuffner in stride and blasted a shot into the top corner of the net to give Princeton a 4-3 lead.

Union, though, responded with a goal three minutes later to knot the game at 4-4 and that ended up as the final result as neither team found the back of the net in the waning moments of the third period or the five-minute overtime period.

In reflecting on his one-man show, Teves said it was a matter of being in the right place at the right time.

“The puck hit a guy in front and kind of lobbed up; I don’t know if anyone else saw it so I dove back for it just enough to get a stick on it,” said Teves.

“Somebody got the puck to Kuffner and I just jumped in and he made a great behind the back pass and I saw some space. I went down and shot it and hit a corner.”

Having skated to a 3-3 tie with Rensselaer a night earlier, the Tigers headed into the third period against Union determined to come out on top against the Dutchmen.

“It was let’s not give them even the chance to grab hold of the game, we did an OK job with that,” said Teves.

“That last goal was tough to see but I think our mindset was to take control of the game and I think we did a pretty good job of it.”

While Princeton didn’t get the win, Teves saw plenty of positives for Princeton to take from the two ties as it moved to 4-12-2 overall and 3-7-2 ECAC Hockey.

“Obviously it was tough not to get the full two points in both of these games,” said Teves.

“I think there is a lot to be happy about but obviously we can’t be satisfied with a tie. We just got to keep building off of that. I guess one positive to take is that we know how to play in those situations. The last couple games have been close at the end, overtime action, and I think that will help us down the stretch and in the playoffs.”

In assessing his first college season, Teves acknowledged that the team’s veterans have helped him adjust.

“There were a lot of different challenges, both on the ice and off,” said Teves, a 6’0, 170-pound native of Calgary, Alberta.

“At first, the academics were a little daunting so it was juggling that and dealing with the rigor of the academics in general. What I have seen from a lot of the older guys, through experience, is that you take care of one area and the other works it out. You do everything you can on the ice and in the weight room and academics work themselves out and vice versa.”

With 18 games under his belt, Teves feels that he is starting to take care of things better and better on the ice.

“I think the speed is definitely a tough one, just knowing how to keep your gap and knowing when to step in,” added Teves, who now has five points on the season with two goals and three assists.

“Playing with a great defensive partner in Tommy Davis, I can watch a lot of things he does. He helps me a lot and all of the veteran guys as well. There has definitely been some learning curves and a few bumps in the road. It is getting to grips with it and trying to play more patient, which will help my game.”

Princeton head coach Ron Fogarty believes that Teves is starting to play like a veteran.

“Josh is playing like an upperclassman already,” asserted Fogarty. “He is a smart, intelligent hockey player and that allows him to quickly absorb the game at the next level. He has transitioned extremely well. His skill development from three years ago is an incredible story. He has gone from junior B to tier 2 junior A to college in less than three years. It is a credit to Brad and Stash (Tiger assistant coaches Brad Dexter and Stavros Paskaris) to find those guys and we will continue to do that.”

Although Princeton didn’t find a way to win against Rensselaer or Union, Fogarty gave his players credit for sticking with the process.

“We have to continue to do the small things and the basics and that is what we did,” said Fogarty.

“The same thing we did against Yale and Brown on the road is what we did here at home. It was third guy high, taking control of the puck with a lot of support around and being patient. We tell the guys to make sure that their next shift is better than their last and our coaching staff has to be better tomorrow than we are today.”

With the Tigers heading into an exam break and not playing again until they host American International College on January 26, Fogarty wants his players to take care of business.

“The emphasis was to do the opposite of when they went home for Christmas,” said Fogarty, whose team dropped three straight games after the holiday break.

“At the same time we are very sensitive to the academics that they are engulfed in and we want to make sure that they succeed.”

Teves, for his part, is confident that the Tigers will succeed on both fronts.

“It is obviously tough to go on a little break again after getting some momentum,” said Teves. “We have to just let school take care of itself and stay focused on both areas.”