GETTING AFTER IT: Princeton University men’s hockey player Eric Robinson, right, battles a foe in recent action. Last Saturday, junior forward Robinson scored two goals to help Princeton skate to a 2-2 tie with visiting Dartmouth. The Tigers, now 0-4-1 overall and 0-3-1 ECAC Hockey, play at Colgate on November 18 and at Cornell on November 19. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Eric Robinson is living out a childhood dream by playing for the Princeton University men’s hockey team.

“I grew up 45 minutes from here, I came to Princeton games as a kid,” said Robinson, a native of Bellmawr, N.J. in Camden County.

“My parents can come to quite a few of the home games so it is cool to be so close to home.”

Last Saturday against Dartmouth, junior forward Robinson gave the home fans at Baker Rink plenty to cheer about, scoring two goals to help Princeton rally from deficits of 1-0 and 2-1 to pull out a 2-2 tie with the Big Green.

“It is just big to get a point; we definitely felt like we could have gotten one there in overtime,” said the 6’2, 200-pound Robinson, reflecting on the tie which left Princeton at 0-4-1 overall and 0-3-1 ECAC Hockey.

“I think we have to keep taking steps forward here as a team. We will get back to it Monday, take what we can out of these games, and look at the positives.”

Robinson’s initial tally came in the second period when Princeton got a 4-on-3 power play after a Dartmouth player received a major penalty and a game misconduct.

“We knew in that situation with that 5-minute call, we had to take advantage of it,” said Robinson, who blasted the puck off the crossbar with assists from Derek Topatigh and Alex Riche.

“We were all bearing down on that power play because we knew that was a big point in the game there that we could take advantage of. We have worked on that 4-on-3 quite a bit. It was a really nice pass; it was easy to one time that and I got a hold of it pretty good.”

After Dartmouth took a 2-1 lead in the second period, Robinson struck again nearly six minutes into the third, battling through a scrum in the crease area.

“That was great work down low there by linemates, Jeremy Germain and David Hallisey, really working the puck down low there. They got it out front and I was just fortunate to be there and bang home a rebound.”

Robinson’s two-goal effort wasn’t just the product of good fortune as he has been diligently honing his finishing skills.

“I worked on my shot quite a bit and Ron (Princeton head coach Ron Fogarty) has been helping me with that,” said Robinson, who notched his first goal of the season in a 5-2 loss to Harvard on Friday.

“I definitely see it coming to help me here in the games, it is positive to see. Instead of driving wide and painting myself into a corner, if I don’t have that step on the defense then I pull up. It is getting more time with the puck instead of just trying to go wide every time.”

Princeton head coach Fogarty is happy with the way Robinson is stepping up.

“Eric has been working on his shot, developing a quicker shot, more of a snapper instead of a big, long release,” said Fogarty.

“His speed is great and he just has to keep working on the offensive tactics to put him in scoring spots and to finish.”

The Tigers showed some resolve, working hard despite trailing for much of the contest.

“Any time you score a goal, it is a pretty good turning point and to get back in it going down 2-1 was good,” said Fogarty.

“Third period leads are big in college hockey; it is tough to come back because other teams can play tighter defensively and you are forced to go 200 feet but we got that second goal and had a great opportunity in overtime and Germain just missed.”

While Fogarty would have liked to see his team cash in that OT opportunity, he viewed the tie as a step forward.

“It is progress, getting a point is good,” said Fogarty. “Getting four points at home is the progress we want to see. It is a step of how we are playing to get a tangible point.”

With Princeton playing at Colgate (2-5-4 overall, 1-2-1 ECACH) on November 18 and at Cornell (2-2-1 overall, 2-1-1 ECACH) a day later, Fogarty is looking for some more tangible results.

“Charlie Finn is an excellent goalie with Colgate and Lynah Rink (at Cornell) is a tough place to play at,” said Fogarty, a former standout player at Colgate.

“We have to keep worrying about how we play and the standard of our play.”

Robinson and his teammates are determined to keep raising their standard of play.

“The focus is the same, the message stays the same,” said Robinson. “We have got to start finding ways to get points here on the road. We have got to grind out some points.”