JERSEY GUY: Princeton University men’s hockey player Joe Grabowski controls the puck last weekend as seventh-seeded Princeton hosted 10th-seeded Brown in an ECAC Hockey best-of-three first round playoff series. Senior defenseman and captain Grabowski, a native of nearby Lawrenceville, enjoyed a memorable final weekend at Hobey Baker Rink as the Tigers swept the series, defeating the Bears 8-2 on Friday and 7-1 a night later. Princeton, now 15-12-4 overall, plays at second place Union (21-13-2 overall) in a best-of-three quarterfinal series starting on March 9. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

For the Princeton University men’s hockey team, Joe Grabowski and Eric Robinson have proven to be two local kids who made good.

Defenseman Grabowski, a native of nearby Lawrenceville and forward Robinson, who hails from Bellmawr in Camden County, have emerged as stars on the ice and team leaders, with both serving as captain.

Robinson, for his part, has enjoyed thriving close to home. “For me it is only an hour away and with Joe growing up 15 minutes away, it is pretty special to be at an in-state school and represent the school and be a part of a rebuild here,” said Robinson.

After Princeton defeated visiting Brown 7-1 last Saturday evening to complete a 2-0 sweep of the Bears in the first round of the ECAC Hockey playoffs, Grabowski and his classmates enjoyed a special moment as they surveyed the scene after their final appearance at Hobey Baker Rink.

“We lined up; taking it all in, I think that is a good way to describe it,” said Grabowski.

“There is a lot of time spent on the ice here. It is definitely a good feeling to finish off with a win, considering all that we have gone through in our four years here, the ups and downs.”

Princeton head coach Ron Fogarty helped his Class of 2018 enjoy a great feeling in their final moments on home ice as senior Matt Nelson scored a goal in the waning moments of the contest, assisted by Robinson and Grabowski.

“It was a senior power play, that was intentional to get Halford in goal and get all of the seniors out there for the last shift at Hobey Baker,” said Fogarty.

“They have been a key component and catalyst of turning the program around. They came in and for two years it was learning systems, grinding through a lot of losses by one goal and staying with it and being positive along the way. It was great to see the seniors get rewarded with that goal at the end.”

In reflecting on Princeton’s rise up the ladder in the ECACH as it has gone from 4-23-3 in 2014-15 to 15-12-4 this winter, Robinson acknowledges that it was a bumpy ride at times.

“It has definitely been a steady progression,” said the 6’2, 200-pound Robinson, who now 61 points in his career on 35 goals and 26 assists.

“Obviously, it was a bit of a shaky start, but that is expected with a whole new coaching staff coming in. We are freshmen and trying to learn what they want. As we have grown with the coaching staff, we have been able to teach the younger guys each year what to expect and how to be prepared. It is showing in the results as they have improved each year.”

Grabowski, for his part, is proud of how the Tigers have improved on the defensive end.

“The defense is playing some of the top hockey we have played all year; it has been definitely a gradual upward progression in our play,” said the 6’3, 210-pound Grabowski, who has tallied 26 points in his Princeton career on four goals and 22 assists.

“We have done a lot of close support down low. I think one of things we have said in the back end is that we build out from the d-corps. The way we have been playing is really solid and consistent. As long as we keep it up and the forwards keep supporting us really well, I think we have a really good shot at moving forward here.”

While Princeton faces a major challenge in moving forward as it plays at Union (21-13-2 overall) this weekend in a best-of-three ECACH quarterfinal series, Grabowski believes that the Tigers’ playoff run last year, which saw them edge Colgate in an a first-round series, will pay dividends.

“We didn’t know how to win games when it came down to it in those clutch moments,” said Grabowski.

“I think we have learned a lot and grown a lot as a team. and with the coaches. That experience of having been there before will really help us along the way.”