Sports

(Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) COMING UP SHORT: Princeton University men’s hockey senior captain Brandan Kushniruk heads up the ice in recent action. Last Saturday, Kushniruk scored a shorthanded goal in the third period to give Princeton a 4-2 lead over Minnesota Duluth in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. The Tigers couldn’t hold the lead, surrendering two goals in the last 40 seconds of regulation on the way to a 5-4 overtime loss to the Bulldogs in Minneapolis, Minn.

On the Verge of First-Ever NCAA Tourney Win, PU Men’s Hockey Falls in Heartbreaking Fashion

Bill Alden

Last Friday turned into a night for upsets in the NCAA Division I men’s hockey tournament.

In the East regional, fourth-seeded Air Force stunned No. 1 Michigan while No. 3 Vermont upended No. 2 Yale. The West regional started with No. 4 Miami of Ohio toppling No. 1 Denver University.

In the nightcap of the West regional at Mariucci Rink in Minneapolis, Minn., third-seeded Princeton University looked to follow suit and win its first-ever NCAA game as it faced No. 2 Minnesota-Duluth.

No. 5 PU Men’s Lacrosse Survives at Yale, Now Faces Giant Clash With No. 2 Syracuse

Bill Alden

Bill Tierney didn’t have a good feeling as he watched his Princeton University men’s lacrosse team go through its pregame routine last Saturday at Yale.

“We shot horribly in warm-up so I knew our guys weren’t concentrating like they should,” said Tierney.

The Hall of Fame coach didn’t feel much better after the first quarter as the Tigers trailed 4-3 in their Ivy League opener.

With Cooper Taking Helm for Jones, New Era Dawning for PHS Girls’ Lax

Bill Alden

It won’t be the same on the sidelines for the Princeton High girls’ lacrosse team this spring without longtime head coach Joyce Jones running the show.

After a legendary career that started in the 1970s and included several titles along the way, Jones hung up her whistle last June after guiding the Little Tigers to an 8-7 season.

But while Jones won’t be guiding PHS, her voice won’t be forgotten as new PHS head coach Christie Cooper plans to incorporate the knowledge she gained from assisting Jones the last three seasons.

Suffering Heavy Graduation Losses, Hun Baseball Faces Bumps in the Road

Bill Alden

Bill McQuade is entering his 39th season at the helm of the Hun School baseball team and he will need to utilize every bit of his considerable experience this spring.

With Hun having lost 11 players to graduation from a program that has won two straight state Prep A titles, McQuade faces quite a teaching job as he presides over a youth movement.

While O’Brien Is Bringing Change in Leadership, PDS Baseball Aims to Maintain Winning Ways

Bill Alden

The Princeton Day School baseball team may have lost star shortstop Clint O’Brien to graduation but the O’Brien family will continue to have a major impact on the program.

Clint’s father, Ray O’Brien, is taking over as the head coach of the Panthers, replacing Bruce Devlin.

As O’Brien looks ahead to his new role, he knows the team will miss his son and the rest of last year’s seniors who helped PDS produce a 16-4 season in their finale.