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The Bulldogs (1–5–0, 1–5–0 ECAC) struggled in two away games this weekend, falling to Princeton University (2–3–0, 2–3–0) on Friday night and Quinnipiac University (7–1–2, 4–0–0) on Saturday. 

The Blue and White failed to find a strong footing in both contests this weekend, falling 3–0 to the Tigers and 4–0 to the Bobcats at Ingalls Rink.

“The weekend didn’t go the way we expected, and we are all disappointed in the results,” said head coach Keith Allain ’80. “However, we know ours is a long season and our focus is on improving individually and as a team each day.”

In their first game of the weekend, both Yale and Princeton went the majority of the first period scoreless. With 1:15 left in the first frame, however, Princeton took advantage of a five-on-three opportunity, with forward Brendan Gorman breaking the deadlock. 

The Tigers were on the advantage after consecutive tripping and facemask calls on the Bulldogs. Gorman received a pass from defenseman Noah de la Durantaye in the neutral zone, skated past a defender and shot over goalkeeper Nate Reid ’24 ’s blocker for the first tally of the game. 

“Our group is working extremely hard to turn things around as a team,” Allain said. “We are working on our team defense as well as scoring goals. It may seem contradictory, but those two go hand in hand.”

Just over five minutes into the second period, forward Nick Seitz scored the Princeton team’s second goal off an assist from forward Adam Robbins.

Liam Gorman added the Tigers’ third and final goal, sliding a puck into the Bulldogs’ empty net with less than two minutes left in the game.

Reid made 29 saves in goal for the Elis, and the Bulldogs’ offense made a total of 25 shots on the Tigers, all of which were saved by Tiger goalkeeper Ethan Pearson. 

“A lot of trials and tribulations early on for us this year, but it can only help us moving forward,” Reid said. “We are going to adjust accordingly and put the work in this week looking for six points in New York this weekend.”

Forward Niklas Allain ’24 had a team-high four shots, followed by defenseman Dylan Herzog ’25 and forward Ian Carpentier ’24 with three shots each.

Princeton dominated the faceoff circles, winning 30 of the game’s 49 faceoffs. The Bulldogs also struggled to remain disciplined, taking nine penalties while the Tigers only had five. The win was Princeton’s first of the season, which they followed up the next evening with another win in a game against Brown. 

“We have a determined, focused group with a strong work ethic,” Allain said. “We will grow and improve as we go through the season.”

In their second game of the weekend against No. 5 Quinnipiac, the Bulldogs successfully blocked all shots on goal until forward Collin Graf’s shot found the back of the net 9:42 into the first period. Graf was assisted by forward Sam Lipkin and defenseman Iivari Rasanen. 

Lipkin, along with defenseman Zach Metsa, assisted another Graf goal in the first period with only 3:14 remaining on the clock.

With 14:15 remaining in the second period, Metsa scored the Bobcats’ third goal with help from Lipkin and defenseman Jake Johnson. 

Graf added the Bobcats’ fourth and final goal with 20.3 seconds remaining in the final period. This completed Graf’s first collegiate hat trick. The final goal of the game was assisted by Lipkin and forward Skyler Brind’Amour. 

While Quinnipiac blocked all of Yale’s 15 shots, Reid made 41 saves in the goal for the Blue and White.

“I thought [Reid] played really well tonight,” Quinnipiac head coach Rand Pecknold told the Quinnipiac Chronicle. “I was really impressed. … I like him, he’s good. He squares the puck up well.”

Yale again only won 21 of the 60 faceoffs, although forward Will Dineen ’25 won 50 percent of the faceoffs he took in the circle. 

Carpentier had a team-high four shots, and forward Reilly Connors ’24 had three shots. Herzog had a team-high six blocks, and defensemen Brandon Tabakin ’23 and Kieran O’Hearn ’25 had three blocks each. 

The Elis look to improve their record and establish a new era of success in their next few games on the road. The team will look to break out of their offensive slump next weekend, as they have not netted a goal since their Oct. 30 matchup at Brown.

“We are a tight-knit group, and we are going to fight tooth and nail until we get the results we are looking for,” Reid said. 

The Bulldogs will return to action against Cornell (2–4–0, 2–2–0) in Ithaca this Friday. On Saturday, they will travel to Hamilton to take on Colgate (4–7–1, 2–2–0). Puck drop for each game is scheduled for 7 p.m.