Fogarty Takes Reins at Princeton

The Princeton University men's hockey program has found its new head coach.

Former ECAC player and assistant coach Ron Fogarty will be named the Tigers' 17th all-time mentor today after spending the last seven seasons molding Adrian (Mich.) College into an NCAA Division III powerhouse. The Bulldogs went 167-23-10 under Fogarty, the only coach the program has ever known, and earned four NCAA Division III Tournament berths. Adrian was also the national runner-up in 2010-11, when it lost 4-3 to St. Norbert, which also ousted the Bulldogs in this year’s nationals.

“It was an honor to be considered for this position and now a privilege to be named the head coach of the Princeton hockey program,” said at Fogarty at goprincetontigers.com. “With great enthusiasm, I look forward to building a program that will consistently compete for Ivy League and ECAC championships. Our players will be recognized for excellence in the classroom, ambassadors for the University in the community and relentless competitors on the ice.”

A native of Sarnia, Ont., Fogarty, 42, is taking his first head coaching job at the NCAA Division I level. He succeeds Bob Prier, who resigned last month after leading the Tigers the past three seasons. Prier took over from Guy Gadowsky, who left Princeton to mentor Penn State's nascent NCAA Division I program after guiding the Tigers to an ECAC Tournament title and two NCAA Division I Tournament berths. Princeton finished 6-26 overall and was last in the ECAC last year with a 4-18 league mark.

Fogarty played four seasons (1991-1995) at Colgate University, where he scored 51 goals and added 90 assists for 141 points for the Raiders. He played one season of professional hockey with the Memphis Riverkings of the Central Hockey League, and two years in Roller Hockey International before becoming an assistant coach at his alma mater in 1996-97, according to hockeydb.com. He left for Clarkson University in 1999-2000, and later spent four years as an assistant coach at Bowling Green before taking the reins at Adrian in 2007-08. The Bulldogs also won six regular-season titles and five league tournaments in his tenure.

“I am thrilled to have Ron join our distinguished team of coaches at Princeton,” said incoming Ford Family Director of Athletics and former Princeton women's hockey player Mollie Marcoux on the university web site. “Ron is an accomplished coach with a proven track record of success, both as a player, assistant coach and head coach. I am confident that he will provide the knowledge, experience and creative leadership needed for our program to thrive on an Ivy, ECAC and national level.”

Princeton is expected to open its 2014-15 regular season at the Liberty Hockey Invitational at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. in October.

Martinez OT Goal Claims Cup for Kings

Alec Martinez (Miami) made it Los Angeles’ night one more time—and this time, it won the Kings the Stanley Cup.

Martinez put home a rebound at 14:43 of the second overtime period at the Staples Center to lift Los Angeles to a 3-2 win over the New York Rangers in Game 5 of the 2014 Stanley Cup Final. The goal also captured the Kings’ second NHL crown in three years, after they won their previous three series this spring in seven games apiece.

Martinez also got the game-winner in sudden death in the Western Conference final against the Chicago Blackhawks last month.  Friday’s victory marked the first time that an NHL team had clinched the Cup in overtime on its home ice since the New York Islanders did so back in 1980.

The Rangers, who trailed 1-0 after one period on Friday night after a score by eventual Conn Smythe Trophy winner Justin Williams, got goals from a pair of former Boston College forwards to take a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes. Chris Kreider tied the game on a power play off a cross-ice pass by Ryan McDonagh (Wisconsin), before Brian Boyle scored shorthanded in the final minute of the period after taking a center-ice feed from Carl Hagelin (Michigan) and racing in to wrist a shot past Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick (UMass).

Former Rangers forward Marian Gaborik tied the game in the third period on a power play, knocking in a rebound for his league-leading 14^th goal of the 2014 playoffs. The Kings ultimately outshot New York by a 51-30 margin on the evening, as the home side won for the fourth time in five games in the Final.

Both teams had chances in the extra sessions. McDonagh hit a post in the first overtime, while Kreider was stopped on a breakaway. Tyler Toffoli and Jeff Carter both hit posts for LA, before Martinez finished off a 3-on-2 rush in the second OT.  Other college players who will get a ring from the Kings this year besides Martinez and Quick are defensemen Matt Greene (North Dakota) and Willie Mitchell (Clarkson).

Henrik Lundqvist finished with 48 saves for the Rangers, who lost three games in overtime in this series, the first time they had made the Final since winning their last Cup in 1994. Quick finished with 28 stops in recording his 16^th win of the postseason, and his second career Cup with the Kings.

Stepan, Rangers Hang On to Win Game 5

Martin St. Louis (Vermont) scored the game-winning goal, and Henrik Lundqvist stopped 40 shots as the New York Rangers staved off elimination in the Stanley Cup Final with a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings in Game 4 on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. Los Angeles now leads the series, three games to one.

With New York ahead by a 1-0 score in the second period, St. Louis was there to clean up a redirection by Chris Kreider (Boston College) off a broken-stick shot by Derek Stepan (Wisconsin). Stepan later kept a loose puck that got behind Lundqvist from crossing the goal line in the waning minutes of the third period, as the Rangers held on to win their first Finals home game since 1994. It was also their first win since ousting Montreal in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final on May 29, and raised their record to 5-0 in elimination games in this year's playoffs.

Jonathan Quick (UMass) made 19 stops for Los Angeles in suffering his first playoff defeat since Game 6 of the Western Conference Final against Chicago. Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final will be held on Friday night at the Staples Center in California, with the Kings again looking to close out the series and earn their second NHL championship in three seasons.

One Done, One Almost, One Tied

For the third time in their history, the Alaska Aces are the champions of the ECHL.

The Aces finished off the host Cincinnati Cyclones, 4-0, in last night's Game 6 of the Kelly Cup final. Aces captain Nick Mazzolini (Providence) scored the game-winning goal in the first period at U.S. Bank Arena as the Aces tied the league record for most Kelly Cups by one franchise, having also won in 2006 and 2011. The Aces have also won four consecutive ECHL regular-season championships, according to the Anchorage Daily News.

In that "other" series out east, Jonathan Quick (UMass) made 32 saves and the Los Angeles Kings moved within one win of a sweep with a 3-0 victory over the New York Rangers in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final at Madison Square Garden. Game 4 is tomorrow night in Manhattan. The Kings are looking to claim their second NHL crown in three seasons.

Down south, the visiting St. John's Ice Caps knotted the AHL's Calder Cup Final at a game apiece with a 2-1 win last night over the Texas Stars. Blair Riley (Ferris State) tallied the game-winning goal early in the second period at the Cedar Park Center for the former Manitoba Moose. Game 3 is tomorrow night in Newfoundland. Both squads are seeking their first-ever Calder Cup.

Rangers Fall in Game 2, Head Home Tonight

The New York Rangers may be down to their final days in the 2013-14 NHL season.

Despite forging 2-0 and 4-2 leads on Saturday night at the Staples Center in California, the Eastern Conference champions fell, 5-4, to the Los Angeles Kings in double overtime on a deflection goal by Dustin Brown. The Kings, the NHL's 2012 Stanley Cup champion, now lead the best-of-seven 2014 Stanley Cup Final, two games to none, with Game 3 slated for tonight at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan.

Willie Mitchell (Clarkson) scored the Kings' second goal, on a power play, and also assisted on the winner in OT, as it was his one-timer from the left point that Brown tipped home. Matt Green (North Dakota) assisted on Los Angeles' third goal, and goaltender Jonathan Quick (UMass) finished with 34 saves. 

Ryan McDonagh (Wisconsin) and Martin St. Louis (Vermont) both scored for the Rangers, the latter on a power play, the first man-advantage goal scored in the series. Picking up assists on the evening were Dominic Moore (Harvard), Derek Stepan (Wisconsin) and Chris Kreider (Boston College). Kreider also hit a post in overtime, on a wrist shot from the slot that would have won the game for New York.

An LA win tonight, and the Kings will be looking to close things out at MSG on Wednesday. The Rangers rebounded from a 3-1 deficit in the second round to oust the Pittsburgh Penguins, while the Kings came back from a 3-0 deficit versus the San Jose Sharks and a 3-2 deficit to the Anaheim Ducks in the first two rounds, respectively, this spring.

Quick, Kings Win Game 1 of Final

Carl Hagelin (Michigan) scored a shorthanded goal, and Brian Boyle (Boston College) and Ryan McDonagh (Wisconsin) both registered assists on the evening—but the New York Rangers fell to the host Los Angeles Kings, 3-2, in overtime in Game 1 of the 2014 Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday night at the Staples Center.

The Rangers, who won the Eastern Conference for the first time in 20 years, had a 2-0 lead in the first period, with Hagelin scoring the second goal as New York was killing a holding penalty to Mats Zuccarello. The Western Conference champion Kings, as they have all playoffs, however, rallied to tie the game by the middle of the second stanza.

Hagelin had another breakaway in the final minute of regulation, but was stopped by Kings netminder Jonathan Quick (UMass), who finished with 25 stops. Quick had also earlier made a glove save on Martin St. Louis (Vermont) on a shot from the left circle.

The contest ended less than five minutes into the extra session when Justin Williams beat Henrik Lundqvist (40 saves) to the short side from the slot, after New York couldn't clear the puck out of its zone. The two teams went a combined 0-for-7 on the power play. Hagelin and LA's Willie Mitchell (Clarkson) each had a game-high five shots on goal, as did the Kings' Slava Voynov.

Game 2 is slated for Saturday night at 7 p.m. ET in California, before the NHL's championship series shifts to Manhattan on Monday.

Kings Headed Back to Final After Game 7 OT Win

A former Red Hawk and a former Minuteman have helped the Los Angeles Kings back to the Stanley Cup Final.

Alec Martinez (Miami) wristed home the game-winning goal 5:47 into overtime and Jonathan Quick (UMass) made 37 saves as the visiting Kings eliminated the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks in Game 7 of the Western Conference on Sunday night at the United Center. Los Angeles, which won its first Stanley Cup in 2012 but was ousted by Chicago in five games in last year’s conference final, again showed its resiliency by rebounding from a two-goal deficit and three one-goal deficits on Sunday to win its third Game 7 on the road this postseason.

The Kings led the series by a 3-1 margin with three straight victories before Chicago won the last two games. Los Angeles is also 7-0 in elimination contests in these playoffs, while Quick personally improved to 4-0 in NHL Game 7s in his career.

Patrick Sharp (Vermont) scored twice for the Blackhawks in the deciding game, including a power-play goal, while Jonathan Toews (North Dakota) also connected with the man advantage for Chicago. Toews finished second in team scoring this postseason with nine goals and eight assists for 17 points.

The Kings will now face the Eastern Conference champion New York Rangers, who last made the Stanley Cup Final in 1994, starting Wednesday night at the Staples Center in California. It will mark the first time the two clubs have met in the final, although the Rangers won preliminary-round series against the Kings in both 1979 and 1981, in two and four games, respectively.