COLLEGE HOCKEY : Princeton Gets Physical, but Lake Superior Wins, 3-1

Unranked Princeton slowed the high-powered offense of third-ranked Lake Superior State with a tight checking game in the Great Western Bank Freezeout on Saturday at the Forum.

But the Lakers, who average more than five goals per game, won, 3-1, to advance to today’s 4:30 p.m. championship game against No. 1-ranked Maine, a 4-1 winner over Western Michigan.

“Princeton hit us hard,” Laker wing Rob Valicevic said. “You knew you’d be hit when you had the puck. They’re a hard-working team. We just put home the chances we had a few more times than they did.”

The defending NCAA champions took a 1-0 lead at 9:08 of the second period on a slap shot by Steven Barnes that picked up speed after it deflected off a Tiger player’s stick.

The Lakers, of Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., maintained momentum by converting on a power play 4 1/2 minutes later. On a breakout, Barnes slid a lead pass to Valicevic, who beat goalie Craig Fiander with a low wrist shot to make the score 2-0.

Princeton (5-6) avoided a shutout at 11:58 of the third period when Terry Morris skated around defenseman Darren Wetherill and fired the puck between the post and goalie Adam Thompson’s pad.

Lake Superior State (12-2-3) scored its final goal when Mike Bashusz, with two Princeton players draped on him, shoved the puck into the slot for Dan Angelelli to knock into the net.

Despite the absence of four of its top six scorers because injuries and an international tournament, Maine (16-0-1) used a 28-save performance by goalie Mike Dunham and superior skating to beat Western Michigan (9-6-1).

Although Bronco goalie Craig Brown, a Kings draft pick, stopped Martin Mercier on a breakaway, he fumbled the puck while covering up, enabling Maine to increase its lead to 3-0.