Princeton to be without top defensive player until at least March
Princeton's bid to capture at least a share of the Ivy League championship for the 15th time in 19 years might be hampered by the knee injury to sophomore defenseman Chad Wiedmaier.
Coach Chris Bates said that Wiedmaier has been dealing with knee issues since the fall and after consulting with the training staff and doctors, elected to undergo surgery about a week before Christmas.
Wiedmaier, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound defender who earned second-team All-American and first-time Ivy League honors as a freshman, was expected to team with sophomore goalkeeper Tyler Fiorito and senior defenseman Jeremy Hirsch to anchor a unit that had graduated defenseman Chris Peyser and long-stick midfielder Charlie Kolkin.
"We won't see him until at least March and pushing into April," Bates said. "That's a little bit of a blow. What we thought was a position of strength now has two 60-minute positions open."
Junior Long Ellis and sophomore Jonathan Meyers are the prime candidates to start alongside Hirsch, but Bates said senior Peter Niehaus and sophomore Mike Flanagan could compete for playing time. Sophomore John Cunningham could succeed Kolkin as the long-stick midfielder.
The uncertainty on the defensive end mirrors questions about the team's ability to reload offensively after saying farewell to midfielders Mark Kovler and Rich Sgalardi and attackman Tommy Davis. The picture could become a bit clearer when the Tigers open the season on Feb. 27 with a home contest against Hofstra.
"It depends on how we can evolve as a unit," Bates said. "We'll find out the answers pretty quickly."
