THE BASICS:

Score: Holy Cross 4, Princeton 3
Location: Worcester, Mass. (DCU Center)
Records: Holy Cross: (11-6-1, 9-3-1 AHC); Princeton (4-12-0, 3-7-0 ECAC)
Date: Saturday, Jan 2, 2016
Time: 7:05 p.m.

THE LEAD: Sophomore forward  T.J. Moore (Edina, Minn.) recorded a hat trick and freshman defenseman Spencer Trapp (White City, Saskatchewan) tallied the game-winning goal with 43 seconds remaining, as the Holy Cross men's hockey team defeated Princeton 4-3 on Saturday night at the DCU Center.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Holy Cross opened the scoring at 5:04 of the first period when Moore received a pass from junior forward Mike Barrett (Orland Park, Ill.) in front of the Princeton net, and wristed a shot that found the back of the goal above the glove side of Colton Phinney.
• The Crusaders outshot the Tigers 13-9 in the first period.
• At 2:01 of the second period and while on the man-advantage, junior defenseman Jake Bolton (Ellington, Conn.) ripped a slap shot from the blue line, which was deflected in front by Moore to make it 2-1 Crusaders. Barrett also recorded an assist on the goal.
• At 4:07 of the second period Ben Foster sent a shot from the top of the left circle that deflected off the stick of sophomore goalie Paul Berrafato (Williamsville, N.Y.) and found the back of the net to make it 2-1.
• At 11:15 Mike Ambrosia ripped a shot from the right circle that found the back of the net on Berrafato's glove side to make it 2-2.
• At 12:43 of the second period, freshman forward Michael Laffin (Hopewell Junction, N.Y) sent a pass to Moore who split the two defenders and tallied a beautiful breakaway goal to make it 3-2 Holy Cross. Barrett also recorded an assist on the goal.
• At 17:42 of the second period, David Hallisey carried the puck up the ice and wristed a shot from the slot that beat Berrafato low on the glove side to make it 3-3.
• The Crusaders outshot the Tigers 12-10 in the second period, going 1-2 on the power play, while Princeton went 0-1.
• With 43.3 seconds remaining in the third period, as the Crusaders battled for the puck in front of Phinney, a rebound bounced out to Trapp, who knocked it in to make it 4-3 Crusaders. Senior forward Castan Sommer (Shrewsbury, Mass.) and Laffin recorded the assists on Trapp's game winning goal.
• The Tigers were unable to record the equalizer in the final seconds as the Crusaders tallied the 4-3 victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Holy Cross outshot Princeton 41-25 in the contest.
• Berrafato recorded 22 saves, to earn the win and is now 10-4-1 on the season, while Phinney tallied 37 saves.
• Holy Cross went 1-3 on the power play, while Princeton went 0-1
• Holy Cross won 31 face-offs, while Princeton won 23.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• The Crusaders are on an eight-game unbeaten streak. The Crusaders are also 11-2-1 in their last 14 games, outscoring their opposition 51-32.
• The victory marks the first time the Crusaders have defeated Princeton as the Tigers had won the previous four meetings.
• The Crusaders' 11-6-1 record is their best record after 18 games since the 2005-2006 season, when the Crusaders were 12-5-1.
• Moore's hat trick is the 20th in the Division I history of the program and the first of his career.
• The hat trick propels Moore into second on the team with nine goals.
• Moore's three goals tie the school record in the Division I history of the program.
• Trapp's goal was the second of his career, both of which have been game-winners.
• Barrett's three assists tonight are tied for 10th in the Division I history of the program. He remains first on the team with 18 points.
• Tonight was the first time Holy Cross has played Princeton since Dec. 18, 1988.
• This was the second time the Crusaders have ever played at the DCU Center. The Crusaders defeated Assumption, 9-3, on Nov. 22, 1983.
• The Crusaders are now 7-1-0 in Worcester this season.

UP NEXT

• The Crusaders will return to action on Tuesday, Jan. 5 when they travel to West Springfield, Mass. to take on Atlantic Hockey opponent American International at 7:05 p.m.

BE PART OF THE ACTION THIS SEASON

• To purchase tickets for the 2015-2016 Holy Cross men's hockey season, call 1-844-GOCROSS or visit GoHolyCross.com/Tickets.

STAY CONNECTED

• There are numerous ways to stay connected with the Holy Cross men's hockey team. Follow the Crusaders on Twitter @HCrossMHockey, Facebook and Instagram.