Home Ice On the Line For M. Hockey

Though this weekend is the final regular season stint for the Harvard men's hockey team, the season is far from over.

With seven playoff spots unclaimed, and Union and Brown battling for the dubious honor of bottom-feeder of the ECAC, the final result will be anyone's guess.

But facing off against two teams that have hit major tailspins recently, the Crimson is in an excellent position to claim one of the three remaining slots to guarantee home ice. A sweep over upstate New York foes Union (7-21-1, 5-13-1 ECAC) and Rensselaer (17-12-2, 9-9-1 ECAC) could guarantee Harvard (10-14-2, 8-9-2 ECAC) an extra weekend at Bright Hockey Center for the ECAC quarterfinals.

The Skating Dutchmen, hanging on to a postseason spot by a hair in tenth place, are currently riding a season-high seven-game losing streak. Their traveling partners, the Engineers, are suffering from a five-game winning drought.

"Both Union and RPI are questioning their ability to win hockey games, and we can't let either team get a sniff of success this weekend," junior defenseman Liam McCarthy said. "We have to get on them early and often."

But this final series against the Skating Dutchmen and the Engineers, in what could be the last time the Crimson's eight seniors don their home jerseys, will definitely not be easy.

Union, desperate to make the playoffs, has to win at least one of its games this weekend to secure the 10th playoff spot and leave Brown in the basement of the ECAC.

Earlier this season, Skating Dutchmen Coach Kevin Sneddon '92 was pleasantly surprised when his young squad dropped reigning conference champion Clarkson and ECAC powerhouse Colgate. Despite Union's heroic early performances, the Crimson had no difficulties in posting a 5-3 victory last December.

A bright spot for the Skating Dutchmen has been sophomore goaltender Brandon Snee, who boasts a 3.74 goals-against average and a .890 save percentage. Snee has spent 1,530 minutes in net, topping the league for most minutes played this season.

RPI, however, is a different story.

Ranked in the top ten nationwide earlier this year, the Engineers have fallen from grace by dropping their last five contests. Despite the potent offensive production of junior winger Brad Tapper, who has notched 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points in league play this season, RPI has been unable to score when it counts.

Last weekend, Clarkson and St. Lawrence held the Engineers to one goal in each game, falling to the Golden Knights, 4-1 and the Saints, 5-1.

Despite the past few high-scoring games, senior netminder Joel Laing remains the core of a lackluster defensive unit. Laing is fourth in the conference GAA (2.12) and second in save percentage (.940).

However, Harvard has played well in its last regular-season home games in the past. The Crimson dropped Dartmouth and Vermont at Bright last year. With Harvard Coach Mark Mazzoleni's at the helm this season, the Crimson is hoping for another solid finish.

Riding a burst of confidence off its first sweep since last November--also over Vermont and Dartmouth--the Crimson has the mental advantage.

"The sweep down at Yale and Princeton was huge for us," McCarthy said. "We've proven to ourselves how well we can play, now it's up to us to continue that style of play for the rest of the year."

If his recent performance is any indication of how well he will play this weekend, senior netminder J.R. Prestifilippo will take his spot between the pipes to head up a revamped defensive unit. Prestifilippo's .893 save percentage and 2.96 GAA are not indicative of his superb goaltending abilities, and do not reflect a newly revamped defensive strategy that has worked well for the Crimson in its past four games.

Though no one knows what to expect from the Skating Dutchman, who have surprised many teams this year, Union is not the main concern for the Crimson. The Engineers, who are stuck in a four-way tie for third place in the conference, are clearly the focus.

If the Crimson can stave off RPI's powerful offense, Harvard should have no difficulty in collapsing on the Engineers' weak defenders on offense. And with the trio of freshman center Dominic Moore, ECAC Rookie of the Week, junior center Steve Moore, selected for the ECAC Honor Roll, and junior winger Chris Bala consistently performing in the offensive zone, Harvard should be a force to reckon with.

"RPI is one of the most offensively dangerous teams in the nation," McCarthy said. "The key for us will be to capitalize on their turnovers and turn them into scoring chances for our forwards."

The Engineers have yet to come back from a two-goal deficit to win a game this year, which will bode well for Crimson if it can light the lamp early in the game.

In its final two regular-season match-ups at Bright, anything can happen. But if the Crimson has any say in the matter, this won't be the last time you see Harvard suiting up for home ice this year.