Crimson Faces Ivy Foe in ECAC Quarterfinals

With a sweep of the seventh-seeded Clarkson Golden Knights, the 10th-seeded Harvard men’s hockey team (11-19-1, 7-14-1) reached the quarterfinals of the ECAC Hockey Championship last weekend.

If the Crimson hopes to advance to the ECAC semifinals for the seventh time in 10 years, it will need to pull off another upset.

Harvard’s quarterfinal opponent is a familiar foe, third-seeded Dartmouth College (12-8-2, 6-3-1 Ivy). The two teams have squared off on the ice twice this season, with the Big Green coming out on top both times by scores of 8-2 and 5-2. This weekend’s best-of-three quarterfinal series will kick off tonight at Dartmouth’s Thompson Arena in Hanover, N.H.

One key player to watch in this matchup is the Big Green’s Nick Walsh. When the Crimson met Dartmouth earlier this season, it had little success defending the junior forward, as he tallied up a hat trick in the first game and scored again in the second. The Big Green is hopeful that Walsh can continue his good fortune against Harvard on tonight and tomorrow.

On the Crimson side, key contributors will be sophomore defender Danny Biega and junior forward Alex Killorn. Biega and Killorn have come up big for Harvard all season, and were awarded All-Ivy honors.

Also look for senior forward Michael Biega to make an impact on the ice. Michael Biega was recently named ECAC Hockey MLX Skates Player of the Week for his performance in Harvard’s road sweep of Clarkson in the first round.

In the most recent game between Harvard and the Big Green, Michael Biega was inactive. With him on the ice this weekend, members of the Crimson squad insist that this game will be a different story.

“Those losses came at a time in our season when we weren’t playing too well,” said Harvard co-captain Michael Del Mauro. “We’re looking at this game with a completely different perspective because we’re a completely different team.”

In recent weeks, Harvard has been playing at a higher level. The team’s early-season losses to Dartmouth were part of a seven-game losing streak. Coming into this weekend’s series, the Crimson has won five straight and is still looking to improve.

“Right now, we’re playing the best hockey we’ve played all season,” Harvard co-captain Chris Huxley said. “But we can still be better.”

The Big Green is heading into its matchup with the Crimson having lost three of its last four games. In its most recent game, played at home against Clarkson, Dartmouth took an early lead and watched it disappear as the Golden Knights scored four unanswered goals.

But the Crimson is not underestimating the Big Green, even after its recent woes.

“They play good hockey,” Huxley said. “They had a week off because they’re a top-four seed, so we know they’ll be rested.”

Whether or not Harvard will be able to stick to its style of play will be instrumental in determining its success in the quarterfinal matchup.

“This weekend’s outcome is contingent upon us playing the game that we’ve been playing the last ten games or so,” Del Mauro said. “It’s about us being committed to our game plan and what gave us success against Clarkson.”

Last weekend’s sweep of the Golden Knights boosted morale inside the Harvard locker room. Players are pleased with the two games that they put together against Clarkson and are eager to try to carry the trend of this year’s upset-ridden ECAC Hockey Championships.

“When you sweep a team on the road, it provides a lot of confidence,” Del Mauro said. “More than that, the fact that we played the game like a team that we are really proud of gave us more confidence than simply winning.”