M. Hockey Attempts to Hang on to Playoff Spot

All week Harvard Coach Ronn Tomassoni has led his hockey team through some of the most spirited practices of its season.

This is to be expected, considering Harvard (8-11-2, 3-9-2) is clinging to the 10th and final playoff position by a point with eight games remaining and in the midst of a mini-slump--losing both Beanpot games and tying doormat Union 1-1.

However, the Crimson have more to combat this weekend than just Yale (9-10-2), Princeton (16-7-1, 9-4-1), and the collective memory of an abysmal start--once again the injury bug has taken a bite.

Harvard hosts Yale tonight at Bright Hockey Center and Princeton on Saturday in its final home games until the last weekend of the year. The Crimson will most likely be without the services of sophomore forward Steve Moore as they take on the fifth and third place teams in the conference.

"We have been upbeat and going good all week," sophomore forward Harry Schwefel said. "We just need to focus on delivering two good games and getting wins."

Harvard's offense took a huge hit against Union, when Moore, last year's leading scorer, left the game in the second period with a hip pointer.

His potential absence takes a big chunk out of the second scoring line.

"Anytime you lose a player of that caliber it hurts," Tomassoni said after Moore's initial injury. "We just have to hope he comes back real soon."

If Moore sits out this weekend, fellow sophomore Harry Schwefel will move up and center the second line. Schwefel's play has improved lately and he appears to have already developed a chemistry with his new linemate, sophomore Chris Bala.

Bala and Schwefel were paired together in the Beanpot consolation and the two combined for Harvard's fourth goal in a 6-4 loss. Bala broke down the defense, skating through the Boston College zone, and dropped a pass to Schwefel who rung it up.

"Harry's been one of our best forwards as of late," Tomassoni said. "I don't expect any change in Bala's game whatsoever."

The second major concern lies with senior forward Rob Millar. Millar, the team's current top scorer, did not practice this week. He has been plagued with a viral infection, initially feared to be mononucleosis. It will be a game-time decision whether Millar will dress tonight, and Tomassoni did not speculate an outcome.

Even if Millar plays, it is unlikely he will be at 100 percent, which could slow down the productivity of Harvard's best line of late--paired with Adams and freshman Jeff Stonehouse.

Stonehouse has especially grown comfortable centering between the two seniors. He has a two-game goal-scoring streak and his play has grown much more polished.

"Stonehouse has started to see the net a lot better," Tomassoni said. "And he's had a much better release."

While Harvard may have one less bullet in the holster on offense this weekend, the Crimson defense will have to contend with some of the ECAC's most potent firepower.

Yale enters this weekend playing its best hockey of the season. Head Coach Tim Taylor, who guided his team to a regular season title last year, again has his team overachieving. The Elis ride a five game unbeaten streak into the weekend.

The backbone of the team is junior forward Jeff Hamilton. Hamilton, who leads the ECAC in scoring, provides a ubiquitous presence on the ice with a virtual green light from Taylor to roam wherever he wants to in the offensive zone.

"We have to be conscious when their top players are on the ice," Schwefel said. "We know that we can stop them."

Over the past few games, the Bulldogs have made Hamilton more of a threat as their defense's transitional game has fallen into a groove. Early in the season, the Elis had to adjust to life without last year's captain, All-American Ray Giroux. Now the corps stick handling ability has stepped up.

The last time these teams met, on Nov. 21--the day of The Game--the Crimson had no answer for Hamilton, who netted a hat trick en route to a 7-1 thrashing.

Princeton, on the other hand, faces the weekend in the midst of its first rocky patch of the season. After a shocking 4-2 upset by Dartmouth back on Jan. 8 and a sweep by Colgate and Cornell this past weekend, the Tigers have fallen out of first place and the Top Ten.

While the Bulldogs may arguably have the best player of the weekend, the Tigers bring more weapons to the rink. Senior forward Jeff Halpern who had 53 points last season and a very potent 27 this year anchors an attack with Scott Bertolli and the rugged Syl Apps, who each have 19 points this year.

Remarkably, the Crimson were able to shut down the Tigers earlier this year, dropping only 3-2 at Hobey Baker.

"Last time against Princeton," Schwefel said. "We played strong as a team, but this time we are going to be even better."

Despite the challenge that the Crimson face this weekend, the potential loss of Moore does not provide any excuse for the team. The Crimson still have plenty of offensive weapons to utilize.

The ultimate key for Harvard will be taking the energy that infused practice all week and pouring it out onto the ice for each and every shift.

"We have to get it going this weekend," Schwefel said. "With eight games remaining we are running out of chances."