M. Hockey Visits St. Lawrence., Clarkson

It seems like Harvard men's hockey just can't get enough of New York.

After splitting last week's road trip, falling to Colgate, 6-2, and redeeming themselves with a 5-3 win over Cornell, the Crimson (11-12-2, 6-10-2 ECAC) are up in North Country again.

However, the difference this time is that Harvard is up against the two titans of ECAC Hockey, facing No. 2 St. Lawrence (18-9-3, 13-2-3 ECAC) on Friday and top-ranked Clarkson (18-9-1, 15-3-0 ECAC) on Saturday. With the playoffs drawing near, and the fate of the season hanging in the balance, the Crimson needs to pull out all the stops.

Earlier this season, Harvard was swept by Clarkson and St. Lawrence at Bright Rink. The Crimson suffered a tough loss to the Knights, 2-1, and never recovered, falling to the Saints the next night, 5-1.

"Clarkson didn't take it out of us last time. We took it out of ourselves," said junior defenseman Matt Scorsune. "But the difference is that back then, we were not playing very consistently. Now we're playing more consistently. Even last weekend, we battled back from a tough loss to Colgate to beat Cornell."

And it's true. Harvard has definitely made drastic improvements in its game as of late, beginning with the sweep over Princeton and Yale two weeks ago.

But the most important win to date for the Crimson was against the Big Red. Harvard played a full 60 minutes of hockey, starting strongly in the first period, and maintaining that momentum right through the end of the third.

Momentum from the Cornell win will definitely be a factor this weekend, considering that win was the first against the Big Red since 1995, breaking a nine-game losing streak.

"It shouldn't take a win against Cornell to get us ready for Clarkson and St. Lawrence," said freshman center Jeff Stonehouse. "But it definitely gives us the extra confidence against the top two teams in the league."

Yesterday, the Crimson made the brutal seven-hour trek to Canton, N.Y., in preparation for the first of the two games. Despite the long distances, road trips have posed no major problems for the Crimson this season. Harvard boasts a 7-4-2 record on the road this season.

"There's nothing we'd rather do than travel on the road to play two of the top 10 teams in the nation," said sophomore defenseman Liam McCarthy. "I really think we prefer to play on the road. Clarkson always has a fun crowd, and we look forward to keeping them quiet!"

However confident Harvard is this weekend, they must not ignore the talent of the two superpowers of the ECAC. Clarkson is ranked No. 5 in the nation, and St. Lawrence is not far back, at No. 9.

In addition, the Crimson can't forget who's starting between the pipes for St. Lawrence. Eric Heffler, who boasts a 17-8-3 record on the season, is arguably the best goaltender in the ECAC and enters the game on fire.

"The only thing you can do against a hot goalie is to shoot the puck. If we can pepper him with 15 shots a period, we're bound to get some goals," McCarthy said. "And we need to have a screen man in front of the net. I don't care how hot a goalie is, if he can't see the shot, he can't save it."

Clarkson will be no easier on Saturday night, when the Crimson comes up against the No. 1 team in the ECAC. The Knights are known for their rough style of hockey, something Harvard is very familiar with.

In many situations, Harvard has used the physical nature of games to get the upper hand. The Cornell game was one of the more physical games of the season, and the Crimson came out on top.

"I really feel like we've got some of the best physical conditioning in the nation, so it should be a fun, physical game," McCarthy said. "Especially now that [sophomore center] Steve 'the silent assassin' Moore is back and healthy, we bring a lot more to the table in terms of physical intimidation."

Senior defensemen Ben Storey has recovered nicely from his hip pointer, gaining an assist last week against Cornell. And sophomore forward Chris Bala is back in the action, ending his scoring drought of over two months, when he scored a power play goal against Colgate.

The Crimson's third line has also proven itself this weekend, showing a marked improvement from earlier this season.

Junior forward Trevor Allman both opened and closed the door on Cornell, scoring both the first and last goals on the night. And linemate Brett Chodorow demonstrated his offensive skill as well, scoring the game-winner against the Big Red.

"We're coming off a big win last weekend, and we felt pretty good coming out of practice this past week," Moore said. "We don't know what to expect this weekend, but we're going to go in prepared."

With only four games to go in regular season play, Harvard cannot afford to be swept this weekend. Coming away with a few points may be all Harvard needs to prevent another trek back up to the North Country.

If the Crimson maintains the intensity and consistency that they have been playing with late this season, then anything's possible.