M. Hockey Heads to RPI in ECAC Playoff Opener

After a season of playing catch-up with the ECAC leaders, the Harvard men's hockey team is finally back on level ground. Sort of.

With post-season play underway this weekend, the Crimson (13-14-2, 8-12-2 ECAC) is no longer vying for a playoff position.

Thanks to the pair of home wins that Harvard notched last weekend against Vermont and Dartmouth, the Crimson has avoided the dreaded seven-hour bus ride up to the North Country.

However, eighth-place Harvard is still heading to Troy, N.Y. to face off tonight against third-place Rensselaer (20-10-2, 13-7-2 ECAC) in the first round of the ECAC playoffs.

In the first-round format, the first team to total three points advances. The Crimson will skate tonight and Saturday, and in the event that the series is tied 2-2, on Sunday.

The Crimson has a great deal of confidence coming off last weekend's effort, when it swept two games at home. Harvard, with six flawless finishes at Bright Hockey Arena to end the home-ice advantage for the season, will use that momentum to its advantage.

"We're riding a high wave of confidence right now," said sophomore defenseman Liam McCarthy. "It's great to sweep our last home games of the season. It's definitely a nice boost to our morale."

The momentum that Harvard has to build off from last weekend should prove to be to the Crimson's advantage. RPI, always a dangerous force in the ECAC, had a rough weekend on the road.

Overtime hurt RPI badly last Friday night, as it fell to Princeton in a 4-3 loss. The Engineers' star scorer Danny Riva netted two goals on the night, but it wasn't enough to propel RPI over the Tigers.

RPI wasn't able to fare any better against Yale the following night, coming to a 1-1 stalemate in overtime.

Hoping that history will not repeat itself, Harvard is looking to avenge two tough losses to RPI earlier this season.

On Dec. 1, the Crimson came out early with a goal from junior Brice Conklin. However, RPI answered that five times. Harvard was unable to battle back, falling to the Engineers' with a score of 7-4. Only one month later, RPI goaltender Joel Laing kept the Crimson scoreless, 1-0.

Harvard has to put the RPI sweep in the past. It has to focus on claiming the requisite three points necessary to advance to the next round of the playoffs.

"We've been playing really hard and we have as good a chance as winning as anyone else out there. The difference between the top and bottom now is really slight," said Harvard coach Ronn Tomassoni. "We don't want to give RPI anything, we want to make them earn it."

RPI is very capable of earning it this weekend. The Engineers have two of the top-ten leading point scorers in the ECAC.

Riva (13 g, 21 a) is second in the ECAC with a team-high 34 points. Not far behind is Alain St. Hilaire (9, 22) who is tied for third with 31 points.

RPI has five players ahead of the Crimson's top point scorer, sophomore Steve Moore.

The Crimson has to focus on maintaining a strong defensive game, as RPI would take advantage of lapses in short order. RPI is deadly on the offensive, especially when given opportunities for odd-man rushes.

"We have to try to reveal their defensive lapses. RPI isn't that concerned with its defense," said freshman center Jeff Stonehouse. "If we play a tight defensive game they'll get frustrated. If we remain patient our chances will come."

Of late, the Crimson has made marked improvement with its power play. Harvard notched a 45 percent success rate on the power play last weekend, which is not reflected in its 16.9 percent season average, only eighth in the ECAC.

Defensemen Ben Storey and Matt Scorsune have stepped up to man the point effectively, and Moore, Chris Bala, and Rob Millar have pooled their talent and have become a special-teams menace.

"With our power play stepping up, it gives us a lot of confidence heading into the playoffs," Tomassoni said. "It's definitely a good time for the team to improve."

However, the Engineers' power play is at 23.5 percent, second only to Clarkson in the ECAC. They have five great offensive players who dominate during the one-man advantages.

"The best way to avoid being scored on during a power play is to not get any penalties," Tomassoni said. "We get in a little trouble with the power plays, and we just need to stay out of the penalty box."

Unfortunately, the RPI offense may not be facing junior goaltender J.R. Prestifilippo this weekend.

Sophomore backup Oliver Jonas said that he expects to start tonight's game since Prestifilippo sprained his shoulder in practice on Tuesday.

Jonas is preparing himself for his first start since the Beanpot consolation game.

"I've had a long time to prepare for this game, haven't played much since the Beanpot but that's okay," Jonas said. " I've had a good week of practice and I hope the confidence carries over into the game."

In any event, Harvard has been given a golden opportunity to redeem itself from its dismal 0-8-1 start to the season. This weekend, the Crimson needs to focus on the magic number three to advance.