Men's Hockey Opens Season With Ivy Homestand

It’s about time.

The No. 11 Harvard’s men’s hockey team—the only college hockey program in America yet to play an exhibition or regular season game—will open its 2001-02 campaign with a home series against Brown and No. 15 Dartmouth on tomorrow and Sunday, respectively.

“We’re really looking forward to playing someone other than ourselves,” said senior captain Peter Capouch. “You can see the excitement starting to grow in practice as the season gets closer. It’s getting more intense and more physical. We’re ready to play some games.”

For eight of Harvard’s players, this weekend’s contests will be their first taste of college hockey. And given that the Crimson roster also boasts ten sophomores, Harvard Coach Mark Mazzoleni terms his team a “work in progress.”

“We know we’re going to make our share of mistakes,” said Mazzoleni. “But there are no two ways about it: we expect to win.”

In order to do that, the Crimson will have to get the best of two teams with strong defenses and experienced goaltending.

Mazzoleni is quick to point out that the Bears’ 4-21-4 record last season (2-16-4 ECAC) is not indicative of their strength.

“Brown lost 14 one goal games last year, and a lot of [winning close games] is confidence,” he said. “Right now they’re as confident as ever.”

The Bears certainly feel good about their strength in the defensive end. Senior goaltender Brian Eklund (.901 save percentage, 3.43 goals against average last year) returns, along with almost all of their key defensemen, including captain Josh Barker and Paul Esdale, the team’s leading returning scorer.

“We need to be able to penetrate Eklund. He’s as good a goalie as there is in the ECAC, and they have a strong defense,” said Mazzoleni. “We have to create traffic in front of him.”

Mazzoleni also praised Brown’s crisp play in transition.

“They play a trapping game and move from defense to offense very quickly,” he said, “Their forwards are quick.”

Dartmouth (16-14-4, 10-8-4 ECAC) is the only ECAC team beside Harvard currently ranked in the national polls, and some are billing this Sunday night’s game as a possible ECAC Tournament Championship preview.

The Big Green are talented and experienced on both ends of the ice. Junior goaltender Nick Boucher (.912 save percentage, 2.56 goals against average last year) has played in 57 of Dartmouth’s 64 games since coming to Hanover.

Boucher has a very capable defensive corps in front of him, led by junior Trevor Byrne, a second-team all-ECAC selection one year ago.

The Big Green return much of its offensive firepower from last season as well as each of their top nine scorers.

“Dartmouth is a veteran team and they’re very, very patient,” said Mazzoleni. “They have a very methodical, controlled forecheck in the neutral zone and like to counterattack.”

Because of that style of play, Mazzoleni wants the Crimson to play a very disciplined game, as well.

“We’re going to have to be patient and chip the puck in,” he said.

But with such high neutral zone pressure by both teams, Mazzoleni wants to make sure that his team is able to maintain an up-tempo flow of play and set things up once they cross the blue line.

“Our in-zone offensive play is strong,” he said.

That potent Harvard offense, led by Hobey Baker candidate Dominic Moore, will certainly help ease the transition for the Crimson’s young defense.

Moore and company will have an even more important role this weekend as Capouch is listed as questionable with a leg injury.

Mazzoleni named sophomore Will Crothers as his starting goaltender for Saturday’s match-up with Brown. He has not, however, made any definite choice for Sunday’s game.

“I like all three of our goaltenders,” said Mazzoleni in reference to Crothers, junior Ben Weiss, and freshman Dov Grumet-Morris, “They’re progressing well.”