Shooting Star: Tim Pettit at the Point

For starters, junior Tim Pettit would like to set the record straight—he does not love slapshots.

“That was a terrible quote I threw out there,” Pettit said.

After breaking free of a season-opening slump in this weekend’s North Country sweep, Pettit, flushed with victory, may have revealed a little too much.

“I really enjoy taking slapshots,” Pettit was quoted as saying in Monday’s issue of The Crimson.

“I read that, I almost died,” he admitted sheepishly.

He should have no reason to be embarrassed—slapshots are in fact his forte. Despite his self-conscious retraction, Pettit’s team-leading 16 goals last year seem to show that he not only enjoys the shot but excels at its execution.

“I always took a lot of pride in shooting,” Pettit acknowledged.

Growing up in Seattle, Wash., Pettit spent his weekends driving the two and a half hours up to Vancouver, B.C., where his league games took place. He eventually left the West Coast for four years of hockey at Taft, a Connecticut prep school.

Pettit’s summers provided no respite from training, as he would spend the hours after practice shooting dozens of pucks in his backyard.

“I think I’ve put a lot of emphasis into my shot, and over the years it’s just gotten a lot better,” Pettit said.

However, during Harvard’s first two weekends of play this year it appeared the Shot had gone on sabbatical and taken Pettit along with it.

In the initial three games of the season, Pettit’s typical offensive presence was markedly absent. He had no goals in the first three contests as he struggled to find his comfort zone.

“I just wasn’t finishing the opportunities I was getting,” Pettit said.

Then, this past weekend against St. Lawrence, he underwent a resurgence. In the Crimson’s emphatic 6-1 win over the Saints, Pettit came roaring back to life with two goals and a pair of assists. Against Clarkson the following night, he notched the game’s opening score on an unassisted, shorthanded goal. Pettit’s overall resurgence earned him ECAC Player of the Week honors.

So what was ailing the shooter before his North Country knock-around? Pettit cites an absence of self-assurance.

“[Now] I trust my shot more,” Pettit explained. “If I’m lacking in confidence, I don’t feel comfortable releasing the puck.”

“His shot is hard and accurate, but the quick release is what makes Tim so effective,” said sophomore defenseman Noah Welch.

Whatever the root of Pettit’s difficulties, he seems to have comfortably returned to last season’s form, currently leading the team in points (8) and tied for second in goals (3).

In Pettit’s mind, there is little doubt that his scoring malaise is ancient history.

“I feel really confident that I can score goals and at the same time, I also feel that I can set up plays more,” Pettit said.

His return to form is warmly welcomed by the rest of the team.

“We need Tim Pettit,” Harvard coach Mark Mazzoleni said. “We didn’t have Tim Pettit for a couple of weekends. The guys that get a lot of ice time for you have to deliver.”

Welch said that although Pettit may have been struggling with his play, he kept his frustration internal.

“He never gets down on himself,” Welch said. “A bad game Friday is not going to carry over to Saturday.”

On a team with 13 NHL draft picks and significant depth, the undrafted forward with the sweet slapshot is still relied upon in crucial game situations.

“I get an opportunity to go out there when the game’s on the line, both when we’re winning and losing,” Pettit said.

Pettit is a fixture on Harvard’s power-play unit—double-shifting at times last weekend—a fact reflected in his team-leading 10 power-play goals last season.

If Pettit can, in fact, maintain this kind of scoring production, he might repeat last year’s Ironman-esque feat of playing in all 34 games, one of only three players on the Crimson to do so.

“I think the biggest thing for me right now is to show my consistency,” Pettit said.

Count on his now-infamous slapshots to indeed be consistently utilized—just don’t expect Pettit to talk about them.