M. Hockey Meets Another Ranked Foe

One down, five to go.

More than just a rematch of the first round of the NCAA tournament, tomorrow night’s contest against No. 11 Maine is also the Harvard men’s hockey team’s second against a ranked opponent in as many games. The Crimson defeated No. 10 Vermont, 3-1, on Tuesday in the first of what could be six consecutive games against top-15 teams.

“The hits keep coming,” Harvard coach Ted Donato ’91 said after his team’s win over the Catamounts. “It’s a good challenge for us.”

While avenging last year’s loss will be on the minds of many Harvard skaters, a win over the Black Bears (10-6-2, 6-3-1 Hockey East) tomorrow night would do more to improve the Crimson’s standing in the future than to alleviate its past misfortunes.

Wins over UVM, No. 5 BC and No. 14 BU have already provided compelling evidence as to why Harvard (8-3-1, 6-3-1 ECAC) should earn a fourth straight trip to the postseason, even without successfully defending its ECAC title. But a solid showing over the course of the stretch at hand—which will see the Crimson face off against No. 12 Cornell, No. 13 Colgate and possibly No. 1 Minnesota—would significantly improve Harvard’s standing with the NCAA selection committee come March.

“This year [Maine] is a very important game for both our league and our pairwise rankings,” senior goaltender Dov Grumet-Morris said, “because they are a top-15 team and they will be in the hunt for the Hockey East championship.”

THE MAINE EVENT

When these two sides last met, Harvard spoiled Maine goaltender Jimmy Howard’s 20th birthday party, tallying four goals on 33 shots in just two periods to drive the then-sophomore from between the pipes.

Prior to that performance, he’d fared much better, posting a 1.05 goals-against average, .958 save percentage and six shutouts in 18 appearances. Those numbers were, in large part, the product of an 11-game stretch during which Howard allowed zero even-strength goals.

The key to the Crimson’s success was, as it has been thus far this season, generating quality scoring opportunities in front and pouncing on vulnerable rebounds, then poking them home.

Crashing the net as it had not all season, Harvard deprived Howard of any cushion, robbed him of his comfort zone and transformed easy saves into second-chance goals. The Crimson was particularly successful with a man advantage, swarming the crease to convert on three of its four power-play opportunities.

But few opponents have been able to replicate Harvard’s successful model. After leading the Black Bears to the national title game in 2004, Howard has again posted strong numbers this season in 17 games.

Though slightly elevated compared to a year ago, his stats—2.14 goals-against with a .911 save percentage and three clean slates—still place him among the country’s best.

“I think Jimmy’s a very good goaltender,” Grumet-Morris said. “He puts himself in the position to make a save, which is very, very difficult and oftentimes underrated. I think that’s the thing that he does best. He’s able to put himself into a good position because of his ability as a skater and his instincts as a skater.”

AROUND THE BOARDS

Harvard and Maine have squared off three times since 2002, with the Black Bears coming out on top each time. Two of those matchups came in the first round of the NCAA tournament...Crimson forward Dan Murphy’s brother, Ben, will most likely not skate for Maine this weekend. The Black Bears forward sprained his medial collateral ligament (MCL) against Mass.-Lowell on Nov. 13 and has been sidelined ever since. He had two goals and six assists prior to his injury...After an 0-for-6 showing on the power play against UVM on Tuesday, the Crimson is now fourth-best in the country with a 5-on-4 conversion rate of 23.1 percent...Tomorrow night’s contest pits the ECAC Hockey League and Hockey East against one another in the Commissioners’ Cup, a six-league, 21-game series that will unofficially determine the nation’s top conference. The ECAC and Hockey East are currently tied atop the standings with six points.

—Staff writer Timothy J. McGinn can be reached at mcginn@fas.harvard.edu.