WHERE GOALS GO TO DIE: Danis Will Try to End Harvard's Season

All that stands between the Harvard men’s hockey team and a trip to the ECAC semifinals is a tall Canadian with a slight build and a soft, lightly-accented voice. Not too much to be worried about there.

Oh yeah, almost forgot to mention, of the last 204 shots the Crimson has launched at Yann Danis over a five-game span, he’s saved 199 of them, including a 66-save performance during a double-overtime thriller in the first round of the ECAC tournament in 2002.

Since that game—which Harvard incidentally won 2-1, despite Danis’ superhuman effort in net for Brown—the Crimson has spent two years trying to figure out just how to beat the enigmatic goalkeeper with any consistency.

It hasn’t worked.

Since Dom Moore ’03 snuck that puck past Danis to send the Bears packing, the netminding stud has twice blanked Harvard, surrendering two goals or fewer in the series’ other two games.

“It’s not just Harvard that’s had trouble with him,” Brown coach Roger Grillo said. “It’s a lot of teams.”

Then again, maybe that’s because he’s been perfecting his goaltending technique for a whole lot longer than they’ve been trying to make sense of it.

Growing up in Saint Jerome, Quebec, Danis “was a pretty big Montreal Canadiens fan.”

“Watching games on Saturdays,” Danis said, “those were good memories.”

Like so many enraptured Quebecois youngsters, the Bears’ netminder chose goaltending stalwart Patrick Roy to be his idol, devotedly following the all-star and local hero during his glory days.

“I remember watching him play a lot on TV,” Danis said. “He was one of the reasons I wanted to play goal.”

But while some kids might have pretended to be Roy recording the crucial save in the Stanley Cup Finals while playing pickup on a pond or dreamed with little further thought of such fantasies, Danis strove towards that lofty goal in every respect, never outgrowing the childhood aspiration and never losing sight of his target.

So after he learned the basics of the position, he adopted the butterfly style, perfected in the professional ranks by Roy. But how to reach a level of proficiency anywhere near equivalent to that of the National Hockey League’s preeminent goalkeeper?

Well, employ the same coach of course, Francois Allaire.

Allaire—formerly the goaltending coach for the Canadiens who had trained Roy during his formative years and currently an advisor to the Anaheim Mighty Ducks—regularly offered an instructional camp in Quebec during summer off-seasons for young prospects and Danis made a point of attending.

“He put the butterfly style on the map,” Danis said. “I went to his school for two years, back in 1997 and 1998.”

And sure enough, his career began to take off and, before long, the Bears took notice.

“Quebec’s obviously got a reputation for developing some of the better players in the NHL,” Grillo said. “The style up there’s pretty offensive and the goalies have to be good.”

And of course, Danis more than fit the bill.

After one season riding the pine, Danis finally got his chance sophomore year.

“That game at Harvard put my name out there,” Danis said. “But earlier that year, when we beat St. Cloud—I think at the time they were ranked No. 1 in the country, we got on a roll, and I started playing every game.”

Turning in 26 saves against the Huskies, Danis was off and running, with success against the Crimson not far behind.

“I don’t know why,” Danis said. “Obviously Harvard’s got a good team, they’ve got good players.”

Though already at a high talent level—Danis’ save percentage was second in the country during his sophomore season—doing “a good job with your rebounds” has been a primary concern of the past three seasons.

“And that’s something I’ve worked on a lot here at brown with our goalie coach,” Danis said. “Part of my success here at Brown is being square to the puck and always facing the puck.”

Once again, it was time for someone to stand up and notice. But this time it wasn’t Brown.

It was the Canadiens.

Offering Danis a contract following his stellar junior season, the Bears’ bulwark had all that he’d striven for since his youth within his grasp.

And he turned it down.

“I can’t say I didn’t think about it,” Danis said. “But I knew we were going to have a fairly good team this year. And that if I come back and have another good season the offers are going to be there at the season.”

And for anyone who thinks that hasn’t been a huge boost to his team’s spirits, think again.

“You know you’re in every game,” Grillo said. “You know you’ve got the best goalie.”

So now all that stands between Harvard and a trip to the ECAC semifinals is a tall Canadian with a slight build and a soft, lightly-accented voice. Not too much to be worried about there. Not too much for Brown to be worried about at all.

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