Backup Tobe Takes His Turn

CANTON, N.Y.—As the third period of Friday’s game against Clarkson began, Harvard goaltender John Daigneau leaned his head against the glass behind the visiting bench, just for a moment.

After two periods in net and four goals allowed, Daigneau had been yanked in favor of Justin Tobe, the Crimson’s backup for eight of its first nine games. Now, for the first time since Nov. 4, Daigneau was watching the game from the bench.

“Johnny was tired,” said Harvard coach Ted Donato ’91. “It was his seventh game in 15 nights. I don’t think, physically, he was feeling well.”

Daigneau allowed two goals in Friday’s first frame: a shorthanded attempt just 3:15 into the game and a glove-side shot at 13:58, about which Donato said, “I don’t think it was a good goal.”

The second period saw two more Golden Knights taliies, and the third period saw Tobe in net and Daigneau behind the bench, mask replaced with a knit Crimson cap.

“Just to give us a little spark,” Donato said.

Tobe recorded nine saves on nine shots in Friday’s third period, and he started Saturday 4-3 over St. Lawrence, securing his first victory of the season.

“Justin was spectacular at times,” Donato said.

BELLS AND WHISTLES

Both Harvard and Clarkson were assessed eight minors for 16 minutes Friday, but Saturday against St. Lawrence, the Crimson took 12 penalties for 24 minutes.

In the middle of the second period alone, Harvard’s penalty kill skated all but one second of a 5:37 stretch, and 2:24 of it saw the Saints hold a 5-on-3 advantage. And later, as the frame wound down, St. Lawrence got another 16 seconds of 5-on-3 sandwiched between a Charlie Johnson holding call and a minor for tripping—Mike Taylor served it for Tobe—that carried over into the third.

“Most of the night,” Donato admitted, “we played not only [St. Lawrence], but the guys in black and white.”

In 15:10 of man-advantage time, the Saints took 23 shots on goal without success.

INJURY REPORT

Rookie defenseman Jack Christian left the locker room Friday with his right arm in a sling and did not play Saturday. Sophomore J.D. McCabe skated in his stead.

Also out of action against St. Lawrence was sophomore forward Paul Dufault, who went down for several minutes during Friday’s game clutching his head after a hard open-ice collision. He was replaced Saturday by freshman Steve Rolecek, who had not previously played a game.

ALONG THE BOARDS

Harvard went 33-36 on faceoffs Friday and 28-41 Saturday. Neither night saw any Crimson skater garner a winning record ...The Crimson was plus-3 as a team with no player in negative numbers Friday, while the Golden Knights were a combined minus-4 with no skater above zero. Despite the fact that Clarkson won 4-3, all of the Crimson’s goals were even strength versus just two of the Golden Knights’...Dan Murphy’s goals streak of five games was broken against Clarkson...Assistant coach Sean McCann ’94 missed the trip after the mid-week births of his twins. McCann had said he wanted “a split,” and indeed, wife Emily Buxton ’94 had a son and a daughter.

—Staff writer Rebecca A. Seesel can be reached at seesel@fas.harvard.edu.