FACEOFF 2005-2006: Transfer Ready to Battle For Time

Justin Tobe’s had his adjustment year. He’s learned his way around campus, picked a concentration, figured out the Harvard world, and now he’s done with all that.

This season, the junior who transferred to Cambridge after a year-long stint at Michigan State is ready to go. No more grace period—and, perhaps, no more time on the bench?

Tobe racked up a 4.80 goals against average and a .855 save percentage with the Spartans, but post-transfer, he seemed to adjust quickly.

He notched two impressive wins during Grumet-Morris’ days off last year, allowing just three goals out of 55 shots faced and showing off impressive agility.

But a trip to Minnesota for the Dodge Holiday Classic spelled disaster, and Tobe let in six goals on 19 shots.

Four-year starter Dov Grumet-Morris ’05 was in the midst of a stellar senior season that would earn him Hobey Baker finalist honors, and so Tobe and Daigneau were never really in the running anyway.

But thanks to Grumet-Morris’ graduation, Tobe and senior John Daigneau each have the chance to earn the starting spot.

Coach Ted Donato ’91 said he’d likely rotate the netminders to open the season, allowing each to see plenty of minutes and waiting for one to take the upper hand.

In a preseason exhibition against McGill, Daigneau played the first period and a half, and Tobe the rest. The former notched 30 shutout minutes while Tobe let in four goals.

Daigneau started the season opener against Dartmouth, and the two split the second weekend of the season: Tobe was in net for a 5-2 loss to Quinnipiac last Friday, though two of the four goals he allowed were power-play tallies, and Daigneau backstopped a 2-1 win over Princeton the next night.

But now, every little detail matters.

Both netminders say that a goalie rotation would be ideal for the team­—a fresh starter every night could only mean good things—and friendly competition can only improve the netminders’ play. And Donato hasn’t set anything in stone yet.

—REBECCA A. SEESEL