NOTEBOOK: Murphy Propels Scoring Spree

Playing in his last game at the Bright Hockey Center, senior forward Dan Murphy propelled the Crimson’s Game Three scoring spree, notching a hat trick in the No. 12 Harvard men’s hockey team’s 8-4 victory over St. Lawrence last night.

Though he only took four shots all night, Murphy struck with deadly accuracy. His first goal, a low shot from the left boards, came just 4:38 into the opening frame and gave Harvard an early 2-0 lead.

His second and third tallies came over a span of 2:30 bridging the final two periods and simply added to an already secure Crimson lead, putting Harvard ahead 7-2.

Nevertheless, his coach and teammates—not to mention the home crowd—were pleased with the winger’s effort.

“He’s a guy over the first three years [who] was asked to do a lot of thankless jobs,” said Crimson coach Ted Donato ’91. “So it was nice to see him have a great and fitting ending to his Bright Hockey [Center] career.”

EARLY BIRDS

Harvard’s offense surged in the opening frames of both victories, tallying 17 shots and one goal on Saturday before scoring three times on 10 shots the following night.

After scoring only once on Friday, Harvard needed to reestablish itself and challenge Saints netminder Justin Pesony early.

And though the Crimson ended up needing two three-period goals to win Game Two, senior defenseman Tom Walsh’s tally 11 minutes into the first period marked a stark reversal from the previous night’s meager offensive effort.

“That first period was key,” said Hafner after the Game Two victory. “The first ten minutes, we really were on them really hard and kind of sent a message for this game.”

And last night, Harvard’s three opening-frame goals—including its first shorthanded tally of the year—gave the Crimson the kind of breathing room it hasn’t enjoyed since a 5-0 victory over Northeastern in the consolation game of the Beanpot.

As the Saints quickly learned, the wide margin only made Harvard more likely to score again.

“This is very much indicative of many, many Harvard teams over the years,” said St. Lawrence coach Joe Marsh after Sunday’s game. “When they get a few up, they seem to relax—not relax in terms of their effort, but they get looser and more dangerous.”

OFFENSIVE “D”

In addition to playing well in front of goaltender John Daigneau, freshman blueliners Brian McCafferty and Jack Christian contributed to the Crimson’s scoring bonanza.

Nine minutes into the second period, Christian forced a St. Lawrence turnover in his own zone and moved up the ice with the puck. Drawing two Saints defenders, he dished the puck to sophomore winger Alex Meintel at the right boards, setting up Harvard’s fourth goal.

Just 1:33 later, McCafferty set up junior Steve Mandes’ four-on-four strike, carrying the puck up the left side and sending a cross-ice pass to the winger for an easy one-timer.

After two late St. Lawrence tallies, Mandes’ goal would hold up to be the gamewinner.

BRUISING SUCCESS

While Harvard is known around the league for its speedy and agile attack, it was the Crimson’s power forwards who carried the offensive load in the two victories.

In addition to Murphy’s three goals, sophomore forward Dave Watters notched four points on the weekend, tallying the gamewinner and an assist on Saturday before adding two goals last night.

And junior winger Ryan Maki continued to be key to the Crimson’s success, scoring just 59 seconds into the third period of Saturday’s game to tie the score at two goals apiece.

More importantly, though, Maki spent the weekend pummeling St. Lawrence along the boards, wearing out an already tired team.

“He’s been a physical presence for us,” Donato said after Saturday’s contest. “I really admire the way he’s competed for us over the last two nights and over the last 15 games or so.”

FINAL TICKS

Harvard’s 8-4 victory was its highest scoring game since Feb. 1, 2005, when it defeated Union 8-1 in Schenectady...Freshman goaltender Mike Coskren played for the first time in his collegiate career last night, replacing Daigneau for the final 2:13 and making one save...Sophomore blueliner Dave MacDonald skated in Games 2 and 3 of the series, seeing action for the first time since Feb. 6...Harvard finished its Bright Hockey Center slate with just three home losses...Daigneau made 32 saves in the finale...The Crimson fired 39 shots on net last night, including 19 in the second frame...Sophomore center Paul Dufault won 14 of 16 faceoffs in Game 3...Murphy leads the team with 16 goals. Watters is second with 10...With the win on Saturday, Harvard has still not lost twice in a row all season.

—Staff writer Karan Lodha can be reached at klodha@fas.harvard.edu.