What’s next: No. 2-seeded Crimson to return to Albany, N.Y., face No. 3 seed Maine in Round One of the NCAA Tournament

Just half a day removed from winning the ECAC tournament Title with a 6-2 defeat of Cornell in Albany’s Pepsi Arena, the Harvard men’s hockey team learned that it will travel right back to New York’s capital for the opening round of the NCAA tournament’s Northeast regional next weekend.

Announced yesterday morning on ESPN2, the 16-team bracket features four sites: Grand Forks, N.D., Green Bay, Wisc., Worcester, Mass., and Albany.

Thanks to its ECAC Tournament run and a strong out-of-conference season, Harvard snagged a No. 2 seed, which means it will face third-seeded Maine at 3 p.m. this coming Saturday. The victor will face either No. 4 New Hampshire or No. 1 Michigan State the following day.

“We’re excited,” said Crimson coach Ted Donato ’91 after the draw was announced. “I think there’s a sense of accomplishment just by making the tournament, but I also think there’s a sense of urgency, knowing that we’ll have to play our best hockey to advance.”

Harvard has scored 24 goals and allowed only seven in the trio of postseason victories that led to Saturday night’s Whitelaw Trophy celebration. During that stretch, the Crimson went 10-for-22 on the power play and allowed two goals in 18 chances.

“We’ve never had this much momentum going into the tournament,” captain Peter Hafner said, “and I think our team right now is about as confident as any team I’ve ever been on at Harvard.”

Though the Crimson’s fan base on the road rarely extends beyond player families, the logistics of traveling to Pepsi Arena are infinitely easier that those of North Dakota or Green Bay.

Furthermore, said Hafner, “there’s a level of comfort in Albany.” Not only does that rink play home to the final four weekend of the ECAC tournament—which the Crimson has made for six straight years—but Harvard played its regional opener there two seasons ago. This will be the senior class’s 10th contest on that ice—more than any surface save Harvard’s Bright Hockey Center.

Of course, there will be the whispers that the Crimson has been bounced in four consecutive first rounds, including a gut-wrenching, come-from-behind loss to Maine two years ago in Albany.

“But I think each team in each year is its own separate entity,” Donato said. “We want to win. But more than just win one game, we want to win as many as we can.”