NOTEBOOK: First Period Struggles Doom Crimson Efforts

Harvard just cannot get started.

With Yale scoring three unanswered goals in the first 10 minutes of last Saturday night’s game, the Harvard men’s hockey team’s 6-2 loss increased its winless streak to 12 games. The Bulldogs (12-4-0, 7-2-0 ECAC) outshot Harvard (4-12-3, 4-7-3 ECAC) 16-13 in the opening frame and kept the shooting advantage until the final frame, when the Crimson eked out 13 shots over Yale’s nine.

“They come out a lot faster and a lot more determined than us,” Harvard coach Ted Donato ’91 said. “They’re a tough enough team as it is, but if you spot them three goals in a five-minute window or so in the first period, then it doesn’t turn into much of a hockey game.”

In five of the Crimson’s last nine losses, the opposing team secured the lead in the first frame.

“It takes the life right out of these guys, no matter what sport, if you fall behind early,” senior co-captain Jimmy Fraser said. “It’s tough to come back, and unfortunately that was the case again tonight.”

On the other hand, when Harvard has led at the first intermission—for example, against Clarkson, RPI, and Quebec-Trois-Rivieres this season—it has gone on to win the contest.

ANOTHER PLAY BITES THE DUST

After a lackluster start, the Crimson seemed poised for a comeback in the middle frame. Holding a one man advantage at the beginning of the period, Harvard picked up some momentum on a power play. Three minutes later, Fraser ripped one past Bulldog goalie Billy Blasé to put the Crimson on the board and narrow the point deficit to 3-1.

But as soon as things seemed to be going Harvard’s way, an untimely high sticking penalty turned the game back over to Yale, as the Bulldogs knocked another one in on the power play, putting them ahead, 4-1.

“As soon as we seem to get something going and get some penetration down in their zone like we did in the first couple of minutes of the second period there, something happens, either a penalty or an icing or something that goes the wrong way,” Fraser said. “We talk a lot in the locker room that bounces come from hard work, and you have to create your own luck. Again, penalties cost us in key situations and unfortunately killed the momentum that we were trying to get going.”

In the last five minutes of the game, Yale was hit with back-to-back penalties, giving the Crimson a powerplay for nearly three minutes. But what could have been another chance for Harvard to close the scoring gap was wasted, as a misconduct call on both teams interrupted the flow of the game and deflated the Crimson’s offensive drive.

Fraser scored again with under a minute on the clock, but Harvard’s attempts to regroup ended up being too little, too late.

HE’S ALL RILED UP

Junior goalie John Riley notched 15 saves in his 25-minute relief performance. Coming in late in the second period with the Crimson down by four, Riley deflected a number of shots to limit the Bulldogs to one goal-against.

“I thought John came into a tough situation and played very well,” Donato said.

Yale’s best chance to boost its lead came midway through the third period, as Bulldog Matt Nelson accepted a pass behind the net and released a fast wraparound shot right on frame.

Foiling Nelson’s efforts, Riley blocked the attempt in a replay-worthy save.

The Bulldogs managed to sneak one goal past the junior netminder with 4:04 left in the final frame, but the play was contested by Harvard, as it seemed that Yale’s Brian O’Neill had charged the goalie. The referees reviewed the play, and though O’Neill was sent to the box for the infraction, the Yale goal was allowed.

Riley now has a team-high save percentage of .898 for the season, with 53 saves and six goals allowed. His career save percentage is .906, topping both Hoyle and Carroll’s percentages.

Freshman Matt Hoyle, who served as the Crimson’s starting goalie for most of the season, was pulled after the Bulldogs’ fifth goal of the night. Hoyle made 17 saves against Yale.

“I don’t want to minimalize Yale’s goals on just a goaltender basis,” Donato said. “But like a lot of parts of our game, it’s one that we have to be better at in order to be successful.”

AROUND THE BOARDS

The loss against Yale is Harvard’s first ECAC loss at home since the game against Clarkson one year ago today. The Golden Knights were last year’s regular season ECAC champions...Blueliner Brian McCafferty has been selected as one of the candidates for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS award...After last season’s 10-game winless streak, the Crimson rebounded in its post-reading period match against Dartmouth. Harvard faces the Big Green when it returns from a two-week break, at Hanover...The Crimson’s 1989 NCAA Championship team, which includes Donato, who was named the Most Outstanding Player, was honored tonight on the ice at the intermission.

—Staff writer Courtney D. Skinner can be reached at cskinner@fas.harvard.edu.