The Sophomore Surge

A lot of people look beyond the Class of 1991, and say the end of a Harvard hockey era approaches.

With the loss of the formidable forwards of the senior class-Peter Ciavaglia, Ted Donato and Mike Vukonich--the Crimson, though returning every member of the ECAC's second-ranked defense, might seem due for a scoring slump.

But thanks to the inspired play of the three representatives of the Class of 1993--Matt Mallgrave, Ted Drury and Steve Flomenhoft--Harvard hopes for a continuation of the Harvard Sports Information-dubbed "Sophomore Surge."

Drury, Flomenhoft and Mallgrave are the only sophomores on the team, but their play of late has brought the trio to fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively, on the Crimson scoring charts--trailing only the members of the Superline.

Flomenhoft and Mallgrave have already more than doubled last year's output. Drury--who finished second in last year's ECAC Rookie of the Year balloting to Cornell's Kent Manderville despite missing 11 games due to injury--has stayed healthy enough to total almost a point-and-a-half per game.

The superior play of the Leverett F-15 roommates has been especially noticeable during the last eight games.

Flomenhoft tallied the Crimson's first goal in the 2-2 tie at Cornell February 9. Each and every member of the team--including Harvard Coach Ronn Tomassoni--has designated that weekend as the turning point in this up-and-down season.

"We keep coming back to that Cornell/Colgate weekend," Tomassoni said. "Since then we have played better every weekend."

Drury picked last weekend's ECAC tournament quarterfinal games against Rensselaer to explode, scoring a pair on Friday and Harvard's first on Saturday. Mallgrave assisted the Trumbull, Conn. native's opening goal in the first game.

Not wanting to be outdone by the teammate with whom he shares a closet-sized bedroom, Mallgrave notched his first Crimson shorthanded goal later in Saturday's contest, enabling Harvard to tie the game and win the series.

"Last Saturday night, Matt may have been the best player on the ice," Tomassoni said.

The Step Up

Although the collegiate Drury immediately showed the skill which made him a second-round draft pick of the Calgary Flames in 1989--netting 22 points his freshman year--Mallgrave and Flomen-hoft took longer to raise their play to its high-school heights.

"Not a lot of freshman dominate this game," Tomassoni pointed out. "Even [Boston Bruin forward] Craig Janney only had an average first year at B.C."

"In high school it's easy to be strong on the puck...you're stronger than everyone else," Mallgrave said. "Now you need to combine everything."

The 6-ft., 185-lb. Silver Spring, MD native has tried to follow the lead of senior center Ciavaglia in an effort to bring his game beyond the ordinary. Citing the ECAC scoring leader's quick hands, and his speed with the puck, Mallgrave notes that Ciavaglia has succeeded--much like Boston College's Dave Emma--without overpowering size.

Mallgrave was forced to overcome a shoulder injury which limited him to "maybe four practices before Christmas. Vacation was my preseason."

After he returned, the extra time enabled Mallgrave and Drury--presently united on the Crimson's second line--to click better on the ice.

"We know each other so well, it was just a matter of time before the chemistry would click," Drury said.

Flomenhoft, at 6-ft., does not tower over either of his roomates, but his 215 lbs. help to pave the way to the net. The third line center maintains his weight despite a craving for Diet Mountain Dew--Flomenhoft has 10 cases of the specially-ordered soft drink piled in his windowsill.

"[Crashing the net] is the only way I'm going to score," Flomenhoft admits. "I don't care if it hits me in the skate or the head."

Tomassoni agreed, although putting it a bit more positively. "He's not going to score the pretty goals, but he's not afraid to get his nose dirty."

Whatever the technique, Flomenhoft has tallied 11 times already this year, and the Garden is admirably suited to his physical style.

"If Flo has the puck, you know to go to the net," junior linemate Tim Burke said. "If he doesn't score, the goalie usually can't handle it, and there's a good rebound."

The college hockey game flows around the man-up and man-down squads, according to Flomenhoft--an expert on penalties with 48 minutes in the hot box this season. All three roommates take shifts on both special teams squads, with Drury on both the first power-play unit and penalty-killing line.

"Lots of teams are even five-on-five," Flomenhoft noted. "But close to half of the game is not five-on-five."

The Riverwoods, III. native, along with Mallgrave, is a member of the second power-play squad. Both players, especially Mallgrave, also see some ice-time when killing penalties.

Although Flomenhoft leads the Crimson offense in penalty minutes, Tomassoni is less concerned with the sophomore's time in the sin bin this year. With his more "intelligent" play, Flomenhoft has improved defensively, according to the Crimson coach.

Linemate Scott Barringer also approves.

"Once he gets his meathooks around someone, they're not moving," the senior winger remarked. "Flo emphasizes hitting as the most important part of his game."

Drury and Burke have teamed up on the first penalty-kill unit, with understandably positive results. While the sophomore credits "Burkie's long reach" for limiting opponent's passing, the junior thought Drury's talent enabled them "to look for offense, even when we're a man down."

And Then There Were Three

After the 1988-89 Crimson team won a national championship, Harvard might have expected that the potential stars of the future would be beating down its door. But only the now-sophomore trio of bona fide skaters matriculated in the fall of 1989.

Although each member of the triumvirate is now living up to early expectations, it seems surprising that Drury, Mallgrave and Flomenhoft were not joined by players such as Boston University's Tony Amonte or Cornell's Manderville.

"That recruiting season was just a lean year," said Tomassoni, who directly recruited every present Crimson skater during his eight-year tenure as assistant, then associate coach.

"We lost some boys to scholarship schools, but that's always going to happen," he added. "From a talent and academic standpoint, and we need both, there was not much there."

Drury puts it more baldly.

"I think it comes down to the fact that there weren't a lot of smart hockey players our year," Drury said.

Sophomore Seers?

Each of the three history concentrators views next season as a challenge, but the sophomores are not as concerned as one might expect.

"The freshman will all hit a time over the next year when they will explode," Drury said.

If first-years Michel Breistroff, Gus Gardner and Brian Farrell can match the numbers of this year's sophomores--who all hope to increase their point total next year--the Crimson will gain some much-needed scoring depth.

"You won't have to ask anyone to score 50 points next year," Flomenhoft mentions.

"Except maybe Teddy," interjects Mallgrave. "How's that for a little pressure?" That was Then......This is Now 1989-90   G  A  PTS  PM Ted Drury  9  13  22  10 Steve Flomenhoft  5  5  10  22 Matt Mallgrave  3  3  6  33

That was Then......This is Now 1990-91   G  A  PTS  PM Ted Drury  18  18  36  22 Steve Flomenhoft  11  14  25  48 Matt Mallgrave  5  14  19  14

That was Then......This is Now 1990-91   G  A  PTS  PM Ted Drury  18  18  36  22 Steve Flomenhoft  11  14  25  48 Matt Mallgrave  5  14  19  14