M. Hockey: Return to Action

Let's get ready to rumble.

It seems like it was only yesterday when the Harvard men's hockey team came oh-so-close to capturing its second-ever national championship, only to fall in the semifinals to eventual champion Lake Superior State, 3-2 in overtime.

But the past is behind Coach Ronn Tomassoni's team, and another saga begins tonight when the Crimson opens up its season with their yearly scrimmage against Canadian university competition, again this year against the University of New Brunswick.

Bright Hockey Arena should be rocking again tonight, when at 7:00 p.m. this year's squad takes to the ice.

The Crimson have again been ranked among the best in the nation, as The Sporting news has recently placed them at #4 in the country, while a more updated poll from The Troy, N.Y. Record ranks them at #6.

The University of New Brunswick, a Canadian team which has been the preseason opponent for many Eastern hockey teams this fall, certainly will be no pushover. On October 15th, the Reds played the current #1 team in the nation, Boston University, down to the wire and lost only 7-6.

That game showcased many fine players for the Reds, including Luke Naylor, who pumped in three goals for the team's only hat trick. Goalie Frank Leblanc was also impressive in stopping 30 Terrier shots before being pulled for an extra attacker in the final minute.

Boston College then battled the Canadians to a 3-3 tie on October 16th. New Brunswick also played Brown last night before heading over to Cambridge for this evening's battle.

But what has Harvard been doing to prepare for this game? According to senior captain Ben Coughlin, "We've had two hard weeks working mainly on fundamentals, just getting back our basic understanding of the game. We also had a hard scrimmage on Wednesday to prepare."

The captain also expresses how eager the team is to play, using such words as "excited" and "hungry" in describing the feeling at practice this last week. Coughlin even states that "with each day drawing closer towards this game the enthusiasm at practice has picked up."

Goalie Tripp Tracy views the game as more of a preparation for next week's ECAC opener at Brown. "It's tough, in that you want to get your feet wet with a game, but [tonight] you don't get the feel of a regular season game."

The junior also admits that tonight's game "doesn't compare with a Brown game...there's another level of enthusiasm." Still, Tracy emphasizes that "you still get excited."

Just as with last year's scrimmage against the Reds, both Tracy and Senior Steve Hermsdorf will see playing time in net tonight, according to Coach Tomassoni.

Indeed, the Crimson will have to get excited, for after this tune-up game they dive right in to their hectic ECAC schedule. Harvard has a few more perks in their schedule this year, as the ECAC administration has allowed teams to play two additional games this year.

The Crimson have weekday home games against Hockey East rivals Boston University and New Hampshire in December, as well as two away games against the Nanooks of Alaska-Fairbanks before winter break.

Coach Tomassoni is more concerned with the play of his team rather than with the final score. The coaching staff also did not prepare specifically for New Brunswick. "We look at this game as a way to get ourselves ready--we're not as much concerned about who we're playing. What matters is how we play."

Coughlin equates the game to an effective learning process. "It'll be a good measure for how much work we'll need to prepare for Brown," he says.

Perhaps the best usage for this game is the fact that the Crimson will finally see another team. "I think the team would like to see a different color jersey (than their own)," admits Coach Tomassoni. "They'd like a different team to play."

Coughlin and his mates agree with that: "We're definitely tired of beating up on each other."

Tomassoni is also using this game to rest a couple of injured players. Michael Breistroff, back from a year on the French National team, will sit out the game, as well at Stuart Swenson, both with nagging lower-body injuries. An unfortunate setback for Harvard is Geordie Hyland, a highly touted freshman who has just been diagnosed with mononucleosis and will miss an undisclosed amount of time.

But everyone seems to stress that the outcome of the game is less important that the performance of the team. As for whether the final score will be a sign for how the season will go, Tomassoni says, "I don't think so-- we're a younger team, particularly on defense, so we have a bit of an unknown factor to determine."

Tracy concurs those commented "I wouldn't put too much emphasis on how we do."

Harvard fans should especially pay attention to those comments, at last year's scrimmage saw the Crimson's defense shaky at points in the 7-4 victory. But that game proved a springboard for the season, as Harvard defense became known as one of the best in the country by season's end.

And as every hockey fan knows, that's where the final score counts.