One-Liners

Don't look now, but the Harvard men's hockey team is starting to score in bunches and keep opposing offenses to a sparkling 2.66 goals per game.

Now just hold on a second, before you reserve any more space in the Crimson trophy case--there is a lot of work to be done and a lot of better teams to be played. But when one watches the squad, especially in Saturday night's game against Brown, you can't help but be pleased.

Why? Harvard's first line.

Many questions surrounded the senior leadership of this team at the end of the 1994-95 season, how players who were all 10 points or more off the league's top ten scoring leaders could lead a Crimson squad.

But now, nine games into the season and five into the ECAC schedule, every member of Harvard's first line finds himself among the top five scorers in the league (or nearby, depending on Saturday night's results).

Brad Konik, Kirk Nielsen, and Tommy Holmes have already accumulated two-thirds of their point totals from last year, obviously providing not only the senior leadership the team so crucially desires, but also the more practical scoring punch. In fact, of the 81 points scored thus far this year by the entire Harvard team, 40 of them come from the first line alone.

Tommy Holmes scored his third shorthanded goal of the year Saturday night--impressive, especially considering the leading shorthanded goal-scorer last year for Harvard had three for the entire season, and that Holmes himself lit the lamp only twice himself in the 94-95 schedule.

Kirk Nielsen also showed he can do more than score, tallying his fifth assist of the season (third on the team). Nielsen has proven himself a more well-rounded player than last season, as his 13 goals last year were second on the Crimson, but his seven assists put him tied for tenth.

Captain Brad Konik as well has led the team in more ways than just motivation. His 17 points (13 in the ECAC, possibly still the league leader depending on other players Saturday night) put him on a pace for a 60 point season--equal to the First-Team All-American year Steve Martins '95 had in the '93-'94 season.

But as Vermont learned last year, one exceptional line does not a champion make. Balanced scoring has yet to be a consistent occurrence for the Crimson.

Since the freshman line tallied six points against Brown in the opening game in of the season, it has combined for seven points in the past eight games, five of which have come from Mike Bent goals. For a freshman line this is still impressive, as it has a hard act to follow.

But besides the first line and the freshman trio, the second and fourth lines have combined for only 12 points in nine games, and without injured Henry Higdon (five points), the point total drops even further. Clayton Rodgers' goal provides some needed hope for Harvard's depth, but one shudders to think of the outcome should Harvard's first line suffer a slump of any sort.

But really, the second, third, and fourth lines are still seeking a cohesion, and one ought not to start popping Prozac any time soon, Jason Karmanos has also provided solid support for the second line, shown by his plus-6 plus/minus rating (he's been on the ice for six more Harvard goals than opponents').

But the fact remains that Harvard has played only one team with a winning record in its first nine games (a 5-3 loss at Cornell). In addition, five out of the next six games should be against teams with winning records--three or four possibly against teams ranked nationally in the top ten.

So smile Harvard fans, the team has performed well thus far. But wait until a team effort shows up against Clarkson, Minnesota and Vermont before even considering selling those spring break tickets to Cancun.