The Answer, My Friend...

How many roads must a man walk down before you call him a man, and how many games must a team play before you can call them a team?

The latter was the resounding question which was to be answered last night when the Harvard men's hockey team took to the ice against Brown.

The sad story has been told: after only five games, the Crimson's offensive output had been less than stellar (seven goals in the last four games), the power play had been non-existent (scoring only twice in 29 attempts) and the future appeared hazy.

I guess that's what you get with such a young team. With only three seniors and 12 of the 20 players on the roster being either freshmen or sophomores, you never quite know what you will get on a given night.

"Whatever hair I do have left is just not going to be there if we don't score a few more goals," Harvard coach Ronn Tomassoni said. "I think it will come and we have a long way to go."

The first five games epitomized youth as they each had their own distinct personality.

One night a feisty, offensive minded team dominates play on both sides of the ice as it did against Brown in the first game of the season. Six different Crimson players figured into the 5-3 rout.

It's a totally different story on other nights. This past Saturday against Princeton (a 6-2 loss for Harvard), for instance, nothing seemed to jell offensively as the Tigers outworked and outhustled the Crimson. Disappointment was the only emotion which Tomassoni could muster.

It's like a game of Russian Roulette and last night's game against Brown tried to end the game for good.

Would this team produce another dismal game, burying itself further into an ECAC hole of mediocrity, or would it explode with a commanding win, one that would give new, unlimited hope to this young squad?

Last night, the question was most definitely laid out on the table.

The result: Harvard came out with intensity, an eye for the net and how about that--its second win of the season. Players who had been silent thus far in the season reappeared at Bright Hockey Center like long lost friends.

Junior forward Ethan Philpott, battling a knee injury since the exhibition game against Poland, erupted as a force as his work culminated when the 6'4" forward whipped a perfect pass onto the stick of freshman Jamin Kerner for the game-winning goal.

"I thought that Ethan had his best game," Tomassoni said. "Even though he's still not at full strength, he obviously can really help us and it's nice to see him playing so well."

Another lost face, sophomore Craig MacDonald, found himself in the right place at the right time when he set up freshman Brett Chodorow's rebound goal with a shot of his own. It wasn't just his placement which made that goal a reality, however. Throughout the game, MacDonald orchestrated passes down the ice, introducing an admittedly sparse crowd at Bright Hockey Center to his speed and vision for the very first time this season.

Now I wouldn't exactly buy tickets to Lake Placid just yet. The team did only score two goals last night--not exactly an overpowering offensive juggernaut, but if we learned anything at all from last year, "anything can happen."

How many games will it take to call this team a real team? Who knows? Who and what will show up on a given night may continue to be a enigma perhaps even until February. The potential is there, but the real questions may have to wait for another few months. One thing is for sure, though: each game will definitely be a ride.