Red Storm Rising for Men's Hockey

The Big Red of Cornell (12-7-4, 9-3-4 ECAC) and the Red Raiders of Colgate (13-11-2, 9-5-2) invade Bright Hockey Center this weekend. The Crimson are attempting to rebound from a lackluster loss to B.C. in the Beanpot consolation game this past Monday.

Tonight's game against Cornell not only represents the beginning of a four-game home stand for our dear 10,000 men of Harvard, but a "great opportunity," for the Crimson to help their post-season chances, coach Ronn Tomassoni said.

Right now, the Crimson are in sixth place in the ECAC race. With a league record of 9-6-1, they have 19 points on the season. Cornell and Colgate are in fourth and fifth places, respectively, with 22 points for the former and 20 for the latter.

Even though they have not been in top form, the Crimson are still very much in the running for a solid seeding and home-ice advantage in the post-season ECAC tournament. The coach agrees. "We control our own destiny," Tomassoni said.

In the ECAC playoffs, the top ten teams make the tournament, with the bottom four playing preliminary games to see who plays the one and two seeds. The three and six seeds play and then, on the other side of the bracket, the four and five seeds square-off. The top four teams get the home-ice advantage for the round-of-eight game, and then the final four games are played in Lake Placid.

The above just goes to say that the Crimson will surely be in the playoffs, and although they are not likely to be the regular season champions, home ice in the playoffs is only a few wins away. With six games remaining, Harvard will play all five of the teams sitting above the Crimson in the ECAC. Their fate is in their own hands.

The last time the Crimson squared off with Colgate and Cornell, albeit three long months ago, they had a tough weekend. Colgate came back from a 2-1 deficit in the last minute of regulation equalized against fatigued Crimson legs and then outshot the Crimson in overtime. They escaped with a 2-2 tie, after being well positioned to win at the end of the game. An emotionally drained squad played Cornell the next night and fell 3-5 to the Big Red in a packed arena, complete with fish flying onto the ice.

"That was a long time ago," Tomassoni said. Both teams have been through a lot since that weekend and these two games should be very different. Cornell has the league-leading power-play unit, but the Crimson are atop the ECAC in penalty killing. Special teams could be the deciding factor in this all-important contest.

Harvard has been working on their penalty killing this week in practice but will have to be sure not to take senseless penalties.

Saturday night's match-up brings a strong Colgate squad led by junior sensation Mike Harder, who is coming off of a four-goal performance against Dartmouth last weekend. However, the Crimson have been warned to stay focused on Cornell before thinking about Colgate.

Seniors Brad Konik and Peter McLaughlin return to the line-up, playing in their first game since the car accident that took them out of action on the eve of the opening round of the Beanpot. Their linemate Tommy Holmes will also skate, coming off a leg injury suffered two weeks ago.

With the all-senior line that produced so well for the Crimson at the beginning of the season leading the way, this could prove to be a great weekend for Harvard men's hockey.

One key ingredient that has been missing has been the presence of the seventh man. The Crimson rallied and played well when the fans turned out for the Union and RPI games, but otherwise, the support has been sparse.

The turnout for the Beanpot consolation game was especially embarrassing, especially considering that many students already had tickets, expecting a Harvard-B.U. match-up in the final.

Well, now is the time when the 10,000 men need your help most. The players really appreciate the support, and will need it to combat rowdy Cornell fans who will be flocking in by the bus load. Be sure to pick up your tickets and get ready for a hard-fought battle.

Freshman defender Ethan Oberman summed up the huge weekend coming up for the Crimson best. "The turkey is on the table. All we have to do is reach out and grab it."

By God, boys, be greedy!