The Attitude

Michael Jordan stood in front of a dozen animated characters, pumping confidence into his team. And low and behold, by the end of "Space Jam," Porky, Bugs and the Tazmanian Devil had adopted the new attitude and were celebrating when the credits rolled.

Even though it was only a movie, the idea was eternal and the message, universal. It's all about attitude or, as Henry Higdon says, "it's that swagger in your step."

It's like an extra man on the ice, a second wind or just that little push down the stretch.

Psycho-babble, some argue? Try again.

Take a look at a team like Vermont. After losing in double overtime to Colorado College in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament last season, the Catamounts leaped into this year not only as the untouchable top gun in the ECAC, but as one of the top teams in the nation.

So far, Vermont has embarrassed the pundits and depreciated predictions with league losses to Dartmouth and RPI. Just this past Christmas break, in the much anticipated rematch with Colorado, Vermont swallowed a 6-0 bashing.

Still, no one is counting the Catamounts out of the race. Why?

With Hobey Baker candidates Martin St. Louis, Eric Perrin and Tim Thomas in your lineup, as well as established national recognition, an overt confidence definitely develops. But then it becomes even more that.

It's that swagger.

A Vermont loss is surprising, but it's not so much because of the game itself, but more because the Catamounts make you believe that it's a shock.

It's a presence on the ice, a secret knowledge that a win should, and will, be the end result. It's a presence which is eventually defeating to opponents.

With only a one-goal lead and half a period to play on Friday night, it showed. Perrin broke through the Harvard defense, giving his team the 3-1 lead and deflating any Crimson hopes for a win. By the final buzzer, the game had gotten out of control and Vermont walked away with a 5-1 victory.

At 5-5-2 midway through the season, and most noticeably after the Vermont game, the presence was exactly what Harvard was lacking.

"Coach was talking this morning about developing a team attitude," Higdon said after Saturday night's game against Dartmouth. "Not cockiness, but a little bit of confidence to just go out there with a little more authority."

Heading into this past weekend, the Crimson posted only four goals in its last three games. Getting down early in each, Harvard could not battle back and was left contemplating three straight losses.

"We have to make a decision as a team to not just be happy with playing well," Tomassoni said. "We have to get that killer instinct, that attitude."

Again behind two goals in the first period against Dartmouth on Saturday, it looked like Harvard would play victim once again. Then, out of the blue, Doug Sproule whipped the game-winning overtime goal into the back of the net and Harvard was celebrating a comeback win.

"We have been playing well, we just don't have a lot to show for it," Tomassoni said. "Even this should not have been a 3-2 game. There is absolutely no question we dominated this game, there shouldn't have even been an overtime."

"Basically we're playing a good game, but we're just not finishing." Sproule added.

Goals are the fruits of labor, the frosting on the cake, the byproducts of The Attitude. It's about breaking to the net expecting to score, not just hoping.

"It's all confidence," Sproule said. "I just felt like I was going to score, and sure enough, you do."

For the first time, an arrogance emerged from the Harvard team and it materialized in the Sproule tally.

"I think this game was huge," Higdon said. "Instead of being two games below .500, now we are .500 and we have two more games before break. We get two wins there and then we're in great shape."

Vermont believes that it will return to Lake Placid come March; does Harvard?