M. Hockey Has Chance for Five-Point Lead in ECAC

Opportunity knocks for the Harvard men's hockey team this weekend.

The Crimson (7-8-1, 6-4-1 ECAC) enters the weekend in an enviable, yet vulnerable position, as it sits atop the ECAC standings with six teams, all within four points, nipping at its heels.

Hoping to strengthen its lead in the ECAC, the Crimson travels to league foes Clarkson and St. Lawrence this weekend.

Because parity has characterized the ECAC this season, this weekend's double-header gives the Crimson a good opportunity to pad its league lead.

"It's really exciting," said junior center Steve Moore. "On any given night, any team can win. We have to be sharp in every game."

Moore is Harvard's leading point scorer. He has garnered 10 points on two goals and eight assists in league play, good enough for sixth in the conference.

Tonight, the Crimson faces off against Clarkson (5-9-3, 0-4-3), the defending ECAC champion, which has struggled so far this season.

Clarkson's record is the not a true indicator of the team's talent. A strong, physical team, Clarkson is capable of pulling out a scrappy upset.

"It'll will be a big momentum swing if we can beat them," said freshman forward Brett Nowak. "Despite their slow start this season, Clarkson is a team that you head for, because they are always so strong."

Nowak is second among ECAC freshman in scoring, having posted nine points on four goals and five assists.

Without a conference win and with time running out in the season, Clarkson will be gunning for a victory over the Crimson.

Clarkson sits alone at the bottom of the ECAC standings, having scored only 17 goals in seven games. However, three of its four losses have been one-goal games.

" We need to get the puck in deep and tire them out by cycling," Moore said.

Harvard hopes that its power play stays solid. The Crimson sports a 21.3 percent success rate with the man advantage.

The more challenging game of the weekend however will be tomorrow when Harvard takes on St. Lawrence (9-6-2, 4-2-1).

St. Lawrence is in a three-way tie for fifth-place in the ECAC. The Saints trail Harvard by only four points.

In addition, St. Lawrence is coming off of last weekend's impressive 6-6 tie with No. 4 Wisconsin.

And because, they play Brown, also an ECAC foe tonight, a victory over Harvard plus a win against the Bears could give the Saints a share of the league lead.

"St. Lawrence is a strong offensive team," Moore said. "We need to play solid defensively, wait for our opportunities, then attack."

In addition to a strong offensive attack, the Saints boasts the league's best scoring defense, holding competitors to a league-best measly 2.00 goals per game. They have allowed only 14 goals in nine games.

The Crimson sports a decent scoring defense, holding league foes to only 2.36 goals per contest.

Much of St. Lawrence's defensive mite can be attributed to the play of freshman goaltender Derek Gustafson.

Gustafson is second in the league for both save percentage and goals-against average, with a stunning .947 and 1.62 averages, respectively.

However the Crimson's senior goaltender J.R. Prestifilippo has also be solid all year. He sports a .916 save percentage and a 2.33 goals-against average per game in ECAC play.

"Goaltending has been one of our strengths," Nowak said.

In the past week, Harvard has been working on its defense, after having allowed four goals to Princeton last weekend in a 4-2 loss.

"In practice, we've been working on our defensive zone coverage" Nowak said, "And playing a more physical game."

The Crimson will also need a strong offensive showing against the tight St. Lawrence defense. Although Harvard is fifth in the league with 3.18 goals scored per game, its scoring has tapered off since winter break.

The Crimson has managed only nine goals in the past four games.

"We have to score more--we've been having trouble with that lately," Nowak said. "In practice, we've been focusing on shooting more."

With conference games against two beatable teams, Harvard has a good opportunity to pull away from the pack.

If it captures two wins, the Crimson could finish the weekend with a cushy five-point ECAC lead.

Scheduling also helps the Crimson, as second place Yale hosts Boston College, a non-conference game. Third place Princeton has the weekend off.

"Knowing that we can jump ahead with two wins this weekend," Nowak said, "is a big motivation."