867-5309: Crimson Draws Big Red Menace in First Round of ECAC Playoffs

Well, what do you want first--the good news or the bad news?

The good news is that Harvard snagged its first Ivy League title since the 1993-94 season, thanks to a 5-3 Princeton loss at the hands of Cornell on Saturday.

But no matter how sweet the crown is, especially for a team in the process of rebuilding its program, it is at best a small consolation prize.

Because the bad news is that, between Rensselaer winger Brad Tapper's bullet from the left circle on a five-on-three power play and the phenomenal goaltending of Hobey Baker Award candidate Joel Laing, the Engineers handed Harvard a 2-0 shutout and a first-class bus ticket to--you guessed it--Ithaca, N.Y., for the first round of the ECAC playoffs.

The Crimson--especially its eight senior members--bid a fond farewell to Bright Hockey Center Saturday night, as the decision in the RPI finale denied Harvard its bid for home ice.

But it certainly was not for lack of effort.

"It was a great hockey game," Harvard Coach Mark Mazzoleni said. "Unfortunately, we came up on the short end, but we gave it everything we had."

The Crimson let a golden opportunity slip away at 12:44 of the first period when its 1:17 two-man advantage expired with barely a shot on goal, thanks to a beleaguered Harvard power play unit and a surprisingly tight RPI defense.

"Our power play has been our Achilles' heel all season," Mazzoleni said. "We've struggled on the power play. It bit us in the ass tonight."

Senior winger Matt Macleod was literally inches away from knotting the score at one with 7:00 left in the final period. Wide open in front of the crease, Macleod's one-timer forced Laing to scramble and make a toe save, effectively closing the door on the Harvard offense for the rest of the night.

Doug Shepherd's empty net goal with 34 seconds left on the clock padded RPI's victory and secured home ice for the first round against eighth-place Dartmouth.

For their troubles, the Crimson finished in seventh place and came away with a best-of-three series six hours away at Cornell next weekend, a situation that Harvard has found itself in three times in the past ten years.

Playing host to the Big Red, the Crimson prevailed in 1994 with a sweep of Cornell in the first round. However, both times Harvard has trekked to Cornell for the quarterfinals have resulted in a pair of early post-season exits, first during the 1989-90 season, and again in 1997.

During the regular season, Cornell is without a doubt one of the most inhospitable places to play in the league. Year after year, hoards of Cornell-crazies pour into a sold-out Lynah Rink to haze the visiting team.

The rivalry with Harvard zalways turns the fans' intensity up yet anothr notch, and has given rise to the time-honored tradition of flogging the Crimson with smelly fish and balled-up copies of local Ithaca newspapers, including the Cornell Daily Sun.

Much to their chagrin, the Crimson has weathered the storm the past two years. Harvard has emerged victorious in its last two contests with the Big Red on the road, snapping an 0-5-1 cold streak at Lynah.

"We enjoy our rivalry with Cornell," captain Trevor Allman said. "It's a difficult place to play, but their crowd generates our enthusiasm as well."

Ironically, it's here at Bright Hockey Center where the Crimson has had most of its recent difficulties against the Big Red. Harvard has not posted a win over Cornell at home since downing the Big Red 4-2 during the 1994-95 season.

The most recent defeat came one month ago, a demoralizing 6-2 loss in front of a sell-out crowd (of mostly Cornell fans) at Bright.

Pumped up by a little derogatory bulletin-board fodder provided by my partner Mike Volonnino, the players and fans alike dominated the Crimson.

Signs reading "Lynah Rink East" and chants of "This is our house" echoed through the rafters, giving Harvard a glimpse of what Lynah will be like next week.

Not surprisingly, Mazzoleni did not appear enthused upon learning where he and his team would be heading next weekend for the quarterfinals, but his outlook remained positive.

"We'll have to regroup and go after it," Mazzoleni said.

To be honest, a first round battle with Cornell is not the most undesirable pairing Harvard could have received. Skirting the eight-hour ordeal to Clarkson, the Crimson avoided facing the reinvigorated Golden Knights, who have not lost a post-season matchup at Cheel Arena for the last decade.

And a second consecutive weekend against RPI was not exactly an appealing option either. After emerging from its five-game tailspin with a sweep over Brown and Harvard, it's almost certain that RPI will advance to the semi-finals at Lake Placid without a hitch.

All told, the Crimson has its work cut out for it next weekend.

With the first round on what is clearly its turf, the Big Red is going to be a force to reckon with.

However, the two squads match up very well, and it would be no surprise to see either the Crimson or the Big Red advancing to Lake Placid.

I can't predict the future, but I'll keep my fingers crossed for Harvard's own "Miracle On Ice" next weekend.