Action Jackson: M. Hockey Shows Signs of Old

POTSDAM, N.Y.—At the south end of Cheel Arena is a large green banner with the simple phrase “It’s Hunting Season” in gold lettering. Below it are posted the logos of Clarkson’s 15 home opponents for the 2002-03 season.

In case an opposing player missed the not-so-subtle message, there was a large red bull’s eye over the picture of John Harvard on Saturday night to make it clear.

The Crimson (4-1-0) may not literally have a bull’s eye on its chest again this season, but figuratively speaking, it is going to be there every week, especially on the road.

As the defending ECAC tournament champions and a consensus pick to finish in the top two again this season, there are plenty of teams gunning to knock off the Crimson. Dealing with being the “team to beat” at home is not easy, but facing hostile crowds on the road and dealing with 10-hour bus rides through blizzards hardly helps the situation.

“I don’t care what sport it is, there is a big difference playing on the road versus at home,” said Harvard coach Mark Mazzoleni.

That is why this weekend’s sweep of Clarkson and St. Lawrence, by scores of 2-1 and 6-1 respectively, was such an important accomplishment for the Crimson.

The last time Harvard took four points from the Golden Knights and Saints was at home in Bright during the 1993-94 season, and the Crimson has not been able to do it on the road in the “North Country” since 1992-93.

It is also Harvard’s second consecutive win over Clarkson, who fell to the Crimson 3-2 in overtime in the ECAC semifinals last March.

“When you consider it’s been 10 years—yes, it is a big accomplishment,” Mazzoleni said. “It is a very difficult trip and both these teams have played extremely well at home over the years.”

The symbolic importance of the victory was not lost on Crimson sophomore goaltender Dov Grumet-Morris either. He was quick after the game to point out that Harvard advanced to the NCAA both those years.

The similarities do not stop there. Both those squads started the season with four wins in their first five games, exactly like this year.

Curious how those seasons ended? Harvard posted a 22-6-3 mark in 1992-93 and finished 24-5-4 a year later.

If you missed the message, let me paint you a picture. Or, more appropriately, follow the bull’s eye.

The Crimson is back as an ECAC powerhouse, and coaches around the league know it when they speak about Harvard.

“The ECAC needs Harvard and it needs teams like Vermont to get back up there,” Mazzoleni said. “The league hasn’t had the number of top teams that it had in the past. St. Lawrence, Clarkson and Cornell have pretty much done their yeoman’s share of staying at the top, but we need the Harvards of the world to be there.”

Over the past seven seasons, Harvard has just two wins in 14 visits to Clarkson and St. Lawrence. In a span of a little over 24 hours this weekend, the Crimson doubled that total.

And it is not just the Crimson that have trouble winning in the North Country and at Cheel Arena in particular. Through 11 seasons at Cheel, Clarkson has a 133-41-14 record (.741 winning percentage) and an even more incredible 20-2 record in the playoffs.

The Golden Knights have also finished the regular season among the top two in the ECAC for eight of the past nine seasons. If the Crimson hopes to be mentioned in the same breath as Clarkson, St. Lawrence and Cornell, these are the types of games Harvard needs to win.

It should also silence some of the skeptics who came out after Harvard’s season opening 4-0 loss to Brown, which is quickly fading into a distant memory.

With its quickly rising prominence around the league and in the nation, however, each successive road trip promises to become that much harder.

When looking at the Crimson’s November schedule during the preseason, there were three games that quickly jumped to mind as early bellwethers: Brown, Clarkson and Cornell.

These were the three teams that Harvard eliminated in the ECAC tournament last year, and the Crimson had road games scheduled at each of these schools during the first four weeks of the season.

With Brown and Clarkson now in the past, Harvard’s attention must now turn to Cornell, whom the Crimson ousted in the ECAC finals with a 4-3 double overtime win.

The Big Red and their rabid fans will be looking for revenge, and the Crimson will face a similarly hostile environment.

But if you think Harvard is worried, think again. Mazzoleni relishes the rivalry and intensity that was displayed on the ice last Saturday.

“When you play certain teams in big games, there’s a natural competitive rivalry,” Mazzoleni said. “You create the hostility that is good and healthy and you saw it with Clarkson.”

Expect the bull’s eye to be on the Crimson’s chests again Friday at Cornell, and expect Harvard to once again meet the challenge head on.

In case you are curious about the last time Harvard beat Clarkson in back-to-back games, just make a visit to Bright and take a look at the rafters.

The national championship banner from the 1988-89 season should answer your question.

—Staff writer Timothy Jackson can be reached at jackson2@fas.harvard.edu.