M. Hockey Seeks Revenge Over Vermont

Saddled with a three-game losing streak and having fallen from atop the ECAC standings, the Harvard men’s hockey team will look to rebound tonight in a conference game against Vermont.

One of the keys to a Crimson victory will be found in not dwelling on the previous losses, including Monday’s 5-2 setback against Northeastern in the Beanpot.

“It’s easy to get down when you have lost a few [games] in a row,” junior forward Dom Moore said. “We’ve got to stay positive.”

One thing Harvard can be positive about is the fact that the Catamounts (3-18-2, 3-10-1 ECAC) have struggled mightily this year. However, one of their three victories was a 5-1 thrashing of the Crimson in early November.

And despite the three-game skid, Harvard remains within striking distance of the top spot in the ECAC, which currently belongs to Cornell. The Crimson (9-9-3, 8-5-2) trails the Big Red by five points, and tonight’s contest against a relatively weak Vermont team represents an excellent chance for Harvard to improve its conference position.

“We have to win tonight,” Harvard Coach Mark Mazzoleni said. “That’s imperative for us.”

Towards that end, Harvard will attempt to attack the unusual defensive style that Vermont employs, a style that stymied the Crimson offense earlier in the season. Vermont starts with two of their forwards manning the blue line, the two defensemen slightly behind those forwards, and the remaining forward pressuring the puck.

Where Vermont’s strategy differs from many of the Crimson’s other opponents is in its response to an offensive threat in its zone. Vermont turns “soft,” not attempting to cut off at the blue line but rather drops back and crowds the middle, stopping the puck before it can be worked in close to the net. This style represents a challenge for Harvard.

“We’ve got to be willing to take what they give us, and then really try to exploit it,” Mazzoleni said.

To combat this odd defense, the Crimson practiced taking an early shot on goal when Vermont lets them into the zone and using that as the basis for its attack, as opposed to the dump-and-chase.

“We’ve got to focus on putting the puck on the net and have people away from the puck go hard to the net,” Mazzoleni said.

With the Beanpot consolation game coming up Monday, the danger of overlooking Vermont has occurred to the players, but in their opinions it is a minimal factor.

“We’re focused on the Friday game,” Moore said. “Our minds aren’t at all thinking about Monday.”

The Crimson’s primary concern is its ECAC standing, and a win over defending national champion BC in the Beanpot consolation game, however satisfying, will not add anything to the ECAC title race.

After the Beanpot consolation game Monday at the Fleet Center, the Crimson will embark on a crucial North Country road trip to Clarkson and St. Lawrence next weekend.