Tobe Literally Uses Head To Stop Puck

POTSDAM, N.Y.—Harvard coach Ted Donato ’91 has 13 years of NHL experience packed into his slapshot, and in a pre-game skate this past Friday, sophomore netminder Justin Tobe found that out the hard way.

“Coach couldn’t really score on me,” Tobe explained with a smile. “So I think he tried to take me down out of the net and drilled me in the head with a slapper.”

Of course, Tobe was joking. The shot that drilled him in the helmet was a sheer accident, an occurrence unavoidable when your job description centers around pucks being launched in your direction for 60 minutes a night.

Said Donato, also smiling, “I did happen to catch him in the head the other day in practice, but, as many goalies I’ve played with will tell you, that’s not an uncommon occurrence.”

But Tobe was quick to keep up the act.

“We’ll see,” he said, feigning displeasure. Then, pausing a moment, he pointed out that “it didn’t go in.”

It was, indeed, a save, one made not with Tobe’s glove, stick or pad, but with his head. But it was in keeping with what the sophomore transfer has shown in practices all this year: Tobe can guard the goal.

And on Saturday night against Clarkson, he got the chance to prove that when it mattered. With cemented starter Dov Grumet-Morris taking a night off, Tobe got the call and impressed between the pipes.

The Golden Knights launched several early shots towards the netminder—including a screamer from the right point during Clarkson’s first power play that drew a gasp from the crowd—all of which Tobe handled cleanly.

The Golden Knights were persistent, but so was Tobe, racking up 20 saves through the first two periods to keep Clarkson off the board.

And when the Golden Knights struck twice—first on a low redirection and then on a deflection that looked to bounce off a Harvard skater—Tobe didn’t lose his focus.

“He was unbelievable,” said Crimson captain Noah Welch. “Both those goals were kind of broken plays, and he played great. He had some big stops. He’s got a lot of confidence, in a good way.”

Tom Cavanagh would later score, and Tobe amassed seven more saves in the third period to maintain the Harvard lead.

He demonstrated a notable knack for handling the puck, with absolutely no fear to leave the crease—so much so, in fact, that he was bowled over early on as he went for the same puck that both a Crimson and a Clarkson skater were eying.

“I thought Tobe played excellent,” Donato said. “We had a lot of confidence in him, but you never know until the guy gets in the game…He certainly adds another dimension with his puck-handling ability.”

And as Grumet-Morris has less than a season left in the Harvard sweater, this first look at Tobe is all the more encouraging.

“Tobe stepping in tonight is proof to us that we have three legit goalies that can play,” Welch said, referencing the Crimson’s third goaltender, junior John Daigneau. “It’s good, especially as a defenseman, knowing that the guy behind you is going to make that save.”

POWER SURGE

It took Welch three games to earn a point, but now they’re coming in bunches for the blueliner.

After earning an assist on the game-tying goal in a come-from-behind home win over Yale, the senior has accumulated seven points in the past six games with three goals and four assists.

During his team’s Thanksgiving trip to North Country, Welch earned two power play slap-shot goals, one against St. Lawrence and one against Clarkson.

In fact, all seven of Welch’s points have come on the power play.

The captain’s efforts, along with those of Andrew Lederman, Jon Pelle and the rest of the Crimson power play, have bumped the team’s power play percentage up to 25.9, this after the unit went 1-for-17 in those first three games. The squad is now ranked third in the nation with the man advantage.

“I think he’s stepped up over the last five or six games,” Donato said. “He’s consistently been one of the best players on the ice, and we need him to be. If he’s just average, then we’re going to have a tough time winning games, because he’s a key ingredient to what we’re trying to do, both offensively and defensively. I think over the last six games, he’s played like an MVP of the league would play.”

INJURY UPDATE

Senior Brendan Bernakevitch sustained a groin injury in a violent collision in front of the Harvard bench Friday night against St. Lawrence, one which caused the winger to collapse and crawl down the tunnel after leaving the Appleton Arena ice. Bernakevitch remains tied for second on the Crimson points list, though he did not play Saturday night.

He took to the twice during stoppages of play and skated tight circles, only to wince, shake his head, and then leave again.

On the other side of the coin, sophomore forward Ryan Maki returned to action this weekend after losing time with a rib injury.

He skated on a line with classmates Kevin Du and Steve Mandes, a trio which tasted some success last season.

SLAPSHOTS

Harvard was outshot in both contests this weekend, with St. Lawrence earning a 37-25 edge and Clarkson 29-18. The Crimson had particular trouble in the second period, mustering just two shots against the Saints and three against the Golden Knights...Freshman Mike Taylor now rides a three-game point-scoring streak, this after skating the first six games of the season without a point. Taylor notched the game-winner over BU on Tuesday night and notched a point in each of this weekend’s games...Charlie Johnson tallied his first goal of an injury-shortened season in the first period against the Golden Knights...Harvard’s penalty kill went 9-for-10 over the North Country weekend, amassing a slew of impressive blocks and clears...Assistant captain Tom Cavanagh, who has four goals and 10 assists on the season, is now fifth in the ECAC in points, averaging 1.57 per game. He is ninth on the list for goals, third for assists, and fourth for power-play points.

—Staff writer Rebecca A. Seesel can be reached at seesel@fas.harvard.edu.