Hockey Faces Rival Cornell

The Harvard men’s hockey team (7-15-3, 7-8-3 ECAC) looks to build some momentum going into the final stretch of the season as it takes on perennial rival Cornell (15-7-3, 12-4-2 ECAC) at 7 p.m. tonight at the Bright Hockey Center.

The two teams have one of the oldest rivalries in college hockey, dating back to 1910 when the Crimson won 5-0 in New York City.

Harvard is coming off a win over No. 16 Union, in which sophomore forward Alex Killorn enjoyed a two-goal night, including a power play strike midway through the third period.

“It’s always great to beat a team like Union, ranked 16th nationally and tied for number one spot [in the conference],” captain Alex Biega said. “It gives you a little bit more confidence going into the game. You can grip your stick a little less going into the weekend.”

Yet the Crimson isn’t the only team going into tonight’s matchup coming off a win. The Big Red enjoyed a 6-2 victory over Colgate on Tuesday night and is now tied with Yale for the top spot in the ECAC. Cornell forward Riley Nash had two goals and two assists for a four-point effort.

The matchup promises to be intense. In addition to the historic nature of the game, both teams hope to put forth a strong finish to the season and improve conference rankings before the playoffs.

“We have four games left, two of which are huge games against rivalries, and we are battling for a bye in the fourth spot,” Biega said. “We want to be a playoff game team—a team that is playing their best hockey at the end of the season.”

“Our season has been a bit disappointing at times, but fortunately, in our league every team makes the playoffs,” senior forward Doug Rogers added. “We are right in the middle of the pack so if we can do well in these last four games we can finish in a decent spot in our league, and we can make a good run in the playoffs.”

That might be easier said than done. Harvard has been streaky this season. Prior to the win against the Dutchmen, it had won only one match in the last seven contests.

“It’s obviously been a tough stretch for us—we haven’t been able to find our groove,” Biega said.

The Big Red’s season couldn’t be more different. The team has been strong throughout the season, and that consistency has resulted in 12 conference victories.

“They play a very strong game physically down low, and give up nothing defensively,” Biega said.

Among those twelve victories was a convincing 6-3 win over the Crimson earlier in the season. Though Harvard was up 3-1 midway through the second period, the team saw its hope for an upset evaporate as the Big Red scored the game’s final five goals, including three in the last period.

Unfortunately for the Crimson, third period breakdowns have been an ongoing theme throughout the season. To date, Harvard has been outscored 41-21 by its opponents in the last frame.

Notwithstanding, the team feels optimistic and confident going into tonight’s game.

“I think we’ve realized that Cornell is a very good team, and in my career we’ve had some success against Cornell,” Rogers said. “I think we have a good recipe for beating them and, coming off a win, I think we have good confidence going into the game. We are just going to try to keep coming offensively and if we can tighten up a little defensively I think we’ll be fine against Cornell.”

Biega echoed those sentiments.

“We have a well thought-out game plan, if we can play tight and stay out of penalty box, I think that we will be capable of having a good weekend.”

The Crimson currently sits at a precarious eighth in the ECAC league—the lowest spot that is guaranteed home-ice for the first round of the playoffs. Harvard needs more victories to take control of that spot, making these next four games, especially tonight’s crucial.

“Our league is so tight anyone can beat anyone on any given night,” Biega said. “We just have to focus on our game.”