Former Crimson men's ice hockey standout Danny Biega '13 made his NHL debut on Thursday.
Danny Biega ’13 made his NHL debut for the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night in Montreal.
The former Harvard defenseman, captain, and third-round draft pick was called up from the Charlotte Checkers to play his first NHL game, in which the Hurricane’s lost, 4-0, to the Montreal Canadiens, Biega’s hometown team.
Biega recorded 14:26 minutes of ice time and a minus-2 rating. He is the third Harvard men’s hockey alum to make an NHL debut this year.
His brother, former Harvard captain and defenseman Alex Biega ’10, played seven games with the Vancouver Canucks in late February and early March, recording the game-winning goal in his first appearance on Feb. 16.
On Feb. 24, former Harvard captain and defenseman Dylan Reese ’07 played in a road game for the Arizona Coyotes.
Biega is the 28th Harvard hockey alum to play in an NHL Game. As a junior, he earned first-team All-America honors while placing second nationally among defensemen in points per game. Since turning professional, he has recorded 32 points in 130 games with Charlotte in the American Hockey League.
—Staff writer Michael D. Ledecky can be reached at michael.ledecky@thecrimson.com
In Jimmy Vesey's freshman season, he saw the Crimson rank last in goals in the ECAC. The next year, Harvard jumped only one spot.
That changed this season in dramatic fashion, in large part due to the efforts of the junior forward. Those outside of Cambridge have taken notice.
Before taking the ice for the ECAC Men’s Hockey Tournament semifinal matchup against No. 7/7 Quinnipiac, Vesey was named the ECAC Media Association Player of the Year.
The Nashville Predators’ draft pick has been the moving force for the No. 18/- Crimson offense this season. The junior has accounted for 28 goals and 26 assists through the first period of the team’s semifinal matchup against the Bobcats, leading the conference in goals and points. The output of the first-line—which matched him with junior co-captain Kyle Criscuolo and, when healthy, sophomore Alexander Kerfoot—is a large reason why Harvard boasts the highest-scoring offense in the conference with an average of more than three-and-a-quarter goals per contest.
The forward started off the year with a 21-game point streak, which was only broken when the Crimson was shut out in its third matchup against No. 19/- Yale. He registered a point in all but three games this season.
Vesey’s output was not only large in quantity, but also timely, providing clutch goals for his team. He notched both game-winners in the ECAC quarterfinals against Yale, including the game-deciding goal in double overtime of the rubber match that sent the Crimson to Lake Placid. He also added six points in the two-game sweep of Brown in the first-round series.
This year’s campaign for the North Reading, Mass. native came after he was named to the All-Ivy League second team his sophomore season where he registered 13 goals and nine assists.
Vesey was earlier named Ivy League Player of the Year and to the All-Ivy first team for his efforts this season.
Vesey was not the only member of the Crimson to garner accolades. Fellow classmates and linemate Kyle Criscuolo was named Student-Athlete of the Year, recognizing his off-the-ice accomplishments in conjunction with his performance on the ice. The co-captain ranks fifth in goals in the conference and third in assists, many of which led to Vesey goals.
Despite his prolonged absence during the season, junior defenseman Patrick McNally was named to the second All-ECAC team for the second consecutive season. The Milton Academy graduate has averaged exactly a point per game in the 18 contests for which he has dressed this year.
—Staff writer Kurt T. Bullard can be reached at kurtbullard@college.harvard.edu.
Published by
Caleb Lee on March 20, 2015 at 7:48PM
The Harvard women's ice hockey team will take the ice Friday evening at 9 p.m. at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis.
With Harvard's NCAA Frozen Four semifinal matchup against crosstown foe Boston College less than a day away, The Back Page presents some of the key quotes from Thursday afternoon's press conference in Minneapolis.
From Harvard coach Katey Stone’s opening statement:
“We are certainly very pleased to be here. We haven’t played in Minnesota during this time of year in a handful of years so it is nice to be back.”
The Back Page: This is the Crimson’s first NCAA Frozen Four appearance since 2008, and sixth in program history. In that 2008 season, Harvard beat Dartmouth in the first round, 5-1, before falling to Wisconsin by a 4-1 score in the semis. Since then, the Crimson qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2010 and 2013, but dropped first round games against Cornell and who else but Boston College, respectively.
Stone, on if the last two games against BC will affect Harvard emotionally:
“I can only speak on our kids and it is just another hockey game on the road toward our ultimate goal. It doesn’t matter whether we are playing BC or Minnesota or Wisconsin.”
TBP: Arguably, the 10-2 embarrassment at the hands of the Eagles was a season-defining turning point for the Crimson. Coming into that game, Harvard had gone 0-1-2 and had squandered quality chances to net the game winner in both ties. But following the blowout loss to the Eagles, Harvard rattled off 10 straight wins. And since the Crimson’s Beanpot final win over BC, the Queens of Boston have gone 7-1-1.
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As covered earlier this week, the Harvard men’s basketball team (22-7, 11-3 Ivy) is being seen a substantial underdog to its first-round NCAA opponent—the North Carolina Tar Heels (24-11, 11-7 ACC). Below, men’s basketball beat writer David Freed looks at the five things Harvard needs to do to pull off the upset.
1. Control the Pace: In today’s media sessions, the top main topics were the pace of the game and the ability of the Tar Heels to control the boards. UNC likes to get out and run, where its athleticism can overcome opponents and generate early looks in transition. The Tar Heels just 1-5 in games with fewer than 65 possessions, whereas Harvard averages just 63.8 possessions a game. If the Crimson can keep the game slow, minimizing turnovers, they can keep a potent UNC offense in check.
2. Stop Marcus Paige: The heart and soul of the Tar Heels is junior point guard Marcus Paige, the team’s best perimeter scorer. Paige will be checked by a litany of Harvard defenders, likely starting with 6’0” starting point guard Siyani Chambers. Chambers guarded Yale combo guard Javier Duren for many of the final two contests with Yale and has improved vastly as a defender in year three. If he does not excel here, however, Harvard’s chances will fall from slim to none.
3. Hold its Own on the Glass: Against a team that ranked second in Division I in rebounding, it is crucial Harvard be able to keep defensive possessions to one shot. UNC boasts length, depth, and size across its front line, while Harvard often eschews defensive rebounding to send people (read: junior Agunwa Okolie) out in transition. Junior wing Wesley Saunders and co-captain Steve Moundou-Missi are the team’s two best rebounding rotation players and the two keys to the game. On the other side, Harvard will likely eschew rebounding to send extra players back in transition, as stopping the Tar Heel break is a priority for the squad.
4. Bench and Balance: Harvard coach Tommy Amaker is often quoted with these two words, his personal keys to the Harvard offense. Against a deep UNC squad, Harvard will need both its bench to provide solid minutes and support its big three—Chambers, Moundou-Missi, and Saunders—who will not overcome the Tar Heels on their own.
5. Regress To The Mean: In its biggest games of the year, Harvard’s shot has failed it when it needed it most. Two brutal three-point shooting performances against Yale were preceded by brick fests against Virginia and Boston College. Saunders went a combined four-of-26 in the two games, while the Crimson as a team shot just 24.5 percent. While some credit is due to the defenses of the opposing squads, Harvard missed a number of wide-open shots in each contest—against the Cavaliers in particular, the Crimson generated a series of early good looks. If the percentages revert back to the mean, Harvard will defy many of the doubters about its offense.
—Staff writer David Freed can be reached at david.freed@thecrimson.com.
In anticipation of the Harvard men’s basketball team’s second-round NCAA Tournament game against North Carolina, The Back Page takes a look at five of the other things to do in Jacksonville while waiting for the Crimson to tip off.
1. Beaches: On the eastern coast of Florida, Jacksonville has no shortage of beaches, replete with gorgeous white sand and makeshift volleyball nets that accompany them. The city’s three main beach areas are Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach, and Atlantic Beach—totaling 22 miles of beach in all. Given the brutal Northeast Cambridge weather, Harvard fans can take solace in the warm, paradise-like climate.
2. World Golf Hall of Fame: Jacksonville doesn’t have the greatest domestic sports reputation, as anyone vaguely acquainted with Blaine Gabbert will tell you. However, it is as prominent a golf town as any, close to the PGA Tour office, the TPC at Sawgrass Stadium course where the Player’s Championship is held, and the World Golf Hall of Fame. For those interested in golf’s darker side, Jacksonville is roughly an hour from Tiger Woods’ mansion—although you’re unlikely to see the club that wrecked his Escalade in this museum.
3. King Street District: For late night activity, the best place to visit in Jacksonville is the King Street District, which boasts the majority of the city’s (moderate) nightlife. Dahlia’s Pour House and the Blind Rabbit win prizes for the most inventive names.
4. Flagler College Cafeteria: Jacksonville is home to arguably the world’s nicest cafeteria outside of Mather House. No, really. Flagler College is reportedly home to 79 Louis Comfort Tiffany stained-glass windows, the world’s largest connection of its kind that is still in its original location.
5. Cumberland Island: For those looking to get off the mainland, Cumberland is a small island not far from downtown Jacksonville up I-95. It is both historic and reportedly beautiful and can be reached by ferry from Fernandina Beach, 35 miles north of Jacksonville.
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