Harvard Crimson 2013-2014

[Skate79]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2013-2014

Okay, yeah, going negative doesn't help the team or the program. And yes it will take time for everything to come together. But support is thinning out at Bright - the band never comes to games anymore and we are consistently outnumbered by the opposing teams' fans. It will really be on the players and coaches to turn this around. We can only stay positive for so long before it wears thin.

[bcarlisle]

Okay, yeah, going negative doesn't help the team or the program. And yes it will take time for everything to come together. But support is thinning out at Bright - the band never comes to games anymore and we are consistently outnumbered by the opposing teams' fans. It will really be on the players and coaches to turn this around. We can only stay positive for so long before it wears thin.

I'm a die hard St. Lawrence fan and I enjoy seeing SLU beat Harvard even more than I like seeing us beat Clarkson. That said, the ECAC needs a really strong, popular Harvard program. I was amazed watching the video at how empty the seats were at Bright last night. It wasn't always this way. When I did SLU radio in the mid-70s, Watson Rink used to be packed.

Harvard used to have strong student support and that appears to be dead. The Boston media is completely fixated on BC and BU and that wasn't always the case. I don't know if it's the coach, the poor record or the fact that Harvard used to draw its players from the same prep schools from which it draws many of its students and by necessity does so to a much lesser extent now -- severing the connection that used to exist between the school and the team. Whatever it is, with the ECAC finally achieving perceived parity with Hockey East and whatever mess the Midwest and West is throwing at us, the missing piece is a healthy Harvard. So I hope you all get it figured out. There is nothing good for any ECAC team with your current situation. Not that I didn't enjoy Friday's outcome.

[Skate79]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2013-2014

I'm a die hard St. Lawrence fan and I enjoy seeing SLU beat Harvard even more than I like seeing us beat Clarkson. That said, the ECAC needs a really strong, popular Harvard program. I was amazed watching the video at how empty the seats were at Bright last night. It wasn't always this way. When I did SLU radio in the mid-70s, Watson Rink used to be packed.

Harvard used to have strong student support and that appears to be dead. The Boston media is completely fixated on BC and BU and that wasn't always the case. I don't know if it's the coach, the poor record or the fact that Harvard used to draw its players from the same prep schools from which it draws many of its students and by necessity does so to a much lesser extent now -- severing the connection that used to exist between the school and the team. Whatever it is, with the ECAC finally achieving perceived parity with Hockey East and whatever mess the Midwest and West is throwing at us, the missing piece is a healthy Harvard. So I hope you all get it figured out. There is nothing good for any ECAC team with your current situation. Not that I didn't enjoy Friday's outcome.

Thanks. It is really hard to watch these games and see the same results over and over again. I don't expect perfection by any means but we are way overdue to get back to national prominence. With other sports at Harvard achieving great results, I'm not buying any more excuses. It's time to get back to winning hockey and the NCAAs and I don't care at this point who is at the helm; I just want us back to the Frozen Four.

[Skate79]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2013-2014

I don't often say this but after watching last night's game and especially the third period, we got hosed. Big time. Giving Clarkson five straight power plays in our barn including a five on three for the second time in the game was ridiculous. Kyle Criscuolo gets punched in the face and there is no call. Phil Zielonka barely pushes a Clarkson player from behind and is called for boarding. Garbage.

The Crimson get zero respect from the officials and it's showing up at critical moments. Okay, the goal that would have tied it was nullified and I get why. Still it could have gone a different way. And it would have if BC had been the team scoring the goal. Sorry folks, that's just the way it is.

This is a game that should have gone to OT. I'm not saying that Clarkson would not have won the game. But Steve Michalek deserved a better fate. He played a great game and his penalty killers were superb. We just spent too much time in our own zone and could not generate any decent chances in the offensive zone. And I don't want to hear the excuse that we're young and need time to develop. BC has the youngest team in the nation and it doesn't seem to be hurting them.

We are not going to win unless we have a change in our mindset, attitude and effort. We dump the puck way too much instead of trying to create space and movement. I lost count of how many times we iced the puck. It was absurd. I've seen pee wee games that had more structure and discipline.

And to make matters worse, we've lost Kerfoot for the foreseeable future with a shoulder dislocation. Ouch.

[J.D.]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2013-2014

You guys get pretty darn good recruits. The problem is donato can't coach a lick. It is what it is. I know you
guys try to avoid firing coaches, but I've seen enough from donato to know he can't coach. Just my opinion.

[BCeagle]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2013-2014

Okay, yeah, going negative doesn't help the team or the program. And yes it will take time for everything to come together. But support is thinning out at Bright - the band never comes to games anymore and we are consistently outnumbered by the opposing teams' fans. It will really be on the players and coaches to turn this around. We can only stay positive for so long before it wears thin.

I just don't think Donato is the right coach and things will will be business as usual. Yeah it's early in the season, but how many seasons have you been saying this ? Year in and year out. I remember when it wasn't like this under Cleary but things have totally turned around in the opposite direction.

[Skate79]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2013-2014

I just don't think Donato is the right coach and things will will be business as usual. Yeah it's early in the season, but how many seasons have you been saying this ? Year in and year out. I remember when it wasn't like this under Cleary but things have totally turned around in the opposite direction.

20 seasons and counting...

[bothman]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2013-2014

Harvard's program has been mired in mediocrity for far too long. It feels like a punch in the gut, both from a performance and a spectacle (no fans) standpoint.

It's a similar feeling that I had when Bush/Cheney were in the White House. These guys went out and tried to massacre the reputation of the USA in 8 yrs, which took 200+ yrs to build with their lies and their arrogrance. But, as a proud citizen of this great country, I supported them as best I could.

I'm not at practice or on the bench, so I have a hard time justifying the comments about Donato. This is a young team, skating without 2 of its Top 4 D. Any team would struggle with that.

We all knew (once we understood the suspensions) that the first 7 games would be challenging. Better things are ahead for this team so let's stay positive. I think this team is on the upward trend, and I will continue to support them through this adversity.

Do I see Havard in the NCAAs this year? No. But I do think they can make some waves in the ECACs if healthy. I think this freshman class will be in the NCAAs 2 out of its 4 years and anything can happen once you get admitted to the dance.

[BCeagle]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2013-2014

Fine Bothman, you can stay positive for another 20 years. But BC has a young team too and I can see potential and progression. When York took over a program in the pits, it took him 3-4 years to rebuild the program from mediocrity and in 1998 they made the FF Championship game against Michigan and whiskers from a NCAA title when the puck hit the crossbar. Since 2001, you know the story at BC.

Can you imagine what BC would be like if Flynn had hired him earlier ? But the AD said he did not have enough experience. I have nothing against Harvard but I understand why fans have drifted away from the program little by little. Just like BC fans have drifted away from the football program here and I am back this year with the new coach. I would have been happy at 6-6 and a bowl game but BC can finish the year potentially 8-4 after last year's fiasco and Spaz given the HC job after the previous AD butchered the programs and process of hiring the right coach.

Honestly, I wish HU well but I don't see it making progress unless you get the right coach in place. Once you had high expectations and now you hope they make the Beanpot finals.

As far as the GOP, I cannot ever vote for them again after what they have done to this country and bring in a culture of despair and partisan politics at the expense of our country's business and well being. I vote Democrat because it's the lesser of 2 evils and generally I get the feeling they care for me more with their policies and people not wealthy. My dad was a Republican and my older brother too.

As an example, how many times will they try to repeal ACA and waste our time and obstruct time after time instead of working in bi-partisan manner and compromise to get things passed and something done ? I hope they continue because maybe then we can get something done after people get fed up with their act and vote them out and the GOP party becomes not relevant anymore like the Whig party.

[Dutchman]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2013-2014

Harvard's program has been mired in mediocrity for far too long. It feels like a punch in the gut, both from a performance and a spectacle (no fans) standpoint.

It's a similar feeling that I had when Bush/Cheney were in the White House. These guys went out and tried to massacre the reputation of the USA in 8 yrs, which took 200+ yrs to build with their lies and their arrogrance. But, as a proud citizen of this great country, I supported them as best I could.

I'm not at practice or on the bench, so I have a hard time justifying the comments about Donato. This is a young team, skating without 2 of its Top 4 D. Any team would struggle with that.

We all knew (once we understood the suspensions) that the first 7 games would be challenging. Better things are ahead for this team so let's stay positive. I think this team is on the upward trend, and I will continue to support them through this adversity.

Do I see Havard in the NCAAs this year? No. But I do think they can make some waves in the ECACs if healthy. I think this freshman class will be in the NCAAs 2 out of its 4 years and anything can happen once you get admitted to the dance.

Two years ago Harvard made it to Atlantic City and destroyed a very good Cornell Team in the first round. In the ECAC Tournament finals Harvard was up 1-0 on Union well into the third period. Had they beaten Union, they would have made the NCAA Playoffs. How well would they have done? They were every bit as good as Union or Cornell that year and Cornell knocked of Michigan in the first round and missed by a goal making it to the Frozen 4. Union did make it to the Frozen 4.

Last year 5 teams from the old CCHA made the playoffs and only three from the ECAC. The ECAC teams were 8-2 and their only losses were to other ECAC teams. Most of the CCHA teams went down in the first round.

Harvard has some barriers to making it to the NCAA's that are out of the control of the coach. First and foremost they are part of the ECAC which has been woefully underrepresented in the NCAA playoffs over the past 5 years. Two years ago, had Harvard been selected, it would have been interesting to see how far they could have gone. Last year, it would have been nice to see how far Brown or RPI could have gone.

This year is tough. The ECAC is even more competitive than last year and the strong NCAA bias against the ECAC is still there. Harvard has too much talent ever to ever count them out. I am looking forward to the Beanpot and beyond.

[FiveHole12]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2013-2014

Two years ago Harvard made it to Atlantic City and destroyed a very good Cornell Team in the first round. In the ECAC Tournament finals Harvard was up 1-0 on Union well into the third period. Had they beaten Union, they would have made the NCAA Playoffs. How well would they have done? They were every bit as good as Union or Cornell that year and Cornell knocked of Michigan in the first round and missed by a goal making it to the Frozen 4. Union did make it to the Frozen 4.

Last year 5 teams from the old CCHA made the playoffs and only three from the ECAC. The ECAC teams were 8-2 and their only losses were to other ECAC teams. Most of the CCHA teams went down in the first round.

Harvard has some barriers to making it to the NCAA's that are out of the control of the coach. First and foremost they are part of the ECAC which has been woefully underrepresented in the NCAA playoffs over the past 5 years. Two years ago, had Harvard been selected, it would have been interesting to see how far they could have gone. Last year, it would have been nice to see how far Brown or RPI could have gone.

This year is tough. The ECAC is even more competitive than last year and the strong NCAA bias against the ECAC is still there. Harvard has too much talent ever to ever count them out. I am looking forward to the Beanpot and beyond.

Are you saying the PairWise Rankings are biased?
Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't an ECAC alum write the formula?

[J.D.]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2013-2014

dutchman doesn't care about facts!

and one good showing in however many years and now the ECAC doesn't get the respect it deserves...

[BigAl]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2013-2014

Are the suspended Crimson players coming back for the upcoming weekend?

[QUAlum2004]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2013-2014

Are the suspended Crimson players coming back for the upcoming weekend?

I hope not. Well at least not until Saturday that is.

[bothman]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2013-2014

Are the suspended Crimson players coming back for the upcoming weekend?

I believe it is 7 games so if that is indeed correct, they will not be available for this weekend.