Harvard 2021-22: Back to Work

[ARM]

I was hoping for "Crouching Tigers Beat Lazy Bulldogs" but alas . . .

What, you didn't want to clinch a spot? I was coming over to say, "Congrats," not that there was a lot of risk of both Princeton and UConn winning tomorrow. It looks like there is a fairly high chance that we'll wind up in the same quarter.

 

[thirdtime's . . .]

What, you didn't want to clinch a spot? I was coming over to say, "Congrats," not that there was a lot of risk of both Princeton and UConn winning tomorrow. It looks like there is a fairly high chance that we'll wind up in the same quarter.

I just wanted the Tigers to demonstrate their prowess one more time, not go all the way! And it would be a treat to face the Gophers, away from the bright lights of Smashville.

 

[ARM]

And it would be a treat to face the Gophers, away from the bright lights of Smashville.

We used to play a lot in the Laura Halldorson era, including three straight years at the FF. But it makes sense that Harvard playing UMD is the priority in recent years.

 

[Skate79]

Like Harvard’s D last Sunday, I’m a little late to respond, but . . . SAY WHAT?

What does it really mean to say that H thought it had the series won before stepping out on the ice? Do you mean this team forgot that Princeton had taken them to the max twice within the previous thirty-plus days, denying them dominance in every aspect of play? There may well be questions about decisions made behind the bench this whole series, and many questions about decisions made on the ice, but a team doesn’t have to be “lazy” to simply get outplayed by a talented and determined opponent. A loss does not make the team reprehensible.

Btw, it would not be a stretch to see the Connors and the McQuigge and the defense that Harvard faced, however unevenly, lead the Tigers to the ECAC tournament crown. An upset, to be sure, but not a total stretch.

Well so much for Princeton winning the tournament.

And I never said that the loss was reprehensible. Those were your words not mine. Princeton did not dominate Harvard during the regular season. In fact they didn’t score in either game which makes your statement look foolish. Did they play Harvard tough? Yes. The cardinal rule that should never be broken in playoff hockey is never take your opponent lightly. Whether it’s a single game elimination or three game series. Bad breaks or fluke goals happen but over the course of three games, the better team should win. Unless the underdog wants it more and the home team fails to respond. Which is what happened in this case.

 

[thirdtime's . . .]

It’s showtime and soon we’ll be in the Big Kids’ rink! Harvard will have to check its nerves at the door. What will help?

Petrie, whose absence greatly handicapped the Princeton series, has to be back on the ice. A slick, fluid puck possessor, she’s never seen a one-on-three that she didn’t like, or a net that she didn’t think needed circling. She is also a relentless pursuer of pucks and is among Harvard’s scrappiest players. These instincts don’t always serve her well or put her on top of the stat sheets, but in centering the second line she has become the team’s offensive center of gravity. An unusual combination of grace and grit, she needs to be suited up in order to have the Crimson jell.

I think Stone has painted herself into a corner with her goalie rotation that is no longer a rotation. Continue with the ytd good but unexceptional Reed, or take Dutton out of mothballs, where she’s been languishing for more than a month, and trust in the poise she displayed early in the season? I’d roll the dice and go with the senior captain, but I bet Stone won’t.

Practice, practice, practice special teams. PPs are going to be lifelines against UMD. Harvard has to grab them.

 

[Watson Rink]

Apparently the game will be streamed for free on the BTN+ website here: https://www.bigtenplus.com/en-int/playerpage/1287276

 

[thirdtime's . . .]

Imagine that Harvard had home ice last night and Stone chose not to match top lines. Then imagine that a certain someone was available to center the second line. I could then imagine UMD 4-1 or 5-2 with ENGs. This imagining leaves Hughes' hat trick intact and leaves me with the only thing I can say about the game.

 

[Still Eeyore]

Imagine that Harvard had home ice last night and Stone chose not to match top lines. Then imagine that a certain someone was available to center the second line. I could then imagine UMD 4-1 or 5-2 with ENGs. This imagining leaves Hughes' hat trick intact and leaves me with the only thing I can say about the game.

After the first goal, I suggested that Harvard probably should avoid leaving Hughes all alone in the slot. They apparently disagreed. Though, in fairness, Harvard didn't discriminate. All sorts of Bulldogs found open areas in front. The others just weren't as good at putting the puck in the net.

But what was more striking was at the other end. For the first thirty minutes, Harvard made pretty much no effort to get in front themselves. The shot totals were about equal, but there was no comparison in terms of the quality of the shots taken. After UMD made it 3-0, the Crimson at least made halfhearted efforts to get in close, but there were very few times when both the puck and a Harvard player were within six feet of Soderberg simultaneously.

 

[thirdtime's . . .]

The offseason can be a good time for archives, but because the ills of the world don’t have an offseason some archives are more compelling than others right now. Though necessarily Harvard-centric, this link should appeal to fans of all stripes since the larger story is really about a remarkable journey from Alberta to Ukraine via an exceptional hockey career.

I was introduced to this connection by a woman I met at the rink some years ago who was there to follow the fortunes of the then freshman skater Liza Ryabkina, who would go on to become the MVP of the 2010 Beanpot. Ryabkina, from Kharkiv,* was just one of many who benefited from the legacy of the thirteenth of fourteen children born to immigrants from Ukraine, Gene Kinasewich.

http://www.genesfund.org/gene/rememberences.cfm


The site is a bit of a rabbit’s warren, but you can find things like
Nine Gene’s Fund Students Participate in NCAA Playoffs (Feb. 2010).

* “Unable to take control of the city, Russia has resorted to destroying it.” (NYT, 3/18/22)