Harvard Crimson 2017-2018

[bothman]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2017-2018

Kind of an indifferent performance from Harvard. Not a lot of creativity, the PP was completely flat, and certainly not the type of performance that would generate a result against a more competitive opponent. In fact, I don't think that performance nets a win against Union later today.

A couple of notes:
- The 2nd PP unit is a complete mess. No chemistry or cohesion. At this point, I'm wondering if they just take slap-shots from the point and try to get a cheap rebound goal as a strategy, the way they used to do with Tim Petit.
- Madsen wasn't tested much, but did well when he was. I think he has assumed the lead dog role in the near term and would expect him to get another start today
- Interesting to see Aiken get the nod on D over Olsen. Not sure if Olsen is hurt, but he really needs to work on his skating and positioning this off-season. The game seems too fast for him at times which results in bad penalties or being caught flat footed
- I really like Walsh, but he certainly needs to tighten things up defensively.
- With Fox back, for the PP I hope they have Donato down low (Vesey position), Fox on the right point, and Walsh on the left point for the one-timer. Walsh clearly has the best slap-shot on the team from the point and outside of Donato coming across the crease for a wrister, Walsh's shot from the point should be option #2

I assume that Fox will be back today which should revitalize the D and the PP. With Donato gone for February, this puts such a premium on these January games. Guys will have to step up (Badini, Gossage, Krusko, Byce, etc) - but Harvard just does not have a lot of finishers. Harvard will have to win a lot of 2-1 games if they are going to win in February (which will also mean the D and Madsen will have to step up big time).

Be interesting to know for sure when Harvard will lose Donato's services.

 

[Skate79]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2017-2018

Kind of an indifferent performance from Harvard. Not a lot of creativity, the PP was completely flat, and certainly not the type of performance that would generate a result against a more competitive opponent. In fact, I don't think that performance nets a win against Union later today.

A couple of notes:
- The 2nd PP unit is a complete mess. No chemistry or cohesion. At this point, I'm wondering if they just take slap-shots from the point and try to get a cheap rebound goal as a strategy, the way they used to do with Tim Petit.
- Madsen wasn't tested much, but did well when he was. I think he has assumed the lead dog role in the near term and would expect him to get another start today
- Interesting to see Aiken get the nod on D over Olsen. Not sure if Olsen is hurt, but he really needs to work on his skating and positioning this off-season. The game seems too fast for him at times which results in bad penalties or being caught flat footed
- I really like Walsh, but he certainly needs to tighten things up defensively.
- With Fox back, for the PP I hope they have Donato down low (Vesey position), Fox on the right point, and Walsh on the left point for the one-timer. Walsh clearly has the best slap-shot on the team from the point and outside of Donato coming across the crease for a wrister, Walsh's shot from the point should be option #2

I assume that Fox will be back today which should revitalize the D and the PP. With Donato gone for February, this puts such a premium on these January games. Guys will have to step up (Badini, Gossage, Krusko, Byce, etc) - but Harvard just does not have a lot of finishers. Harvard will have to win a lot of 2-1 games if they are going to win in February (which will also mean the D and Madsen will have to step up big time).

Be interesting to know for sure when Harvard will lose Donato's services.

I'm guessing that he will leave after the Colgate game. That will give him time to acclimate to his surroundings in South Korea and begin practices with the team which I believe start on February 1st or 2nd if Harvard's posting on GoCrimson is accurate. Looking at the schedule, we're probably going to absorb losses to Union and Clarkson for sure and maybe Dartmouth. Depending on how Team USA fares in the tournament, he might actually make it back for the Brown/Yale final weekend. We don't know how the US stacks up against the competition or if they even make the medal round. We need all the points we can get before he leaves obviously.

To the rest of your post, I think Aiken is in for Fox and Dumbrovsky is replacing Olsen. Have no idea if Jake is hurt. Walsh is establishing himself as the #2 D behind Fox. Marino's play has me wondering if he will be demoted to the third pairing. He hasn't looked sharp or confident with the puck in a while.

I'm really down on Zerter-Gossage and Krushko. Both guys have taken a step back this year, especially ZG. He went into the corner on one shift and the RPI D man simply pushed him off with one arm and continued with the puck. ZG made no attempt to go hard on the puck or the D. Someone needs to give him a lecture on fighting for every last inch because as of now, he's not doing it.

We need a big game from Madsen today. A VERY BIG game.

 

[bothman]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2017-2018

Fox not in Lineup vs Union today.

 

[bothman]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2017-2018

Headed to OT. Regardless of outcome, a gutless performance by Harvard. Beat to pucks all night and an inept D. No break out whatsoever. Union deserves this game.

 

[Skate79]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2017-2018

Wow. Echoing Bothman's sentiments, Union is going to have a LONG bus ride back to NY. This was their game. They dominated in all three zones, had more chances and should have won. We got flat out coached in this game right up until the final 14 seconds of OT when the coaches drew up the play that sent Bowlby in on Kupsky. How the Union D failed to pull down or trip Bowlby to take a penalty and stop the play is beyond me. You can't let a player get a clear shot with the game on the line. Ryan Donato almost did the same thing at the end of regulation and I guess Harvard thought that was the one opening they had to exploit the Union D. It worked.

I'm really worried about our D. Geez, we got so outplayed, outhustled, outhit, you name it, we were on our heels the whole game. Bennett knows how to beat us like a rug. If Union gets goaltending, they win going away.

Not sure why Fox didn't play unless he couldn't get a flight back to Boston in time to suit up. At least we'll have him next weekend. More changes should be on the way both on D and up front. We can't play this way and expect to go anywhere in March. Let alone February.

 

[HUCrimson#1]

Harvard Crimson 2017-2018

I'm guessing that he will leave after the Colgate game. That will give him time to acclimate to his surroundings in South Korea and begin practices with the team which I believe start on February 1st or 2nd if Harvard's posting on GoCrimson is accurate. Looking at the schedule, we're probably going to absorb losses to Union and Clarkson for sure and maybe Dartmouth. Depending on how Team USA fares in the tournament, he might actually make it back for the Brown/Yale final weekend. We don't know how the US stacks up against the competition or if they even make the medal round. We need all the points we can get before he leaves obviously.

To the rest of your post, I think Aiken is in for Fox and Dumbrovsky is replacing Olsen. Have no idea if Jake is hurt. Walsh is establishing himself as the #2 D behind Fox. Marino's play has me wondering if he will be demoted to the third pairing. He hasn't looked sharp or confident with the puck in a while.

I'm really down on Zerter-Gossage and Krushko. Both guys have taken a step back this year, especially ZG. He went into the corner on one shift and the RPI D man simply pushed him off with one arm and continued with the puck. ZG made no attempt to go hard on the puck or the D. Someone needs to give him a lecture on fighting for every last inch because as of now, he's not doing it.

We need a big game from Madsen today. A VERY BIG game.

Just for the record I saw Jake on crutches at the RPI game. He apparently “broke his left knee cap” in practice and will be out 2-3 weeks. Seb too was injured in practice. In his case a broken finger making it difficult to grip his stick - also 3 week recovery. The boys who are not dressing still attend the games and can often be found between periods. Look for anyone dressed in a suit. Only hockey players are required to dress up and they enjoy chatting with fans.

BTW, I learned the official plan for the final 15 seconds involved a defensive crouch. Henry’s play to the net was totally opportunistic and obviously unexpected. I’m not the expert among contributors to the conversation, but I thought the D was much improved. Seems to me Marino and Sherman especially made several great offensive plays and Aiken was tenacious and quite effective as was Reilly. Seems we were always breaking up their offense in the neutral zone.

Seems we are moving in the right direction taking our play to the next level. Certainly big challenges approaching with Clarkson and Cornell.

 

[bothman]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2017-2018

Just for the record I saw Jake on crutches at the RPI game. He apparently “broke his left knee cap” in practice and will be out 2-3 weeks. Seb too was injured in practice. In his case a broken finger making it difficult to grip his stick - also 3 week recovery. The boys who are not dressing still attend the games and can often be found between periods. Look for anyone dressed in a suit. Only hockey players are required to dress up and they enjoy chatting with fans.

BTW, I learned the official plan for the final 15 seconds involved a defensive crouch. Henry’s play to the net was totally opportunistic and obviously unexpected. I’m not the expert among contributors to the conversation, but I thought the D was much improved. Seems to me Marino and Sherman especially made several great offensive plays and Aiken was tenacious and quite effective as was Reilly. Seems we were always breaking up their offense in the neutral zone.

Seems we are moving in the right direction taking our play to the next level. Certainly big challenges approaching with Clarkson and Cornell.

Tough news for Lloyd and Olsen.

As for the D, I'm not sure I agree. There were many times last night, where a Harvard defensemen took the puck behind his net and ultimately (through indecision or a bad decision) coughed the puck up to a Union player who generate sustained pressure in the Harvard end and a Harvard unit that was exhausted. Wiley Sherman in particular was guilty of this countless times. Perhaps these outcomes unveil how meaningful Adam Fox is to this team and to the defense. And as much as I like Reilly Walsh, the gap between Fox and Walsh is significant. Walsh still makes a lot of turnovers and questionable decision making on both sides of the blue line.

Now maybe Union's forecheck was better than Harvard has seen in a while, but all game, we could not break the puck out of our zone with any consistency and speed. And when that happens, our skill at forward is completely neutralized. I mean outside of his goal, even Donato was fairly benign last night for this reason.

Harvard has it in them and they have shown better ability earlier in the year. But despite the two wins this weekend, I thought both performances were underwhelming, particularly yesterday against Union.

 

[Skate79]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2017-2018

Just for the record I saw Jake on crutches at the RPI game. He apparently “broke his left knee cap” in practice and will be out 2-3 weeks. Seb too was injured in practice. In his case a broken finger making it difficult to grip his stick - also 3 week recovery. The boys who are not dressing still attend the games and can often be found between periods. Look for anyone dressed in a suit. Only hockey players are required to dress up and they enjoy chatting with fans.

BTW, I learned the official plan for the final 15 seconds involved a defensive crouch. Henry’s play to the net was totally opportunistic and obviously unexpected. I’m not the expert among contributors to the conversation, but I thought the D was much improved. Seems to me Marino and Sherman especially made several great offensive plays and Aiken was tenacious and quite effective as was Reilly. Seems we were always breaking up their offense in the neutral zone.

Seems we are moving in the right direction taking our play to the next level. Certainly big challenges approaching with Clarkson and Cornell.

I'm with Bothman on his assessment. I'm not sure what game you were watching but we had all kinds of problems with our breakouts. Union had a great game plan but we did nothing to counter and our D simply couldn't handle what Union threw at them. Kudos to Bennett for bringing his team in prepared to counter our strengths. We did almost nothing to respond.

Regarding the defensive crouch, I saw Teddy drawing up something on his board (I was watching the game on TV so I was limited in what I saw) but from where I sat, yes, they looked to get the puck deep in Union's zone to prevent them from having any more chances. But I don't think it was coincidence that Henry was there to receive the pass and barrel down to create the scoring chance. As I pointed out, at the end of regulation, Donato and Bowlby broke out two on one shorthanded and Ryan almost won it. That had to factor in to their thought process.

Either way, it's two points and we move on to Princeton/Quinny next weekend.

 

[HUCrimson#1]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2017-2018

I'm with Bothman on his assessment. I'm not sure what game you were watching but we had all kinds of problems with our breakouts. Union had a great game plan but we did nothing to counter and our D simply couldn't handle what Union threw at them. Kudos to Bennett for bringing his team in prepared to counter our strengths. We did almost nothing to respond.

Regarding the defensive crouch, I saw Teddy drawing up something on his board (I was watching the game on TV so I was limited in what I saw) but from where I sat, yes, they looked to get the puck deep in Union's zone to prevent them from having any more chances. But I don't think it was coincidence that Henry was there to receive the pass and barrel down to create the scoring chance. As I pointed out, at the end of regulation, Donato and Bowlby broke out two on one shorthanded and Ryan almost won it. That had to factor in to their thought process.

Either way, it's two points and we move on to Princeton/Quinny next weekend.

Both you and Bothman are clearly much better educated in the nuances of the game than me, a relative new hockey addict. So I value your expert assessment of the D. That said in general when a team comes from behind three times and wins in OT, to me it shows a measure of resilience and mental toughness, a.k.a. chemistry that is hard to define. I hope getting Fox back in the lineup will inspire the entire D. Were either of you impressed with Tommy Aiken? For his size at least he seems to outperform.


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[Skate79]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2017-2018

Both you and Bothman are clearly much better educated in the nuances of the game than me, a relative new hockey addict. So I value your expert assessment of the D. That said in general when a team comes from behind three times and wins in OT, to me it shows a measure of resilience and mental toughness, a.k.a. chemistry that is hard to define. I hope getting Fox back in the lineup will inspire the entire D. Were either of you impressed with Tommy Aiken? For his size at least he seems to outperform.


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Aiken is a very nice story. A walk-on three years ago who played some meaningful minutes when we were hit with injuries on the blue line. His size works against him but he is a smart kid and fearless. The coaches have immense respect for his contributions.

Thanks for the kind words. I've watched a lot of hockey and played a lot as a young man. Have learned from some the of the best including Bill Cleary. I'm truly grateful for all my hockey interactions and relationships. And there is absolutely nothing like playing on a pond in single digits with a slight wind in January!

 

[bothman]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2017-2018

Both you and Bothman are clearly much better educated in the nuances of the game than me, a relative new hockey addict. So I value your expert assessment of the D. That said in general when a team comes from behind three times and wins in OT, to me it shows a measure of resilience and mental toughness, a.k.a. chemistry that is hard to define. I hope getting Fox back in the lineup will inspire the entire D. Were either of you impressed with Tommy Aiken? For his size at least he seems to outperform.


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Aiken is a good player and played very well a few years back in the Minnesota tournament. He competes hard. That said, he has limited speed and size and has been exposed by forwards who are skilled, fast, and have size/strength. He makes the most of what he's got and can fill a hole for a period of time, but I don't think he is a viable long term option.

Credit to Harvard for staying with it despite going though the motions for much of the game. I view it as Harvard taking advantage of the few opportunities it had as opposed to really lifting their games as a team. I haven't seen the box score, but Union had way more quality chances than Harvard did and Union just didn't convert coupled with Harvard having superior goaltending.

 

[Game0n]

Aiken is a good player and played very well a few years back in the Minnesota tournament. He competes hard. That said, he has limited speed and size and has been exposed by forwards who are skilled, fast, and have size/strength. He makes the most of what he's got and can fill a hole for a period of time, but I don't think he is a viable long term option.

Credit to Harvard for staying with it despite going though the motions for much of the game. I view it as Harvard taking advantage of the few opportunities it had as opposed to really lifting their games as a team. I haven't seen the box score, but Union had way more quality chances than Harvard did and Union just didn't convert coupled with Harvard having superior goaltending.

The first period of the Union game may have been the worst period I've seen all season. The second period wasn't much better. Harvard finally woke up in the third and I think the goal by Floodstrand to tie the game with ~10 minutes left was the turning point. We need to start seeing some production from that line as the first two lines are responsible for about 80-90% of the scoring from forwards. Not having Fox in a close game against a formidable opponent is a big minus, so I am optimistic that we will hopefully continue our our winning momentum now that he's back.

 

[bothman]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2017-2018

The first period of the Union game may have been the worst period I've seen all season. The second period wasn't much better. Harvard finally woke up in the third and I think the goal by Floodstrand to tie the game with ~10 minutes left was the turning point. We need to start seeing some production from that line as the first two lines are responsible for about 80-90% of the scoring from forwards. Not having Fox in a close game against a formidable opponent is a big minus, so I am optimistic that we will hopefully continue our our winning momentum now that he's back.

Yup.

These are the big issues for Harvard:

1) Scoring beyond the Top 2 Lines - Beyond the top two lines, you have a bunch of depth frosh and then some journeyman upper classmen. Guys like Floodstrand and Horton play hard, but have not been able to make big plays and score big goals. We would have won at Lynah this year had Floodstrand not missed an empty net goal. These guys are solid role players, but if we expect them to score big goals given what we have seen so far, we are in trouble. I think this is why Donato has had t really consolidate his playmakers to the Top 2 lines. Otherwise, they will be diluted and ineffective.

2) 2nd PP Unit - It has been non-existent. If the PP#1 does not score, I'm not sure that this unit has even scored a goal this year. I wonder if Donato would consider Fox for the full 2 mins, despite the shorty risk that decision could unveil. If not, I would just move to a "bomb it from the point" strategy and get one through or poke in a rebound. The issue here is that some of these guys continue to try and shoot the pucks through players which ends up with wither the puck leaving the zone or the opponent going the other way with it.

3) Goaltending - I really hope Madsen emerges as the guy, but he has to go grab it. The reason Lackey saw the ice is because Madsen has not been stellar this year. He has not been great. Given Harvard's inability to score up and down its lineup, Madsen needs to win games this year for the team. He was very good against RPI when tested (which was not often), but we probably need him to be in the .930 Save % range. I just checked the stats and Madsen is at .923 overall (don't know the breakout for ECAC vs non-conference, but I would bet it is higher for ECAC)

4) Defensive Play - Harvard brings in a big D next year in Rathbone (who will very likely start next year). In Baughmann, Dumbrovsky, and Olsen - I just have not seen year over year meaningful improvement This year, you see this when we don't have the depth of quality forwards that we had last year which masked some of this. Opposing teams can forecheck us much harder this year because they are less worried about Harvard going the other way with speed and real finish. And Union completely exposed this weakness. Despite Sherman's great pass to Bowlby for the winner, the number of giveaways and defensive lapses were significant from him in particular.

I really hope that Harvard can clean some of the above up, but I think we have to be honest about this season. Even if Harvard wins its next 3 games, we have to remember that the ECAC is down this year. I have not seen Clarkson this year, but Cornell is by no means dominant despite its record (no where near where Harvard was last year for example). In fact, Cornell has only played two teams in the Pairwise Top 20 and went 1-2 (lost to Clarkson at home and split a pair with Miami on the road).

I think Harvard can make the final 4 in the ECAC and perhaps sneak its way into the tourney with some upsets and luck.....but even if they do, I see this as a one and done team.

Next year could be really interesting. If Donato and Fox stay, I think Harvard will be really, really good. They are bringing in the top senior scorer in the country (Oliver Wahlstrom), a top D (Rathbone) - I kind of wish Foskey was coming in next year as well - and a top defensive center who can score (Jack Drury) which will make Harvard very solid up the middle. They bring in Casey Dornbach who is an older player in the USHL, but is in the Top 10 in scoring so can clearly shoot the puck (like Henry Bowlby last year in the USHL).

Anyway, I hope this year can be more than what it has been thus far, but I just don't see this team putting it all together. I hope that I am proven wrong!

 

[Skate79]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2017-2018

Rather than reply creating a War and Peace blog post, I'll just offer my thoughts to Bothman's most recent post.

1. No question that the scoring is concentrated in the top two lines. The other players as he points out are mostly role players and cannot be counted on to score big goals. That isn't going to change in the next six weeks.

2. We don't have a 2nd PP Unit. We have five guys who roll over the boards and basically try and keep the puck in the opposition's D zone. This needs major tweaking if at all possible.

3. I've never been a big supporter of Madsen. Too many soft goals at key moments. Last March, I thought he had turned a corner. He was brilliant in net for the Crimson and got us to the Frozen Four. The kid was a tower of strength. Credit to Donato for going to Lackey to perhaps shake him up and make him realize we need that March Madsen.

4. You have to cut Baughman and Dumbrovsky some slack. They haven't played meaningful minutes and I thought Victor played very well towards the end of last year. Jake Olsen is another matter. I agree that he should be much better. Maybe his recovery from a knee injury will give him some more time for off ice video work that will help him improve. No question that if Fox stays and with Rathbone coming in combined with Walsh, the blue line should be better next year.

I haven't heard anything about Fox leaving after this year. That would be surprising. He's not ready for the NHL. Needs to work on D zone coverage. Ryan is another story and we'll have to cross our fingers and hope he stays. If the incoming kids are as good as advertised, we should be a top 4 ECAC team next year. This year? I'm not counting on anything higher than 7th place based on Ryan being out for February. We're going to take it on the chin unless some of the role players come up big. And I just don't see it happening.

 

[bothman]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2017-2018

Madsen wins ECAC goalie of the week for a team in desperate search of an identity and in need of wins given the lack of February firepower, and Lackey starts?

Not sure if Madsen stops that 1st goal, but the decision makes zero sense to me.

Had to have 2pts tonight. That is difference between 4th and 5th place - in other words, a first round bye.

 

[Game0n]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2017-2018

Last night's game was extremely frustrating to watch. Although the shots were 47 to 21, I don't think we even had a handful of really good scoring chances. The PP went 0 for 6, which included a couple of 5 on 3s. Regarding the 2nd PP unit, they barely get much time to set up as the 1st PP unit usually stays on for 1:30 and even stayed on for all 2:00 at one point last night. I don't understand why the 3rd line was starting every period last night - wouldn't it be better to start one of the top two lines to try and win possession and get RPI on their heels? Also noticed Bowlby didn't play even though he was listed on the line chart - sick maybe? I'd also like to see them give Mitch Perrault a crack at the 3rd or 4th line - he's only played 3 games this season, but he had some good numbers in the USHL, so I'd think he should have some potential http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=285196

I'm hopeful we can sweep Princeton and Quinnipiac again, this weekend, but after the last two games, I'm getting a little concerned

 

[Skate79]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2017-2018

Last night's game was extremely frustrating to watch. Although the shots were 47 to 21, I don't think we even had a handful of really good scoring chances. The PP went 0 for 6, which included a couple of 5 on 3s. Regarding the 2nd PP unit, they barely get much time to set up as the 1st PP unit usually stays on for 1:30 and even stayed on for all 2:00 at one point last night. I don't understand why the 3rd line was starting every period last night - wouldn't it be better to start one of the top two lines to try and win possession and get RPI on their heels? Also noticed Bowlby didn't play even though he was listed on the line chart - sick maybe? I'd also like to see them give Mitch Perrault a crack at the 3rd or 4th line - he's only played 3 games this season, but he had some good numbers in the USHL, so I'd think he should have some potential http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=285196

I'm hopeful we can sweep Princeton and Quinnipiac again, this weekend, but after the last two games, I'm getting a little concerned

I think it has to do with finishing which is sorely lacking in this year's squad. Also remember we lost to RPI last year at their barn in what was then a shocker. Lost again to Union and then the Dartmouth debacle. So I fully expect the team to come out of its January swoon this weekend at B-L. At least I'm hoping that's the case.

 

[MarkEagleUSA]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2017-2018

So I fully expect the team to come out of its January swoon this weekend at B-L. At least I'm hoping that's the case.

Can't they wait until next weekend?

 

[Crimson Faced]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2017-2018

Sorry for skipping back to the Union game, but there was a delay I think it was 3 minutes into the second period, while the officials reviewed something on the monitor. It was several stoppages after the last goal so we assumed they weren't looking at the goal. Can anyone who watched on TV clue me in? Thanks.

Regardless of how Harvard played, it was a nice ending by Bowlby.

 

[Game0n]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2017-2018

Sorry for skipping back to the Union game, but there was a delay I think it was 3 minutes into the second period, while the officials reviewed something on the monitor. It was several stoppages after the last goal so we assumed they weren't looking at the goal. Can anyone who watched on TV clue me in? Thanks.

Regardless of how Harvard played, it was a nice ending by Bowlby.

They were reviewing a shot from Donato (I think) that was very close to being over the line. Play had gone on without a whistle, so when there finally was a stoppage, the refs were informed and they reviewed the video. Turns out it was not a goal, so play resumed where it left off.