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Harvard Crimson 2023-'24

Skate79 said:
I wish I could agree with you but after watching tonight's Beanpot, I'm of the mind that Harvard hasn't progressed all that much. They are still being badly outplayed especially in their zone. Their D structure is horrendous and there is little in the way of offensive skill. Several if not most of the freshman class should be in D-2. They are not D-1 players. We may be looking at several years of futility before we climb back into the top four of the ECAC. And that's if we can recruit which it appears like we have taken a big step backwards.
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I think there has been progress. Not saying it is sufficient, but there has been progress in a number of areas - face-offs, power play, etc. Some guys are back now (Moore), but still missing Aucoin, Tresca, etc. Someone mentioned this earlier, but I think it's less about the frosh and more about upper-classmen that just aren't delivering.

That OT defense was a disaster. So bad on so many levels. An indifferent face-off (could Northeastern have won it more cleanly?), complete disregard for coverage (we went from man-to-man to a zone it seemed without the players knowing that they had shifted), etc.

I still think Harvard can win a playoff series - but that is more indicative of a very down ECAC than anything else.
 
Anyone have any extra tickets for Monday? I was looking to take my son to the finals but can’t seem to find any?
 
bothman said:
tough to win hockey games when you lose 67% of the faceoffs. possession matters
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I was at the game last night and that was one of the things that stood out to me. Only Ben McDonald seems to be able to win any draws. Zach Karpa won a few. But by and large, Dartmouth dominated the faceoff circle and it led to a disproportionate amount of time in the Harvard D zone that led to Big Green goals.

Some other observations:

1. The PK needs work especially with the D men positioning down low. Either they block the shot from the point, or they move people out from where they are screening the goalie.

2. Ben McDonald and Cam Johnson were the two best freshmen on the ice for Harvard. Their games are coming along. Johnson in particular was a thorn in Dartmouth's side all night. And Ben looks like his dad with his gliding stride and wrist shot. It wasn't hard to draw the parallel especially since he wears his dad's old number.

3. I am utterly perplexed at what Michael Callow brings to the table. He has the size to dominate down low but for the life of me, I can't figure out what this kid sees on the ice. He has almost no feel for the game.

4. When Harvard jumped out to a 4-1 lead, they then put it into cruise control and let Dartmouth regain momentum and dominate the rest of the second period. Harvard's response in the third was better but it is troubling that they can let a lead evaporate so quickly.

5. Finally, it was great to see Alex Gaffney score twice including the winner in the shootout. Maybe this will jumpstart his production for the rest of the season.

I don't see Harvard winning more than one or two games for the rest of the season. The competition is too tough, and the team has serious issues on D (Ryan Healey was a turnstile last night). Having so many right shot D doesn't help but more work on positioning and breakouts is needed. Desperately.
 
Tough to lose last night in OT but 4 out of 6 points isn't bad for the weekend. We still have a shot at home ice for the first round of the playoffs. The last weekend of the season will most likely decide it as Yale and Brown come to town. We're taking baby steps to improve - still need to do a better job of cashing in on our chances. At least the next two weekends give us something to play for.
 
This weekend was a big step back for the team. First, getting smoked at Union and then struggling to get the extra point against an RPI team that hasn't been doing much lately. And yet we are in eighth place at the moment and with a sweep of Brown and Yale in regulation, we can assure ourselves of home ice in the first round. Crazy.
 
What strikes me watching Harvard play is that even when they are playing teams, like RPI, that are around their place in the standings, these teams still dominate play. Waiting all season for some flashes from the younger players, sometimes Cam Johnson makes some good plays in a game, other games he is invisible.

Announcers, posters talk about Harvard's NHL draft picks. I don't see the talent from any one of these players to ever make the NHL.

I have to say, watching away games on ESPN+, what a great job the play-by-play and cover analysts do. Although obviously rooting for the home team, they are universally gracious with good plays from opposing teams and extremely knowledgeable. I would rather listen to these guys than pro announcers, with the exception of Sean McDonough.
 
Crimson Faced said:
What strikes me watching Harvard play is that even when they are playing teams, like RPI, that are around their place in the standings, these teams still dominate play. Waiting all season for some flashes from the younger players, sometimes Cam Johnson makes some good plays in a game, other games he is invisible.

Announcers, posters talk about Harvard's NHL draft picks. I don't see the talent from any one of these players to ever make the NHL.

I have to say, watching away games on ESPN+, what a great job the play-by-play and cover analysts do. Although rooting for the home team, they are universally gracious with good plays from opposing teams and extremely knowledgeable. I would rather listen to these guys than pro announcers, except Sean McDonough.
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Your take on Cam Johnson could be applied to any of the freshmen taking a regular shift. I find it hard to believe that NHL scouts thought these players were somehow trending to be pro-worthy. Then again, maybe it will take a year of adjustment and we'll see better results next season. One can only hope.

I too like the away game announcers. Some of them are fair and balanced in their reporting. Some aren't which is to be expected. ESPN+ is a godsend.
 
Okay, so it all comes down to tonight. A win in either regulation or OT gives us 8th place and possibly 7th if SLU loses to Quinnipiac and we beat Brown in regulation. Princeton faces Clarkson which needs a win and a Dartmouth loss to finish in the Top Four. Yale plays Dartmouth with the Green needing a win to clinch a bye. So, it all seems to be working in our favor if we can only take care of business. That's a big 'if' but here's hoping we get it done and have one more game at Bright-Landry this season.
 
I would like to see Marek Hejduk shoot the puck on goal instead of his many uncontested shots that go wide or over the net, and I am not even speaking of his shootout attempt.
 
So, we get Princeton again for the one and done next Friday evening at Bright. Another subpar weekend in what has become a recurrent theme this year. Not to mention that Brown came in with a depleted roster and we still could not take advantage.

I also did not think that the men's program would ever suffer through another season quite like the one I went through my senior year at Harvard. But this team won less than the '78-79 squad. I didn't think that was ever going to happen.
 
To say that Princeton deserved a better fate tonight would be an understatement of epic proportions. The Tigers dominated this game starting in the second period and spending ALL of the third period in Harvard's D zone. Were it not for Aku Koskenuevo's brilliance, this game would have been a Princeton rout. I lost track of all the chances the Tigers had in this game, not including the penalty shot. Harvard was extremely lucky to win - they got some fortuitous bounces that should have wound up in the back of their net.

Harvard's coaching staff gets a D- for their game plan tonight. Instead of going after the Tigers, Teddy and his staff decided to hold back and only send one forechecker. That backfired spectacularly as Princeton had zero problems with their breakout and consistently broke into the Harvard zone with one or two passes. Playing not to lose is a recipe for disaster and it almost cost the Crimson tonight. I'm sure Ron Fogarty the Princeton coach was only too happy that Teddy decided to play it that way because Princeton came out attacking and never stopped. The Tigers are well-coached and did everything but score. They'll be having nightmares about the missed opportunities but again, a tip of the cap to Aku who is Harvard's MVP.

I'm betting that Harvard will try the same strategy against the Bobcats next weekend. It will fail of course. Harvard will get smoked but that is to be expected when you consider the youth and inexperience on the team. Still, I can't help but wonder if coaching is holding back this team. Why are so many players regressing and not getting better? Why do the same mistakes happen again and again?

Oh well, at least the band showed up and played tonight. Felt like Bright in the eighties minus the fact that the building was half full.
 
I thought the crowd was decent, actually, compared with some playoff crowds, including the RPI series two years ago. You are right, Princeton absolutely deserved to win. Moore made a couple of good defensive plays, including a great poke check when the Princeton player had an open net.

Think they should try shifting Healey to wing, he is a real liability on defense, poor breakout passes, gives up the puck when being checked. He seems to have regressed over the season.
 
Crimson Faced said:
I thought the crowd was decent, actually, compared with some playoff crowds, including the RPI series two years ago. You are right, Princeton absolutely deserved to win. Moore made a couple of good defensive plays, including a great poke check when the Princeton player had an open net.

Think they should try shifting Healey to wing, he is a real liability on defense, poor breakout passes, gives up the puck when being checked. He seems to have regressed over the season.
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I suspect Healey was playing hurt. Very little ice time and situational for sure.
 
A little suspicious that Chris Heisenberg currently lists 29 committed recruits for Harvard, just a few days into the beginning of this year's recruiting season. I wonder how many of these recruits the staff is going to force to decommit? 29 is more than a full roster's worth of players, and 12 more than the next highest ECAC team, Quinnipiac. I've already complained plenty about how Quinnipiac recruits never see the ice and/or are pushed out before, or shortly after, matriculating. The sheer number of recruits is even more stark at Harvard.
 
what’s the big deal? Not like are using up athletic scholarships…. If the kid’s parents want to foot the bill the boys are still getting into Harvard. If they never dress, there are worse crosses to bear.
 
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