Harvard Hockey 2010-11

[dave1381]

Re: Harvard Hockey 2010-11

Ok, Dartmouth is up 2-0 on Cornell. At the very least it's the third straight subpar road outing for Cornell. Aside from the 3-0 win at Mercyhurst, they really haven't been tested much on the road (the QPac-Princeton series came before Princeton starting showing up).

 

[Skate79]

Re: An Era of Good Feelings

Re: An Era of Good Feelings

Great win by the Crimson women tonight. A real blowout. I'm trying to figure out how Colgate won eight games this year because they are simply awful. Three power plays in the second period and only two shots the whole period?? They can't skate, pass or shoot and are on par with Union and Brown as bottom feeders. They will be an easy out in the playoffs if they even make it.

For the Crimson, there was a lot to like about this win. For starters, every Crimson player played with intensity and desire and everyone kept their feet moving all night even when the score got out of hand. While the passing wasn't the greatest at times, there were moments that reminded you of the glory days of '02-'03. You also had to like the fact that the Crimson got gritty and got six of their seven goals in close or at the goalmouth. Scrapping for position and never giving an inch. They will need to play this way against Cornell tomorrow if they have any hope of winning.

Everyone got to play and the seniors figured in several of the goals with Leanna Coskren bagging two on the PP. Ashley Wheeler was buzzing around all night and the senior line of Buesser, Chute and Wheeler is starting to click.

Tomorrow being Senior Night, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank the seniors for all of their contributions to Harvard hockey during the past four years. You came in and contributed right away to an undefeated ECAC regular season and tournament championship and have represented the Crimson and the University with skill and determination. Very best wishes to Liza Ryabkina, Kate Buesser, Katherine Chute, Ashley Wheeler, Leanna Coskren and Deb Conway.

Too bad Cornell lost tonight. Really wanted to ruin their unbeaten regular season at Bright. Oh well, a win is a win...

 

[alslammerz]

Re: An Era of Good Feelings

Re: An Era of Good Feelings

Tomorrow being Senior Night, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank the seniors for all of their contributions to Harvard hockey during the past four years. You came in and contributed right away to an undefeated ECAC regular season and tournament championship and have represented the Crimson and the University with skill and determination. Very best wishes to Liza Ryabkina, Kate Buesser, Katherine Chute, Ashley Wheeler, Leanna Coskren and Deb Conway.

Ditto to this. So fortunate to watch all of these players play during my time here. Hope you get to close out the regular season at the Bright this evening with a big win over Cornell.

 

[Watson Rink]

Re: Harvard Hockey 2010-11

Nice to see all four lines scoring today. Twelve different players with a goal or assist.

 

[Skate79]

Re: Harvard Hockey 2010-11

Talk about a game where the score was misleading. After the first period, Harvard decided to call it an afternoon and with some help from the refs who got whistle happy, SLU took it to Harvard in a big way. Bellamy came up huge in the second period making several point blank sparkling saves. The Crimson flat out got outhustled and outskated from the second period until midway through the third. It took Jillian Dempsey to reverse course with her beautiful backhand goal on a feed from Liza Ryabkina to make it 5-1.

The first period was all Harvard and featured one of the most artistic and pinpoint plays you'll ever see, male or female. Started at the points and worked it down low with a cross ice pass to and finish by Whitney Kennedy. Just a gorgeous goal. In fact, all four goals were at even strength and surprisingly, when the Crimson did start to get PP chances in the second and third period (twice with 5 on 3 advantages), they couldn't do anything with it. SLU had their opportunities with the PP but Bellamy was a tower of strength and rebuffed all but one of the PP chances.

Harvard's passing was once again either beautiful or ugly. There is no in-between with this team. Of concern should be the way they played in the second and third periods. They can't afford to come into Saturday's game with that kind of effort or they'll pay dearly. Just ask Dartmouth how they feel today.

Great to see everyone get a chance to play today and as Watson pointed out, scoring was distributed across all four lines.

 

[Watson Rink]

Re: Harvard Hockey 2010-11

Clumped scoring today, Buesser had a hat trick and only 11 players got on the scoresheet in contrast to yesterday's 12

 

[Skate79]

Re: Harvard Hockey 2010-11

A very uneven series with SLU to be sure. There were times that Harvard dominated (first periods of both games) and times when they looked very pedestrian (the second periods of both games). But in the end, the Crimson won out because of their speed and overall talent. Too much of both for SLU to overcome.

The seniors really came through today. Buesser with her hat trick, Ashley Wheeler who was a going concern in both games and Leanna Coskren who was a steadying influence on the backline. And we should also praise Liza Ryabkina for going back and forth between forward and D including the PK which was unusual. I don't recall a time during the regular season when she did that other than her freshman year.

I'm going to assume Dartmouth will prevail in their series although that may be a false assumption given the way Clarkson has played them so far. I don't like either matchup for the Crimson; Q-Pac gives us trouble each and every time we play them and in a one game and out, their goalie can come up big. We've beaten the Green twice this season but beating a team three times is a challenge.

Had a chance to meet up with Katey Stone and her assistants after the game. They were really nice to take the time to talk to us. We asked who they preferred facing in the next round and Coach Stone was very diplomatic and said that whoever makes it will be great. We also tried to get her to tell us what she told the team between the second and third periods but she wasn't taking the bait. She just smiled and left it to us to figure it out. She is a class act all the way and Harvard is lucky to have her.

 

[dave1381]

Re: Harvard Hockey 2010-11

I'm going to assume Dartmouth will prevail in their series although that may be a false assumption given the way Clarkson has played them so far. I don't like either matchup for the Crimson; Q-Pac gives us trouble each and every time we play them and in a one game and out, their goalie can come up big. We've beaten the Green twice this season but beating a team three times is a challenge.

Well whoever you play once you get to the league semifinals is going to be a good team and a difficult matchup. I don't place too much stock into the "tough to beat a team three times" concern. Harvard beat Dartmouth three times in 07-08 & 04-05 and 98-99. Dartmouth beat Harvard three times in 99-00 & 01-02. The only exception was the ECAC final in 02-03 -- that's the only time they've beaten a team twice then lost to them the third time as long as I've followed the team.

The two Dartmouth games were so long ago that I don't think Harvard will be feeling at all overconfident from having beaten Dartmouth twice. If Dartmouth beats Harvard in the ECAC semifinals, it'll be because Dartmouth has gotten a lot better against everyone since November. I think any psychological revenge factor for Dartmouth or overconfidence for Harvard will be minimal -- and certainly minimal in comparison to the Quinnipiac goalie who gave Harvard serious trouble for 8 straight periods before they unloaded in her in the third period in their last outing.

 

[Skate79]

Re: Harvard Hockey 2010-11

Well whoever you play once you get to the league semifinals is going to be a good team and a difficult matchup. I don't place too much stock into the "tough to beat a team three times" concern. Harvard beat Dartmouth three times in 07-08 & 04-05 and 98-99. Dartmouth beat Harvard three times in 99-00 & 01-02. The only exception was the ECAC final in 02-03 -- that's the only time they've beaten a team twice then lost to them the third time as long as I've followed the team.

The two Dartmouth games were so long ago that I don't think Harvard will be feeling at all overconfident from having beaten Dartmouth twice. If Dartmouth beats Harvard in the ECAC semifinals, it'll be because Dartmouth has gotten a lot better against everyone since November. I think any psychological revenge factor for Dartmouth or overconfidence for Harvard will be minimal -- and certainly minimal in comparison to the Quinnipiac goalie who gave Harvard serious trouble for 8 straight periods before they unloaded in her in the third period in their last outing.

Well, yeah of course you are going to face a good team on Thursday! I never said anything about overconfidence or revenge. I was merely stating that it is very tough to beat a team three times in one season. No disputing your facts about H v D over the years. The better team on Thursday will win and that will be that.

 

[Watson Rink]

What is Harvard lacking?

What is Harvard lacking?

Today on other boards learn that Dartmouth has "Secret Juju" whilst Princeton has "Hogwarts Luster."

Gosh, I'm feeling naked....what do we have in Cambridge that corresponds to those secret weapons?

Any suggestions?

 

[dave1381]

Re: Harvard Hockey 2010-11

Well, yeah of course you are going to face a good team on Thursday! I never said anything about overconfidence or revenge. I was merely stating that it is very tough to beat a team three times in one season. No disputing your facts about H v D over the years. The better team on Thursday will win and that will be that.

I know you didn't say anything explicitly about psychological factors, but why else would it be hard to beat a team three times in one season? And to be clear, I mean why would it ever be harder to beat a team a third time if you've already beaten them twice rather than one or zero times in the regular season? It has to be something psychological because certainly there's typically not a physical or strategic reason, and definitely not in this case since the games were in November.

I hear that "tough to beat an opponent three times" line most often from NFL analysts when divisional opponents rematch in the playoffs, where there's more likely to be a strategic element -- maybe you emptied your playbook already and your opponent has made adjustments.

When you've had success in the regular season, psychological factors can cut both ways. They can give the winning team more confidence and the losing team hopelessness, or they could give the winning team too much confidence and the feeling they have nothing left to prove while the losing team feels they're better than they've shown. Our resident Dartmouth poster is suggesting that the Green has "unfinished business" in Cambridge, but I have to believe those two November losses bite at the poster more than the players, who haven't invested in a Harvard-Dartmouth rivalry for nearly as many years.

What's the right psychological approach for a team to take in the playoffs when you've had some success against an opponent in the regular season? You hear coaches say all the time "our records are all 0-0 now." While certainly that's technically true, I think you want to strike the right balance, and players probably won't completely forgot the past success anyway. I think you'd want to go into the game knowing that you have a lot left to prove, but also maintain some confidence that you match up well with the opponent and you'll be rewarded for executing your game plan.

Quinnipiac reminds me of BC in having one superstar forward and one all-League goalie. I feel they underachieved this year and have a lot to prove. I have this sense they'll win the ECAC semifinal and lose in the final no matter who they're playing. That's kind of been their pattern all season.

 

[OnMAA]

Re: What is Harvard lacking?

Re: What is Harvard lacking?

Today on other boards learn that Dartmouth has "Secret Juju" whilst Princeton has "Hogwarts Luster."

Gosh, I'm feeling naked....what do we have in Cambridge that corresponds to those secret weapons?

Any suggestions?

Ask Pap. He knows the secret of that team from "The Bay" as he put it.

 

[Dr. Seuss Fan]

Re: What is Harvard lacking?

Re: What is Harvard lacking?

Haha, hopefully you DON'T have anything!

 

[Skate79]

Re: Harvard Hockey 2010-11

I know you didn't say anything explicitly about psychological factors, but why else would it be hard to beat a team three times in one season? And to be clear, I mean why would it ever be harder to beat a team a third time if you've already beaten them twice rather than one or zero times in the regular season? It has to be something psychological because certainly there's typically not a physical or strategic reason, and definitely not in this case since the games were in November.

I hear that "tough to beat an opponent three times" line most often from NFL analysts when divisional opponents rematch in the playoffs, where there's more likely to be a strategic element -- maybe you emptied your playbook already and your opponent has made adjustments.

When you've had success in the regular season, psychological factors can cut both ways. They can give the winning team more confidence and the losing team hopelessness, or they could give the winning team too much confidence and the feeling they have nothing left to prove while the losing team feels they're better than they've shown. Our resident Dartmouth poster is suggesting that the Green has "unfinished business" in Cambridge, but I have to believe those two November losses bite at the poster more than the players, who haven't invested in a Harvard-Dartmouth rivalry for nearly as many years.

What's the right psychological approach for a team to take in the playoffs when you've had some success against an opponent in the regular season? You hear coaches say all the time "our records are all 0-0 now." While certainly that's technically true, I think you want to strike the right balance, and players probably won't completely forgot the past success anyway. I think you'd want to go into the game knowing that you have a lot left to prove, but also maintain some confidence that you match up well with the opponent and you'll be rewarded for executing your game plan.

Quinnipiac reminds me of BC in having one superstar forward and one all-League goalie. I feel they underachieved this year and have a lot to prove. I have this sense they'll win the ECAC semifinal and lose in the final no matter who they're playing. That's kind of been their pattern all season.

I have no problem with your point of view. Having competed in team sports where I have been on the losing end during the regular season and won in the playoffs as a decided underdog, I know from experience that subtle shifts in strategy including matchups do make a difference. Perhaps it is more prevelant in football than hockey. And yes, the whole 'well it's a new season and we all start at 0-0' argument is somewhat hollow. I really think it has more to do with how each team prepares and then comes out and plays that night. In the '03 season, Harvard dominated Dartmouth in the first game because Dartmouth was missing a few key players for that game. The rematch at Bright was much closer (2-1 Harvard I think) and of course, Dartmouth blew us out in the tournament championship game 6-2. We never really came to play that day and Dartmouth was super motivated. Why we had a subpar performance is anyone's guess and I would find it hard to believe that the team didn't take Dartmouth seriously. On the other hand, there is the '05 season where we won all three games including the tournament championship against the Green. So maybe it is more about the team that season or that particular game then anything else.

 

[dave1381]

Re: Harvard Hockey 2010-11

Yeah, it all depends on the circumstances. In 2003, Dartmouth had the upper hand on Harvard for the previous 3 seasons, and Harvard ended up being No. 1 most of the year while Dartmouth struggled a bit at times, even though they had enough talent to match up closer with Harvard. So I don't think it was too much of a surprise that Dartmouth wanted it more.

Come 2005, Harvard started 7-6-1 and still had plenty left to prove even after beating Dartmouth twice. Those Harvard seniors were 2-6 against Dartmouth entering the season and 0-2 in the playoffs. They avoided Dartmouth (who'd beaten them twice) in the 2004 ECAC playoffs. I think they still had plenty to prove by beating Dartmouth in the 2005 ECAC final, and no shortage of motivation.

This season both teams are in win-or-go-home mode, and the two games were in November, and both teams have clearly improved tons since then. Harvard had the early edge in the polls, but Dartmouth has edged ahead of Harvard lately. I have no doubt both teams will give it their all. I don't think the November games mean much, but I do think it'll be a slight edge to Harvard in terms of their confidence and won't be a hindrance.

 

[alslammerz]

Re: Harvard Hockey 2010-11

Quinnipiac reminds me of BC in having one superstar forward and one all-League goalie. I feel they underachieved this year and have a lot to prove. I have this sense they'll win the ECAC semifinal and lose in the final no matter who they're playing. That's kind of been their pattern all season.

I for one would be completely ok with this if you're right.

 

[Skate79]

Re: Harvard Hockey 2010-11

Yeah, it all depends on the circumstances. In 2003, Dartmouth had the upper hand on Harvard for the previous 3 seasons, and Harvard ended up being No. 1 most of the year while Dartmouth struggled a bit at times, even though they had enough talent to match up closer with Harvard. So I don't think it was too much of a surprise that Dartmouth wanted it more.

Come 2005, Harvard started 7-6-1 and still had plenty left to prove even after beating Dartmouth twice. Those Harvard seniors were 2-6 against Dartmouth entering the season and 0-2 in the playoffs. They avoided Dartmouth (who'd beaten them twice) in the 2004 ECAC playoffs. I think they still had plenty to prove by beating Dartmouth in the 2005 ECAC final, and no shortage of motivation.

This season both teams are in win-or-go-home mode, and the two games were in November, and both teams have clearly improved tons since then. Harvard had the early edge in the polls, but Dartmouth has edged ahead of Harvard lately. I have no doubt both teams will give it their all. I don't think the November games mean much, but I do think it'll be a slight edge to Harvard in terms of their confidence and won't be a hindrance.

Agreed. Also, Harvard has been better on home ice this year and traditionally does better at Bright than on the road. Whether that makes even a small difference on Thursday remains to be seen.

As far as Q-Pac-Cornell, I guess it depends not only on Vigilante but whether the Bobcats can generate enough scoring chances and make them count. RPI's goalie stood on her head in Game One but to no avail as her teammates couldn't generate any shots in the third period. I'm hoping Quinny pulls the upset but I'm not holding my breath. Cornell is really deep and seems to be able to pull a rabbit out of their hats whenever they need one.

 

[alslammerz]

Re: Harvard Hockey 2010-11

By the way, because I like playing with my new flip cam, I filmed some of the game on Saturday and put up a highlight reel. I think it shows Buesser's second, Dempsey's second and SLU's second, plus the end of the game countdown and hand shake.

 

[dave1381]

http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2011/3/3/whockey-ecac-semis-preview-030311/

Skate79, Buesser uses the same kind of line that I've been criticizing you for using.

Come to think of it, a good reason why "it's tough to beat a team three times" persists is that it's good to keep a team on their toes and prevent them from being too confident, even if it doesn't always make sense.

 

[Skate79]

Re: Harvard Hockey 2010-11

http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2011/3/3/whockey-ecac-semis-preview-030311/

Skate79, Buesser uses the same kind of line that I've been criticizing you for using.

Come to think of it, a good reason why "it's tough to beat a team three times" persists is that it's good to keep a team on their toes and prevent them from being too confident, even if it doesn't always make sense.

Exactly. I'm sure that was what Buesser was thinking as well. Don't get overconfident and put the past in the past. November was eons ago and has no bearing on tonight. As Coach Stone says at the end of the article, it's about coming out and playing their game and be ready from the drop of the puck. I do think special teams will play a role in tonight's game. We've got to stay out of the penalty box or risk paying a heavy price. I'm sure Dartmouth feels the same way.