Discipline: C-. The sole problem with the penalty kill unit is that it is pretty winded by now, having had to kill a surplus of stupid penalties. Time and time again, Tomassoni has justly criticized his players' lack of discipline in crucial moment--as the RPI loss showed most dramatically, a couple of foolish lapses of concentration can undo the good minutes of effort surrounding them.
The disturbing part about this trend is Harvard's collective failure to nip it in the bud; the efforts of Tomassoni and leaders like McCann have yet to sink in. Martins' retaliatory hook to Mike Larkin at the end of the Vermont game (costing the Crimson a chance at a game-winning power-play opportunity) may prove to be the crucial blow in the battle for discipline--if Tomassoni's benching of Martins fails to illustrate to his players the importance of not taking stupid penalties, it's hard to imagine what could. No matter what, Tomassoni's point that the truly great teams don't break down like that is well-taken. College hockey's upper echelon is reserved for teams that can control themselves emotionally and not be irritated by the taunts of lesser teams; it's hard to imagine Harvard advancing to St. Paul with such petty retaliations continuing to be so common-place.
Coaching: A-. Off all our midterm grades, this one must be the most incomplete, for we have yet to see the full effects of Ronn Tomassoni's two most crucial maneuvers. The Martins benching is so important in the Crimson's immediate future: did Tomassoni wait too long to take such drastic action? Will Martins' considerable skills be affected by any perceived slight from his coach? Stay tuned.
The other important development concerns Tomassoni's preseason thought to cut down on practice time over the course of the season to try and prevent a repeat of the ignominious March of last spring. Harvard is much more focused on the postseason this year, and as the season goes on, it's looking more and more like the wise move in saving some energy and avoiding a premature peaking.
Of the tangible, Tomassoni has done a great job in marshalling his oft-injured talent and forming makeshift lines that get the job done, and his refusal to give Tracy a quick hook from the goalie rotation after his tough November shows his evolving maturity as a full-fledged collegiate head coach. It's only his fourth year on the job, and the more he learns, the more you have to like his performance. Men's Hockey Report Card
Subject Grade Offense A- Defense A Goaltending B+ Special Teams A Discipline C- Coaching A