PROVIDENCE, R.I.—The Harvard men’s hockey team welcomed back the rest of its offense Saturday night.

The Crimson had scored only four goals in its previous three games. More problematic was the fact that Harvard’s top line of Dom Moore, Tyler Kolarik, and Rob Fried had provided all the scoring. Both concerns were eliminated Saturday night, as all three of Harvard’s scoring lines joined in the five-goal offensive outburst.

“We had good chemistry with all three lines [on Saturday],” said Harvard Coach Mark Mazzoleni.

The Crimson showed the ability to adapt to multiple styles of play, scoring with its bigger second and third lines early as Brown tried to keep the game physical. Once Harvard established a lead and play began to open up, Harvard’s quicker, top line added two more goals to put the game out of reach.

Dennis the Menace

For months, Mazzoleni has been raving about sophomore forward Dennis Packard’s progress. Evidence of that improvement finally showed up on the scoreboard this weekend.

Packard notched his first multiple-goal game of his college career Saturday, scoring two consecutive first-period goals.

After a slow start to his freshman season, Packard showed signs of improvement in Harvard’s final few games. He ended the season with four goals.

The forward has provided a consistent offensive presence this year. Mazzoleni said that he leads the team in scoring opportunities, despite only earning three points before Saturday.

“I’ve been getting a lot of chances, so it feels good to finally put a few home,” Packard said.

Packard has looked more comfortable since playing on the same line as junior Brett Nowack and freshman Rob Flynn. All three players rely on strength rather than finesse in creating scoring opportunities, a good contrast to Harvard’s smaller, quicker first-line.

“They all play at about the same speed,” Mazzoleni said. “They’re not burners, but they’re very smart players. “

A Change in Plans