BOSTON— One had to wonder if the Harvard men’s hockey team brought last year’s defense to the Fleet Center last night.

Harvard has looked like an improved defensive team for much of the season. Last year, however, a thin Crimson defensive corps would routinely allow more than 30 shots a game.

Harvard held BC to a respectable 26 shots on goal, but suffered several defensive breakdowns—three of which resulted in BC goals.

“We talked all week about how good of a team they were in transition, and all three goals were transition goals,” Harvard captain Peter Capouch said.

Sophomore goaltender Will Crothers played well when he had defensive help. But any goaltender would have tremendous difficulty stopping two of the nation’s best offensive players one-on-one.

Yet that’s how BC scored its first two goals—transition opportunities by its two best players, Ben Eaves and forward Tony Voce.

The Eagles’ third goal came when Harvard neglected to cover forward Anthony D’Arpino less than ten feet from the net. The junior would have been hard-pressed to have an easier scenario for his first-ever goal.

“[Those chances] were exactly what we couldn’t afford to give up and we did,” Capouch said.

Eaves-Rising

The recent return of 5’8 forward Eaves from a rib injury has re-energized what had been a struggling BC squad.

After playing a significant role as a freshman on last year’s national championship team, Eaves was prepared to dominate this year, but injuries got in the way.

The diminutive forward has missed 15 games this season, including last November’s 1-0 win over Harvard. Eaves was out ten straight games before BC’s win over Maine last Friday—a stretch during which the Eagles were just 3-7.

“Those five weeks were my toughest at school,” Eaves said.

Yet when healthy, Eaves is as dangerous as any player in the country, totaling 29 points in only 15 games.