The line of BRENDAN BERNAKEVITCH (18), TOM CAVANAGH (9) and TIM PETTIT (11) combined for five points Friday night.

The Harvard men’s hockey team snapped a recent 2-8-1 skid with its most inspired hockey of the season. The Crimson dominated Brown in all facets of Friday’s one-sided affair, and hung on against a tough team and an even peskier goaltender on Saturday to advance to the quarterfinals of the ECAC tournament in Lake Placid, N. Y.

Minding the Store

Freshman goaltender Dov Grumet-Morris, named the starter against Brown by Harvard Coach Mark Mazzoleni last week, came up big in both games over the weekend. On Friday night, Grumet-Morris gave up one goal on 23 shots, and gave the Crimson consistent play and sometimes, spectacular saves.

The only goal Grumet-Morris allowed came at 10:26 of the third period after he stopped a tough shot but was knocked prone in the process. Brown sophomore center Shane Mudryk won the race to the puck and potted it in front of the net for the Bears’ only goal.

On Saturday, Grumet-Morris was even more spectacular. He stopped 30 of 31 shots, and played the full 94:41, a record for a Harvard goaltender. The only goal he allowed came with time expired in the second period.

With the clock ticking down at the end of the second period, Crimson captain Peter Capouch was called for tripping Brown sophomore winger Brent Robinson on a breakaway, setting up a penalty shot with no time left. Robinson converted the opportunity into a 1-0 Brown lead. At the time, it seemed like it could be a crippling blow.

But Grumet-Morris, like the rest of the Crimson team, did not dwell on the penalty shot and was at his most effective in the overtime sessions.

“He made some very, very key saves for us,” Mazzoleni said. “His concentration level and focus was outstanding.”

Outshining his counterpart from Harvard, despite the pair of losses, was Brown sophomore goalie Yann Danis. Danis rebounded from a weaker performance on Friday night in which he surrendered rebounds on most Harvard shots, allowing four goals on 35 shots. On Saturday, however, Danis stopped an incredible 66 shots—a Harvard record by an opposing goaltender—in the decisive game of the series.

“He’s one heck of a goaltender,” Mazzoleni said. “He’s as good as I’ve seen. I wouldn’t be surprised next week if he’s on the All-ECAC First Team. He deserves that.”

Danis, was a first team all Ivy League selection, and led the league with a .929 save percentage. Just a sophomore, he will likely be a source of irritation for the next few years.

Cavanagh and Company

One of the major contributors in Friday night’s game was freshman Tom Cavanagh, who recorded a goal and a pair of assists while centering Harvard’s third line.

That line, which includes fellow freshman Brendan Bernakevitch and sophomore Tim Pettit seemed to be everywhere both nights, with very aggressive forechecking and strong puck presence and offensive pressure. Bernakevitch tallied an assist and Pettit added a goal in the game.

“They were great, they were tenacious,” Mazzoleni siad. “It was a very, very good line for us tonight.”