POTSDAM, N.Y.—Harvard coach Ted Donato ’91 has 13 years of NHL experience packed into his slapshot, and in a pre-game skate this past Friday, sophomore netminder Justin Tobe found that out the hard way.

“Coach couldn’t really score on me,” Tobe explained with a smile. “So I think he tried to take me down out of the net and drilled me in the head with a slapper.”

Of course, Tobe was joking. The shot that drilled him in the helmet was a sheer accident, an occurrence unavoidable when your job description centers around pucks being launched in your direction for 60 minutes a night.

Said Donato, also smiling, “I did happen to catch him in the head the other day in practice, but, as many goalies I’ve played with will tell you, that’s not an uncommon occurrence.”

But Tobe was quick to keep up the act.

“We’ll see,” he said, feigning displeasure. Then, pausing a moment, he pointed out that “it didn’t go in.”

It was, indeed, a save, one made not with Tobe’s glove, stick or pad, but with his head. But it was in keeping with what the sophomore transfer has shown in practices all this year: Tobe can guard the goal.

And on Saturday night against Clarkson, he got the chance to prove that when it mattered. With cemented starter Dov Grumet-Morris taking a night off, Tobe got the call and impressed between the pipes.

The Golden Knights launched several early shots towards the netminder—including a screamer from the right point during Clarkson’s first power play that drew a gasp from the crowd—all of which Tobe handled cleanly.

The Golden Knights were persistent, but so was Tobe, racking up 20 saves through the first two periods to keep Clarkson off the board.

And when the Golden Knights struck twice—first on a low redirection and then on a deflection that looked to bounce off a Harvard skater—Tobe didn’t lose his focus.

“He was unbelievable,” said Crimson captain Noah Welch. “Both those goals were kind of broken plays, and he played great. He had some big stops. He’s got a lot of confidence, in a good way.”

Tom Cavanagh would later score, and Tobe amassed seven more saves in the third period to maintain the Harvard lead.

He demonstrated a notable knack for handling the puck, with absolutely no fear to leave the crease—so much so, in fact, that he was bowled over early on as he went for the same puck that both a Crimson and a Clarkson skater were eying.

“I thought Tobe played excellent,” Donato said. “We had a lot of confidence in him, but you never know until the guy gets in the game…He certainly adds another dimension with his puck-handling ability.”