Amidst all the hubbub surrounding Harvard’s electric power play, the Crimson’s equally efficient penalty kill has been lost in the shuffle.
Though not ranked among the top teams in the nation—allowing four goals on seven chances to Princeton will do that—Harvard has successfully warded off 25 of its last 27 man-down situations, good for 92.59 percent, over the course of its last six contests.
“[We’re] not giving a whole lot of room,” sophomore Ryan Maki said. “Our PK has always been pretty good. You know we’ve definitely worked on it in practice and gone over it time and time again.”
To be successful tonight against the Catamounts, the Crimson will need to pay special attention to UVM forward Scott Mifsud, who has notched seven goals on the power play this year, fifth-best in the country.
Of course, it’d probably be a good idea to keep an eye on Mifsud at all times, as his 23 points and 12 goals are second- and fourth-most nationwide.
FAMILIAR FACES
Tonight’s matchup between the Crimson and Catamounts marks the first meeting between Donato and UVM coach Kevin Sneddon ’92.
The two should be vaguely familiar with one another. They did, after all, share the same Bright Hockey Center locker room for three seasons and happen to stand right next to one another in Harvard’s official team photo in 1989—the year the Crimson won the NCAA Championship.
Both Donato and Sneddon were instrumental in Harvard’s tournament run, with the former netting two goals in the final against Minnesota, propelling him to Most Valuable Player honors. Receiving the assist on his second goal? Defenseman Kevin Sneddon, whose rebound Donato had scooped up before pushing it past Golden Gophers’ netminder Robb Stauber.
Both also served as captain their senior seasons, Donato in 1991, Sneddon in 1992.
ALONG THE BOARDS
Cavanagh and Welch each saw his personal point-scoring streak brought to a halt this weekend. Welch was held off the scoreboard on both nights, ending his run at six straight games, while Cavanagh netted a pair of goals against Union before behind shut out by RPI on Saturday. He had notched at least one point in seven straight...Three ECAC schools retained spots in the top 15 this week, led by UVM, which moved from No. 11 to No. 10, swapping positions with Maine, Harvard’s Saturday opponent. Cornell and Colgate held steady at Nos. 12 and 13, respectively. The Crimson is on the outside looking in, receiving the most votes of any school not tapped for a formal ranking...With a 2-0 win over Northeastern, UVM extended its nation’s-best unbeaten streak to 11. The Catamounts are 8-0-3 during that stretch.
—Staff writer Timothy J. McGinn can be reached at mcginn@fas.harvard.edu.