Smith admitted his team showed “a lack of discipline.” Mazzoleni apparently agreed.

He sat Welch against Dartmouth. “You know why,” Mazzoleni said.

On Saturday, Harvard allowed the Big Green eight power plays, including two five-on-threes. Dartmouth had half of its 40 shots on goal while up a man.

But the difference between the two nights was threefold: First, the penalties on Saturday were aggressive, not over-the-top. Second, the penalty kill was exceptional. And third, Grumet-Morris played one of his best games of the season.

If this is any indication, the Crimson is capable of playing with an edge and taking a good penalty or two, because its penalty kill and goaltending are good enough to bail it out. And, as long as the Charlie Johnsons and Kevin Dus are there to support the Tom Cavanaghs and Tim Pettits, you can bank on three or four goals a game.

So how does Albany sound for the third weekend in March?

‘DESPERATION HOCKEY’

Oh, right. The playoffs. How quickly we forget that Saturday night’s goodwill is good for nothing if the Crimson can’t turn it into a tournament run.

Vermont will be back in town Friday for a best-of-three series. To a man, Harvard players are happy with the draw—but not because they expect the Catamounts to roll over. No way. Because of past and present events, the Crimson knows the opposite to be true.

UVM has won five of its last six and, even as the No. 11 seed, could be one of the tougher teams in the tournament. On top of that, the Cats have a penchant for first-round upsets. As a 10th-place team in 2001, they eliminated top-seeded Clarkson. And last season—again as the No. 10 seed—they swept the seventh-place Golden Knights on the road.

Adding to that is the residual chippiness from Friday’s game. Both sides pawed at (and sometimes punched) one another after whistles, and UVM took nine penalties of its own. That physicality gives a healthy sense of rivalry to the series. After all, what’s playoff hockey without one team disliking the other?

The Crimson must be careful, though, not to get too caught up in the extracurricular activity. Harvard lost Friday because it played into Vermont’s hands and was often caught retaliating by referee Joel Dupree.

And who can blame the Catamounts for throwing bones the Crimson’s way? In two games against Harvard this season, they’re 6-13 on the power play.

So it wasn’t good for Welch to get himself into trouble Friday and have to watch Saturday’s game from the press box. But he’s a smart guy. He knows how talented he is, and how it hurts his team when he’s in the box, rather than on the ice. You can bet he’ll adjust accordingly this weekend.

The Crimson will also need Grumet-Morris to be at his best. It was no accident that Harvard lost when he struggled Friday, then won when he shined Saturday. In the ECAC, a league that includes four of the top six scoring defenses in the nation, goaltending is your meal ticket. Grumet-Morris was living proof of that two years ago, when he had a 1.70 goals-against average, .932 save percentage and 4-1 record in Harvard’s run to the NCAA tournament. After a 40-save shutout on Saturday, he could be primed for a similar postseason performance.