This spring break, the Harvard men’s hockey team did something unusual: it didn’t play hockey.

For the first time since the spring of 2001, the Crimson found itself left out of the NCAA Tournament pool, leaving its skaters with the unexpected freedom of doing whatever they wanted with their vacation time.

But as crosstown rival Boston College fought its way into its second consecutive Frozen Four, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness. What’s the end of March without a little Harvard hockey madness? And what will it take for the 2007-08 squad to make a return to the Dance?

Given the Crimson’s struggles in virtually all aspects of the game this season, it’s easy to say that Harvard needs to start from scratch. But most of the pieces are already in place; there are just three questions that the Crimson needs to answer.

1. Can Kyle Richter hold the starting goaltender job?

This was a dilemma that Harvard struggled to resolve this year. After senior Justin Tobe and freshman Kyle Richter started the season in a platoon, Richter nabbed the job in January before ceding it to Tobe down the stretch.

It’s clear that Richter can handle the pressure of starting. The freshman performed admirably for much of the season and had some stellar games, including a shutout of the then-No. 3 Eagles in just his second career start for the Crimson.

But Richter also showed that he was susceptible to breakdowns, allowing 10 goals in a crucial weekend set against Brown and Yale. The scoring binge cost the rookie the starting job, as Tobe took over between the pipes the following weekend and stayed there for the remainder of the season.

The question mark in the crease is not a problem recent Harvard teams have had to deal with. Since the 2002-03 season, the Crimson has had one goaltender start the lion’s share of its games, with Dov Grumet-Morris ’05 owning the spot for three years and John Daigneau ’06 beating out Tobe for the job in 2005-06 and being voted the team’s Most Valuable Player for his outstanding year.

There may be just as little competition at the position next season, as Richter seems to be the leading candidate to man the pipes. Tobe is graduating, and the other two goaltenders currently on the Harvard roster, sophomore Mike Coskren and freshman John Riley, have just two minutes and one save between them.

Though head coach Ted Donato ’91 will surely give the other netminders—including any recruits—a shot, it seems that the job will be Richter’s to lose. Will the young goaltender be able to improve his consistency and give the Crimson 20 wins next year?

2. Who will be Harvard’s go-to scorer?

The Crimson struggled to score for much of this season: though its power play managed several impressive performances, Harvard was mediocre at even strength.

Only three Harvard players cracked double digits in goals, with junior Alex Meintel leading the pack with 14—a low total for a team’s top scorer. Blueliner Dylan Reese finished fourth on the list with nine and tied with senior forward Ryan Maki for the team lead in power-play goals with eight.

You don’t complain about any offensive production from any source, but it can be a troubling sign when a defenseman is leading the team in man-advantage scores.

Moreover, since Dominic Moore ’03 tallied 24 goals in the 2002-03 season, no Crimson skater has scored 20 goals, an offensive drought that has begun to plague Harvard’s consistency. For the Crimson to establish itself as a team to be reckoned with in the ECAC, it needs to find a goalscorer that can deliver in the clutch.

Dan Murphy ’06 filled this role for Harvard last year, finishing with 18 goals, including several important scores down the stretch. At the beginning of this season, it seemed that senior Kevin Du would be the next go-to player, having garnered accolades for his flashy play and his knack for the net. But Du finished with just five goals on the season, gathering most of his points from his 20 assists.

With the graduation of Maki and Du, who will fill the void? Meintel and junior Mike Taylor displayed their talent down the stretch, notching three game-winning goals between them. Freshman Doug Rogers also showed signs of promise, scoring seven goals in his rookie campaign.

To truly regain its stature in the ECAC, the Crimson needs to find at least one player that can deliver in the crunch. Will any Harvard skater crack 20 goals next season?

3. Who will lead the Crimson defense?

This year, Harvard’s defensive unit featured just one senior: its captain. Reese anchored the blue line with his consistent play, lining up against the opposing team’s top forwards and skating with both special teams.

Reese’s graduation, however, leaves a significant hole in the heart of the Crimson defense. Though sophomores Brian McCafferty and Jack Christian have played over 60 games each for Harvard, the Crimson’s rising senior class has a dearth of leadership experience.

Of the three defensemen from the Class of 2008, only Dave MacDonald played in over 20 games for Harvard this season. J.D. McCabe skated in 18 games but was mostly left out of the lineup towards the end of the year. The third junior, Chris Kelley, saw no game time in 2006-07.

There’s little doubt that the rising junior class will lead by experience. But the question still lingers: which rising senior will be the leader at the blue line? The past four captains of Harvard hockey have all been defensemen—will any blueliner from the Class of 2008 command that level of respect?

If the Crimson can find the right leadership—on defense, on offense, and in goal—it can go a long way towards erasing the memories of a hockey-free spring break.

—Staff writer Karan Lodha can be reached at klodha@fas.harvard.edu.