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Harvard men’s ice hockey (3-11-3, 3-6-3 ECAC) entered its nearly month-long break on Dec. 2 in an offensive slump, as the squad’s season-long struggle to score saw the Crimson tally only 16 goals in its first nine games.
The team’s fortunes did not improve over winter break, as it lost its first five games before finally getting back in the win column with a 1-0 road victory over rival Yale on Jan. 13. The team did its best to continue the momentum into the next weekend, with another win against RPI and an overtime loss to Union, following a two-goal deficit recovery.
While consistency on the offensive end remains elusive for the Crimson, a more immediate challenge is the team’s long list of injuries, an issue which came to a head against the Bulldogs when Harvard dressed only 16 skaters, three short of the usual 19.
In particular, the Crimson has been forced to play without two major contributors, junior captain and defenseman Ian Moore and junior defenseman Christian Jimenez. In an interview, sophomore forward Casey Severo said their absences have taken a toll on the team.
“Tough seeing a lot of guys injured, but you got to take it as just another opportunity to face new challenges, and especially this year with the turnover we had from last year…[use a] ‘somebody's got to step up’ kind of mentality,” Severo said. “Unfortunately, we had a little bit of a streak where we were cold, but we're finally starting to put the pieces together and through the adversity we've all had to find a new level.”
The struggles of the team’s forward group are accentuated by the fact that only eight forwards on the roster have scored more than one goal this season. Sophomore forward Joe Miller and sophomore defenseman Ryan Healey have each recorded eight goals and eight assists, sharing the title of team point leader at 16 points cumulative. While Healey has been a consistent point generator, Miller has caught a hot streak in the new year, as the Toronto Maple Leafs prospect has scored five goals and five assists since the holiday break.
“For me personally, I've made it a focal point since coming back from break to cheat the puck a lot more. I see myself more as a playmaker, trying to make plays, but I’ve really been trying to generate more offense and it's been good to see a couple of goals going,” Miller said.
The team’s power play remains a potent weapon, converting more than 29 percent of the time, the fourth highest rate in the NCAA, but the penalty kill has not held up its end of the special teams bargain, allowing a nearly 29 percent conversion rate to opponents.
Entering the second half of the season, Harvard’s record stands at a disappointing 3-11-3, and the team stands in last place in the ECAC standings. However, its schedule for the rest of the season exclusively consists of conference opponents (outside of February’s Beanpot Tournament), leaving the Crimson an opportunity to make up ground if it is able to sort out its offense and get key players back into the lineup.
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Harvard returned to action after its break for final exams with back-to-back games against the Princeton Tigers and UConn Huskies. The Crimson played a strong first period against the Tigers, outshooting them 15-7 and jumping out to a two-goal lead, but Princeton came roaring back in the second with three goals of its own, before adding two goals in the third to come away with a 5-2 win.
Harvard was badly outplayed by the Huskies the next day, with UConn outshooting the Crimson 38-20, but a strong performance by sophomore goaltender Aku Koskenvuo kept Harvard in the game until the very end, as the Crimson trailed by only one goal for the final half of the third period before UConn tacked on a late empty-netter to secure a 4-2 win.
Harvard then headed west to Tempe, Ariz., to participate in the Desert Hockey Classic, a four-team midseason tournament hosted annually by the Arizona State Sun Devils. The Crimson came home with a fourth-place finish in the tourney, dropping a 5-2 decision to the No. 16 Sun Devils in the semifinal round before a 7-4 loss to UMass Lowell in the third-place game.
After returning to the East Coast, Harvard jumped back into conference play with contests against the Brown Bears and the Yale Bulldogs. Against Brown, the Crimson battled back from deficits throughout the contest, cutting a two-goal deficit to one goal three different times, but a late defensive stand and empty-netter for the Bears sent Harvard to its ninth straight loss.
However, the next night against the Bulldogs, Koskenvuo’s first career shutout ended the team’s long losing streak, and it also secured a milestone 300th victory for head coach Ted Donato. Despite playing down three skaters, the Crimson held Yale (7-10-0, 5-6-0 ECAC) to only 21 shots on goal, and Healey’s power play strike in the first period provided enough offense to get Harvard back in the win column.
“Everyone was really excited [about Donato’s 300th win]. We felt bad for making him wait nine games to do it, but it was special. I think it speaks a lot about him to have the reaction that we all had and all the support he gets, but it's because he gives it to us on a daily basis,” Severo spoke highly of his coach. “He's probably one of the most caring guys, one of the most caring coaches I've played for. He truly gives attention to all of our personal lives and knows us well enough to the point where his success means success for us and it was special to be a part of it.”
“I think it is awesome for him. I feel bad because it took us a few more games than I would have liked for him to get there. But it's a great accomplishment for him. Obviously, he's done so much for my success as a player and person,” Miller added. “I’m super happy for him.”
In the final weekend before second semester classes commenced, the Crimson hosted fellow ECAC conference members Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Union College in a Friday-Saturday back-to-back at Bright-Landry.
Following its success at Yale, Harvard added a second straight win, taking the Friday contest against the Rensselaer Polytechnic University Engineers 6-3. Though initially falling behind after a RPI goal in the game’s opening four minutes, sophomore forward Casey Severo quickly retaliated, evening the score not two minutes later. First year forward Michael Callow added another before the end of the period, giving the Crimson its first lead of the game.
The second period proved to be a game of back and forth, each team adding two tallies, though Harvard came out of the frame with a 4-3 lead. The Crimson goals were scored by Healey on a power play just before the midpoint of the period, and Miller, on a shorthanded breakaway, while the Crimson were on the penalty kill after junior forward Luke Khozozian was charged with a five minute major penalty for boarding and ejected from the game.
Harvard cemented the win early in the third, senior forward Ryan Drkulec scoring his first goal of the season in the opening three minutes, and Healey recording his second of the night just a few later, bringing the score to 6-3. The second forward line shone, recording seven points across Severo (1G), and first year forwards Callow (1G, 2A) and Cam Johnson (3A).
“A lot of my success has been due to my linemates Cam Johnson and Michael Callow. We’re starting to click together and play well. It's been fun seeing those two get more comfortable in college hockey and make the adjustment from juniors that everyone has to make,” Severo commented. “[Johnson] moves around the ice and [Callow’s] starting to use his big body- we've been having fun out there, which makes it a lot easier to go out each shift and play together.”
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The Crimson looked to continue its momentum on Saturday, when it welcomed the Union College Dutchmen to Cambridge. Though overcoming an early two goal deficit, Harvard ultimately fell 4-5, Union recording the winning goal just over a minute into overtime.
For the game, the team hosted young players from Ice Hockey in Harlem, a non-profit organization that brings hockey and educational experiences to young people from Harlem, New York with the intention of building their character and exposing them to the sport. The guests’ smiles and energy could be felt from the start of warmups and throughout the game, as the group sat in the corner boards across from the team bench, cheering during action and dancing between periods.
“They brought some good energy up against the glass during warm ups. It was special just to have them in the building,” Severo reflected.
“My love for the game of hockey is huge, it's done so much for my life,” Miller said. “For us as a program to be able to share that with kids from Harlem, it’s super cool and it's super special. Hopefully we’re making a big impact on those kids’ days and love for the game.”
The Dutchmen tallied its first two goals in the first period, the first on a rebound off of senior goalkeeper Derek Mullahy’s pads, and the second on a power play, while Khozozian was serving time in the box for a hooking penalty.
Harvard was unable to beat Union keeper Kyle Chauvette in the first, though he wasn’t challenged much, as the Crimson only recorded four shots on goal, being outshot in total 4-17. Harvard added one back during a power play just before the midpoint of the second, Miller with a slapper from the top of the right circle, which finished a beautiful sequence of plays, starting with puck control in pressure by junior forward Alex Gaffney and dish from first year forward Ben MacDonald.
The third period was busy on both ends of the ice. Just after the first minute mark Severo scored for the second night in a row, evening the score at 2. The Dutchmen responded just as quickly, retaking the lead after a deflection by Tyler Watkins snuck past Mullahy. The advantage didn’t last long, as again less than two minutes later sophomore forward Marek Hedjuk navigated through traffic to get a shot off from the point for his second goal of the season. Gaffney recorded his second point of the night just before the midpoint of the period, scoring on the power play to take the lead, with Crimson’s second power play goal of the game and third of the weekend in six total chances.
“Our power play unit is clicking really well right now. We have a good flow and momentum,” Miller said. “The break also helped us a little bit to rejuvenate and get back to the basics on the power play. We've been moving the puck really well, shooting the puck, and our break-ins have also been a lot better.”
In the remainder of the period, the teams traded significant offensive rushes, though Union would be the only one to score, again bringing the score to even after a failed rebound control by Mullahy with less than a minute remaining. The game extended into a five minute 3-on-3 overtime, though it didn’t take more than a minute for the Dutchmen to strike again and end the game. While Harvard still had its OT starting shift on the ice (junior captain and forward Zakary Karpa, Miller, and Healey), Union had a 2-on-1 breakaway, the initial shot coming off Mullahy’s pad before Brandon Buhr buried the puck, and the Crimson found itself overtaken by the Dutchmen.
Despite the conference-heavy schedule in the second half of the season, the Crimson still faces a tough road back to contention. This upcoming weekend it hosts rival No. 14 Cornell on Friday, followed by historically pesky Colgate on Saturday. It will then take a trip to visit the No. 3 Quinnipiac Bobcats, who crushed the Crimson 6-0 earlier in the season, on Feb. 2, only days before the semifinals of the Beanpot tournament on Feb. 5 against Northeastern.
“The next five or so games through the Beanpot is a huge task for us. These are really big games for us standing wise,” Miller said. “[We’re] just trying to take it one game at a time and not focus on what's coming next.”
“Sticking to who we are as a team and playing our game and really trying to limit their chances will be big for us,” he added. “Cornell-wise, we've beaten them the last few games, so they're gonna be hungry to come here and beat us. So we just got to come out prepared.”
“It's always exciting when we get to this kind of stretch of the season,” Severo added. “To have a run at a few teams that got us earlier in the season and be able to play in the Beanpot obviously, especially this year.”
Harvard will have a more favorable travel schedule in the second half of the season, as it will only play three games outside of the Boston area.
The Crimson takes on No. 14 Cornell Saturday at Bright-Landry at 7pm EST. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
—Staff writer Bridget T. Sands can be reached at bridget.sands@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @bridgsands
—Staff writer Aaron B. Shuchman can be reached aaron.shuchman@thecrimson.com.
