Saturday night's exhibition match with the University of New
Brunswick Reds was a good practice for the Harvard Crimson.  In
the end, they overcame a tough UNB team with superior speed and
skill.
 
The game:  Harvard took the lead when Chris Baird (Sean McCann,
Brian Farrell) tipped in on the first rush of the game, off the
opening face-off.  UNB tied the score when Derek Cormier (Trevor
Boland) broke in during a confused Harvard line change.  The
Crimson had more trouble changing lines which resulted in the
Reds taking a 1-2 lead, when Mike Cavanagh (Scott Muscutt, Chris
Ellis) flicked a shot in from 30 feet.  Harvard tied the game
on a power play when Farrell (Baird, Derek Maguire) stuff the puck
in from right in front, off a nice pass from the point.  McCann
(Cory Gustafson) put Harvard in front again when he wristed
home a 25 foot shot off a face-off.
 
In the second period, UNB tied the match when Todd Sparks (Cormier)
showed some speed and broke in on his own.  The Crimson regained
the lead through Maguire (Baird) on a nice setp just off to one
side of the goal.  The Reds tied it up one more time when Boland
(Rob Knesaurek) followed Sparks example and broke in all alone.
 
In the final period the game was close until the last 5 minutes.
Peter MacLaughlin (Kirk Nielsen, McCann) scored on a slap shot
from outside the blue line, which just slipped through the goalies
pads.  UNB got a 5 minute major with a little over 3 minutes left.
Harvard score a power play goal through McCann (Tom Holmes, Maguire)
when a hard shot from the point was knocked down for an easy put in.
Farrell finished the scoring when he showed some speed and then
waited and picked his opening.
 
Harvard really used this match as a practice.  In the first period
they were using a rotation offense.  At one point it got intense
enough that I thought they were going to need gyro-compasses in-
stalled in their helmuts.  In the second they went to an angular
offense.  Similiar to the type of Wisconsin offense Badger Bob
use to like, it created many backdoor changes.  The final period
saw them go with what has become their unfortunate standard
offense: straight at 'em.  Being a flat strike it created the
least changes.  I would love to see them stay with rotation,
which did create the most changes, but they also seemed the least
comfortable with it.
 
The match was a basic Harvard game.  When they skate and use their
passing skills, they can dominate many other teams.  When they stand
around, they are very easy to beat.  The Crimson is led this season
by its defenders.  McCann, the captain, and Maguire are strong
skaters, good at reading the game, and more than happy to join
the attack.  I look for many goals this year to come from the
blueliners.  McCann and McLaughlin are a good defensive pairing.
MacLaughlin tends to stay at home, which is good, as McCann loves
to attack.  Maguire and Bryan Lonsinger are just as good a pair.
Lonsinger usually has a quiet game, but keeps the defense together.
The third pairing is Lou Body and first year player Ashlin Halfnight.
Body is a good solid defender, who can shoot.  Halfnight is my new
favorite on the team.  Right now is still finding his edges, but
when he gains confidence and smoothes out his skating, this kid
could be brilliant.  He was all over the ice last night.  You
name it, he'll try it.  Besides, what a great name!  My kind of
player: let it rip!  The backups on defense are Geb Marett,
currently out with a thumb injury, Sean Wenham and new-comer Marco
Ferrari.
 
The offense looks kind of thin.  The first line on the ice was
Ian Kennish with Farrell and Baird.  I understand that Jason
Karmanos is injured right now, and will be centering that line.
Last night I though Kennish played well for them.  The next
line was the power line of Steve Martins with Gustafson and Ben
Coughlin.  Martins still has his speed and made several nice
set ups last night.  Gustafson was digging well, making nice
passes and led several rushes.  If those two get going, Harvard
will do well.  The third line was Nielsen with Holmes and Perry
Cohagen.  On the night, they were the best line.  They were the
best fore-checkers, and every time they were out cause UNB much
trouble.  Nielsen seems much more at home this season and set
up some nice plays, while showing much better skating.  Holmes
continues his speedy performances.  The last line was a first
year line: Joe Craigen with Stuart Swenson and Ethan Philpott.
They looked fairly good and kept to their game plan well.  They
need to develop if Harvard plans to go anywhere.
 
In goal, each goalie got a period to play.  Steve Hermsdorf
and Aaron Israel split the first two periods, and neither was
outstanding.  Tripp Tracy played the third, and while not facing
many shots, looked very good.
 
The main power play unit is Maguire and Baird at the points,
with Martins, Farrell and McCann down low.  Martins and Maguire
work well together rotating their positions as play decitated.
Having hard nosed McCann playing up is a smart move.  Baird
on the point looks somewhat weak.  The short hand teams were
the normal everybody and anybody who is going well that night.
 
Michel Breistroff, who has play defense and offense for the Crimson
was not on the roster last night.  I believe he is playing with
the French Olympic side.  The big loss appears to be Brad Konik.
He was not on the roster, and the rumor is that he has taken a
year off.  I know he had a bad knee injury last year which kept
him off the ice for the whole second half of the season.  I will
check on Monday with Harvard SID on the status of both of these
players.  I have to say, without Konik, things look tough.  It
means a team that was going to count on its defense for offense
is really going to have to go that route.  Not the best idea.
 
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 good shooting
 rhun
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