Harvard dropped its season opener at Brown, in a penalty-filled 4-3 game.
After a sloppy first period, Harvard had the edge in quality play, from
where I sat, but Brown maintained an edge in physical play and in just
plain determination. There were penalties galore on both sides (I lost
count), this determined most of the scoring: I believe three of Brown's
goals and two of Harvard's came on the power play. I think that the reffing
was generally fair, although there was a lot uncessary whacking at the
goalies.
 
Most of my comments will be on Harvard, but I was impressed with Brown: two
scoring lines, solid defense, and goalie Parsons looked tight. The Bruins
picked up a 2-0 lead in the first, both goals coming on the power play.
Harvard looked sloppy on their outlet passes, and were victimized a
number of times. In general, Brown looked agressive and focused. The
second period opened with a much more dominant Harvard team, keeping the
puck in the Brown zone for extended perids, although Brown's defense
appeared pretty tight. But a power play slapper by Crimson senior
defenseman Brian Lonsinger brought the teams within one. Only a few
minutes later, Steve Martins scored a beautiful goal, collecting a dish
at the blue line, swooping across the goal mouth, and flipping it in,
tying the game. Brown quickly responded: with 3 Harvard players forechecking
deep in Brown's zone, and one Harvard defenseman tied up on the near boards,
two Brown players broke lose with the puck. Senior Harvard defenseman
Michel Briestroff as the only one facing them: it seemed a 2 on 1,
dangerous, but not impossible; then Briestroff fell down, and it was a 2
on 0, with a third Brown player racing the other Harvard defenseman on
the far side. Harvard goalie Tripp Tracy blocked the first shot, but the
rebound was in. In the third, Martins tied the game a second time, on the
power play, with a screened blast from the right face-off circle. Brown
again retaliated, tying the game on a power play goal from Martino (two
goals on the night). Harvard pressed, but Brown did a good job preventing
a tying goal.
 
Harvard did not play the game it wanted to, or, in my opinion, the game it
has the talent to play. Certainly, the bounces did not go Harvard's way. Too
many pucks off refs, stray skates, weird deflections off the boards, several
clangers off the pipes, several amazing point-blank stops by Parsons. For the
Harvard fan, the most depressing had to be the game-tying goal that was waved
off in the final minutes (according to the ref, the whistle had blown: this
was a hard one to call, and I couldn't tell from where I sat). The
emblematic instance for me: a Harvard player on the breakaway gets hooked
and falls, no call; a Brown player on the breakaway gets hooked, 2
minutes for Harvard. Am I saying that Harvard was robbed, that the
reffing was bad? no, just that the bounces were not going Harvard's way.
At the same time, I tend to think that these things are indicative of a
level of focus or desire that was more in evidence on the Brown side of
things. Too much of Harvard's play was individual -- talented -- but not
enough to win the game on its own. A few thoughts:
 
- Briestroff. Sure, everbody falls down, but I've watched this guy for
four years, and he falls down all the time! Yes, I'm ragging on him, but
I think that Tommasoni sure play him as a forward on the fourth line, or
something. He's a defensive liability. I think that goal proved to be the
backbreaker for Harvard; I'm not sure how it played out for Briestroff
with Tommasoni. Early in the third Briestroff left the ice, apparently
healthy, and never returned.
- Leadership. Harvard lacks a clear leader. Martins is certainly the
center of attention, quarterbacking the power play and shorthand,
double-shifted when they needed a goal, and so on. On the other hand,
he's tempermental, and picked up a number of dumb penalties (in one he
looked like a sumo wrestler and sort of tossed a player in the air;
admittedly, Martins receives extra attention from opposing teams, but
he's got to learn to take it). Captain Ben Coughlin was a non-presence on
the ice. The closest to a real backbone was the first defensive pair of
Lonsinger and Halfnight, who were sound defensively but also seemed to be
able to lead the attack. But too often it seemed unclear where the team
was going.
- The freshman. I like Famigletti a lot: he's small for a defenseman, but
seems very swift, and delivered some hard hits. Sproule (#14) was also
impressive, centering the fourth line.
 
Overall, I think Harvard has the talent to be very good, but needs to get
their team play together. In the end I think this game could have gone
either way, at least from the second period on. As a Harvard fan, I'd be
concerned if I saw a game like this at the middle of the season, but as
the first game, well, I'll wait and see.