Cambridge, MASS – Harvard and Dartmouth entertained a near capacity crowd, 2734, at the newly renovated Bright-Hockey Center on Saturday night. Dartmouth would control the first 11 minutes of the contest and heavily outshoot the Crimson in the early going. The Big Green would score its first goal of the season at ten minutes, 53 seconds of the first period when Rick Pinkston sent a point shot to the net that found its way through. Harvard quickly answered a mere 14 seconds later when Alex Kerfoot retrieved his own rebound and put it past Dartmouth goalie, James Kruger. Dartmouth outshot Harvard 12-3 in the first 14 minutes of the game, then Harvard would go on to outshoot the Green 13-2 in the next 10 minutes

The Big Green and the Crimson would trade goals in the second period, as Patrick McNally would score early for Harvard followed by Eric Robinson and Brandon McNally for Dartmouth. The Crimson trailed 3-2 after two periods of play. Patrick McNally would add his second of the night at 9:50 of the third period on the game tying goal, which stood as the decision. The Crimson outshot the Green 37-32 in the game, which signified the flow of the game. Harvard goes to 0-0-1 on the season, 0-0-1 in ECAC play. Dartmouth also goes to 0-0-1, 0-0-1. The game marked the first game of the season for both Dartmouth and Harvard.

What I Saw

• Harvard’s first line of Alex Kerfoot, Jim Vesey and Kyle Criscuolo cycled the puck around Dartmouth’s second line for much of the night. Kerfoot especially seems to have taken a step from his freshman to sophomore campaigns, as he had numerous glorious chances that he created. Vesey also was creative in creating his magic in the own zone. The trio also transitioned well and when they were on the ice the puck was in the Dartmouth zone.
• Similarly to Harvard’s first line, Dartmouth’s first line showed moments of dominance. Eric Robinson returned to the Dartmouth lineup for the first time in a year, as he missed 32 games last season and received a medical redshirt. His presence was immediately felt, as his snipe finds the back of the net more often than not. Robinson has one of the best wristers in the ECAC. Robinson and Tyler Sikura have a great chemistry from two seasons ago when both had banner years. Schierhorn is the third piece of that line and he seems to fit really well on the left wing with Dartmouth’s two great players. Every time the line was on the ice it was a chance to score.

What I Thought

• For two Ivy league teams playing their first games, the game was as entertaining as can be. Every time Dartmouth scored, Harvard had an answer the next shift. It was likewise the other way around. For Harvard, this has to be a sign of progress because last year the Crimson wilted and were awful in the shifts following goals, Both defenses will need to be shored up but on this night these teams put on a show.
• Dartmouth was predicted high, and many including myself felt that with the right pieces they could end up being a contender. Tonight was a good start, but it was not perfect. As predicted there are holes to be had in the defense. Harvard’s first line was able to advantage of the defense with some slick movements. Dartmouth’s defense allowed many shots bet it bent and didn’t break in most situations. But in the end both teams gave up shots and chances, both goalies played splendid hockey.
• If there was  an earned tie it was this one. Both teams played great hockey for much of contest. For parts of it, it seemed like two good teams going toe to toe to get a victory.

What They Said

Dartmouth coach Bob Gaudet said,

“It was a really good college hockey game for two teams in their opening game. I liked the pace, the physical play, the goaltending and the offensive play. There were some nice goals in this game. I liked the fact that Jimmy Kruger got a chance to play. He did a good job for us. We defended hard and scored some goals.”

“Tyler and Eric have great chemistry and Brad Schierhorn is a big strong kid, who I think is going to have a breakout year. It was great to have Eric back, he was out all of last year, and Tyler was injured for quite a bit of last year. They seem to have some chemistry and they are good size kids, smart. They had a lot of good looks tonight.”

Dartmouth forward Eric Robinson,

“We are a pretty experienced team so we know our systems and guys are comfortable with that. It is just a matter of gelling and getting better each day. We think there is a lot of upside to our team.”

“I was a little bit more comfortable now than I was in our two exhibition games. It is a little nerve-wracking coming back from a shoulder injury, but once you get that first big hit on you it makes you feel a little more comfortable.”

Harvard coach Ted Donato said,

“Overall I am very happy with the way we played and I think there is a lot to build on from this.”

“There was a good push from locker room after the first but even the response. I didn’t see any frustration tonight and didn’t see any heads hanging. We just kept working and threw a lot of pucks on the net, their goalie made some big saves and so did ours.”

“The game ended probably the way it should have. Both teams had their chances and both made some big plays at the right times.”

What Else You Should Know

Dartmouth will travel to Union and Rensselaer next weekend. On Friday, the Green will face a Union team that is entering on three consecutive losses. Union lost to RPI, 2-1 in overtime, on Saturday.

Harvard will face a Rensselaer team that will come in off the high of sweeping Union.For Harvard a consistent performance like it saw against Dartmouth would go a long way in its process.

Sunday, November 2nd, 2014 - 12:53 am | Blogs, ECAC, Notes, Thoughts, Ramblings