BC 0 @ Sucks 4 (Final)

[dsk1]

I was at the game as well and will add a few thoughts:

--Decent size crowd for a Harvard game, but very quiet all game.  Harvard's band lame.  BC fans surprising lame (expected many more students to make it three miles from Chesnut Hill).

--I think both teams struggled quiet a bit with BC looking better and dominating the play during the longer streches of five on five (most of the second period).
 
--I thought Harvard was good at limiting quality scoring chances, on the power play & in transition.

--Thought Richter was strong, but do not think BC did a great job of testing him.  BC did not take advantage a couple of times when they had him beat, did not get off many shots for the slot area nor make him move side to side.  Agree that we will need solve him early if possible.

--Power Play.  Harvard does try to work the puck down low out of the right corner with DU parked on the left post.  When BC collapsed down on the play out of the right corner, Harvard's point did a good job at taking the shot (not particularly strong shots, but at least tried to throw the puck towards the net).  

--Transition.  Harvard tried to capitalize on turnovers in the neutral zone and turn them into quick offensive opportunities.  They hit the long pass from the top of the defensive zone to the forward cutting across at center ice well (also tried to sneak the forward behind the D for similar pass along the right boards on the power paly).  They generally made a quick effort on the forecheck and then backed off letting BC breakout relatively easily (a few times BC had the puck underneath the circles in their defensive zone and Harvard already had 4 guys behing center ice).  Besides the power play and quick transition, I didn't think Harvard created a lot of offensive pressure.

--Harvard's penaltly kill was pretty aggressive, especially until BC got set up in the offensive zone.  A quick set-up in the offensive zone can catch them out of their box and open up good scoring opportunities.  

--Harvard really struggled to breakout of their defensive zone, even when BC put on very little pressure.  Defense made some really poor passes out of their end and generally seemed afraid to make a play often firing the puck off the glass along the left boards.  I think there is an opportunity to take advantage of their inability to break-out well, but we have to be careful. The last goal was a poor breakout combined with good transition play.  Harvard's defenseman couldn't make a paly and just fired the puck up the left boards high off the glass by the BC point.  BC's point hesitated to turn since it would be icing, but the puck hit the linesman settling at center ice.  Harvard got two guys out in transition and did a nice job converting on a 2 on 1.  Bad break for BC, but nice conversion by Harvard.

That's my thoughts. . . it was a good game to get a preview of Harvard before Friday's game.

Let's go Red!

[JohnnieAg'99]

Decent size crowd??  They had 150 people more than a sellout.  ::doh::

[dsk1]

I don't know what number they reported, but the game was definitely not a sellout.  The rink was pretty full, but there were plenty of open seats.

Two of the guys that were planning on going with us had to cancel for a business trip at the last minute so I had two extra tickets to dump.  When we got there a five minutes before the game the ticket office told me they had plenty of seats left and asked my what Section I preferred to seat in (not standing room, but actual seats).  I actually missed the first couple of minutes of the game waiting nearly ten minutes before I sold the tickets to the first person looking to buy tickets.  

Havard probably did not want to report anything less than a sellout since they plugged the game so heavily.