Game 24: Colgate (12-8-2, 6-4-0 ECAC) vs. Harvard (4-6-6, 3-4-4 ECAC)
Date: Fri., Jan. 20, 2012
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Site: Starr Rink; Hamilton, N.Y.
Radio: 93.9 FM WKXZ Norwich
Internet Broadcast: WKXZfm.com (http://www.wkxzfm.com), TEAMLINE (http://www.teamline.cc)
Internet Video: http://www.gocolgateraiders.com/showcase
Live Stats: http://www.gocolgateraiders.com
Opponent: Harvard University
Nickname: Crimson
Location: Cambridge, Mass.
Conference: ECAC Hockey
2011-2012 Record: 4-6-6 (3-4-4 ECAC)
2011-2012 Non-Conference Record: 1-2-2
Wins: Colgate, Clarkson, New Hampshire, Princeton
Losses: Princeton, Cornell, St. Lawrence, North Dakota, Union, Boston University
Ties: Quinnipiac, Dartmouth, UMass, North Dakota, Union, RPI
Current League Standing: Tied for eighth with Brown
Preseason Ranking: Seventh (Coaches), 12th (Media)
2009-2010 Record: 12-21-1 (7-14-1 ECAC)
Head Coach: Ted Donato (Harvard 1991), Eighth season
Overall Record:107-116-27 through eight seasons
Last Time Out…
Harvard 4 Colgate 2
Date: Nov. 12, 2011
Site: Bright Hockey Center; Cambridge, Mass.
*Harvard scored three times in the second period to erase Colgate leads of 1-0 and 2-1 en route to a wild 4-2 victory over the nationally-ranked Raiders. The win was Harvard’s first of the season.
*The game featured three five-minute major power plays, one game disqualification and one game misconduct penalty. All of which came in the second period. Harvard’s Danny Biega earned a game misconduct after being tagged with a five-minute major for hitting from behind. Colgate’s Jeremy Price was given a five-minute major for boarding around six minutes of game play later however he was not thrown out of the game. Before Price’s penalty ended, Colgate’s Nick Prockow took a five-minute major for face-masking and he received a game disqualification.
*In total, 67 minutes of penalties were handed out in the contest that featured 21 infractions. Fifteen penalties alone were called in the second period which at one point saw four Colgate players in the penalty box after a scrum at 14:48.
*Staying with the second period, there were less than four minutes of actual 5-on-5 play because of all of the penalties.
*Harvard went 2-for-8 on the power play with both goals coming in the final five minutes of the period during a major power play which resulted from Nick Prockow’s five-minute major for face-masking.
*Shots ended fairly even with a 33-32 advantage for the Crimson. Harvard’s Steve Michalek made 30 saves while Colgate’s Eric Mihalik came up with 29 stops.
*Austin Smith and Robbie Bourdon scored goals for Colgate while Harvard had four different skaters light the lamp. Patrick McNally and Alex Killorn each had a goal and an assist while Dan Ford and David Valek both had two helpers.
*Read our game recap HERE
All-Time Series: 46-21-6 Harvard (73 games)
First Meeting: Jan. 16, 1971 (Harvard 4-1; Starr Rink, Hamilton, N.Y.)
Last Meeting: Nov. 12, 2011 (Harvard 4-2; Bright Hockey Center, Cambridge, Mass.)
Last Colgate Win: Feb. 19, 2011 (Colgate 2-1; Starr Rink, Hamilton, N.Y.)
Last Harvard Win: Nov. 12, 2011 (Harvard 4-2; Bright Hockey Center; Cambridge, Mass.)
Home: 18-10-4 Harvard
Road: 26-11-2 Harvard
Neutral: 2-0-0 Harvard
Series Notes
*While Harvard leads the all-time series against Colgate at Starr Rink, the Cantabs have not won in Hamilton since Nov. 11, 2006. Colgate is 2-0-2 versus Harvard over the last four meetings between the teams in upstate New York.
*With a victory, Harvard can earn a series sweep for the first time in five years. Harvard has not swept Colgate, or won back-to-back games against the Raiders for that matter, since the 2006-2007 campaign.
*Eight of the last nine overall games between Colgate and Harvard have been decided by two goals or less. Four games in a row at Starr Rink pitting the Cantabs against the Hamiltonians have been decided by one goal or less. Colgate has won two one-goal games in a row over Harvard in Hamilton (5-4, 2-1).
*The recent portion of the series has been a stand-off. In the last nine games between Harvard and Colgate, the Raiders lead the series 4-3-2.
*In ECAC Hockey playoff action, Harvard is 8-0-0 all-time against Colgate. The teams last met in the postseason in the 2005 ECAC semifinals at the Times Union Center. The Crimson edged the Raiders 5-4 in double overtime.
Current Leading Scorers – Harvard
Alex Killorn (Sr. F) 10-10-20
Danny Biega (Jr. D) 4-15-19
Patrick McNally (Fr. D) 4-11-15
Alex Fallstrom (Jr. F) 7-6-13
Marshall Everson (Jr. F) 5-7-12
Dan Ford (So. D) 1-9-10
*Steve Michalek (Fr. G) 4-5-5, 3.28 GAA, .891 SV %
Loose Pucks – Harvard
*The Crimson arrive in upstate New York on a six-game winless streak. Harvard is 0-3-3 in its’ last six games and most recently, Harvard was swept last weekend by Union and Boston University.
*One week ago, Harvard hosted Union at Fenway Park as part of Frozen Fenway and dropped a 2-0 decision. Union potted the eventual game-winning goal with less than five seconds left in the second period. The following night, Boston University scored twice in the third period to erase a 3-1 Harvard lead and then the Terriers tallied in overtime to upend their Beantown counterparts.
*Statistically speaking, the Cantabs have the best power play in the nation. Harvard has scored 24 power play goals on 70 chances which equal a power play conversion rate of 34.3%. That’s 24 power play goals for Harvard in just 16 games. Senior Alex Killorn leads the Crimson with seven power play goals. No other Division I men’s team in the nation has a power play above 30.0%.The Crimson have also recorded multiple power play goals in a single game eight times.
*However, Harvard’s penalty kill is one of the worst in the nation. The Cantabs are 45-for-62 on the penalty kill or 72.6%. In ECAC Hockey games, that number drops to 67.5% (27-for-40). In the national rankings, Harvard’s penalty kill ranks 55th of 58 teams. The Cambridge side also has not scored a short-handed goal.
*Another reason Harvard has struggled this year is scoring defense. While 18-year-old freshman Steve Michalek has played well in goal, Harvard is still allowing 3.50 goals per game. Opponents have scored 56 times in just 16 contests. Harvard had a streak earlier this season of eight-straight games where it allowed three goals or more. All-in-all, Harvard opponents have hit the three-goal mark on 11 occasions. However, of the five teams that Harvard has held to two or less – Colgate is one.
*Through 16 games, Harvard has played to a school single-season record six ties. The Crimson still have 13 games remaining. The NCAA Division I men’s record for ties in a season is 10 and that was set in 2003 by Minnesota State. Harvard is 0-1-6 in overtime. Interestingly enough, five of the six draws have been on the road.
*The first period has been Harvard’s worst this season. Overall, opponents are outscoring Harvard 23-11 in the opening 20 minutes. In ECAC action, the Cantabs have just five goals to 13 for the opposition in the opening stanza.
*Last weekend, Harvard struggled to get the puck on goal. Saturday night against Boston University, Harvard was outshot 20-4 between the third period (16-4) and overtime (4-0). The night before against Union, Harvard managed only seven shots in the final two periods.
*The Cantabs at times this year have been the comeback kids. Earlier this season, Harvard rallied from deficits of 4-1 and 5-2 to defeat New Hampshire 7-6. In late December, the Crimson stormed back from a 4-2 deficit at North Dakota and managed to come out with a 4-4 overtime tie at Ralph Englestad Arena.
*Harvard has not won since Dec. 10, a 4-3 victory over Princeton at Hobey Baker Rink.
*Against ranked teams this season, Harvard has just one win – over Colgate on Nov. 12.
*Harvard defensemen Danny Biega and Patrick McNally are among the highest-scoring defensemen in ECAC hockey. The pair has combined for eight goals and 26 assists. Each has four scores this season while Biega has handed out four more helpers than McNally.
*Freshman Steve Michalek has taken over the starting goaltending job. The 18-year-old has played almost every minute for Harvard this season. The Crimson graduated two senior goalies from last season, Kyle Richter and Ryan Carroll. The only returnee from last year is sophomore Raphael Girard. Michalek, who prepped at Loomis Chaffee, has appeared in 15 of Harvard’s 16 games. He is 4-5-5 with 392 total saves and an .891 save percentage.
Loose Pucks – Colgate
*The Raiders come into the weekend riding a four-game losing streak. The team has yet to win a game in 2012 after earning 20 victories in the 2011 calendar year. That said, all four of Colgate’s losses have come on the road (Ferris State x2, Princeton, Quinnipiac). In the streak, Colgate has been outscored 20-7 and has allowed 11 second-period goals and three short-handed goals.
*Seven points separate first place from 10th place in the ECAC Hockey standings with six weeks remaining in the regular season. Colgate comes into the weekend in a tie for fourth place in the standings with Princeton. CU has four games at hand on both Princeton and third-place Quinnipiac. Neither the Tigers nor the Bobcats will play until February.
*Despite the recent losing skid, the Raiders still have several winning streaks intact. Colgate is unbeaten in its last six overall games at Starr Rink and against ECAC Hockey opponents; Colgate is 7-0-0 in its last seven home games. The last overall loss at Starr Rink was on Oct. 29 to Niagara (2-1) and the last home loss in ECAC Hockey play came to St. Lawrence (4-0) on Feb. 4.
*Colgate has swept the Harvard-Dartmouth weekend in each of the last two weeks. Harvard and Dartmouth were the first Colgate ECAC opponents of the 2009-10 league season. The Raiders rallied from a 4-1 deficit to stun the Crimson 5-4 in the 09-10 league opener and then up-ended Dartmouth, 3-2, the following afternoon as part of Silver Puck Weekend. Last season, Harvard and Dartmouth were the opponents for Senior Weekend. Colgate, riding a hot streak, downed nationally-ranked Dartmouth 5-3 and then edged Harvard on Senior Night 2-1.
*At home, CU is outscoring opponents in general 30-17 and ECAC foes 17-6. In a current six-game home unbeaten streak, the Raiders have outscored opponents 23-9 and have hit for at least three goals in five of six games. The visitors have scored no more than two goals in that time. Miami (Ohio) is the only road team that has scored more than three goals at Starr Rink against Colgate this season.
*In Colgate’s seven-game ECAC unbeaten string at home, the Raiders have defeated Clarkson (twice), Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, Quinnipiac and St. Lawrence.
*The penalty kill for Colgate has been an issue of late. Dating back to the St. Lawrence home game on Dec. 3, Colgate is 21-for-30 (70.0%) on the PK. The Raiders have allowed two power play goals in a game four times in that span (Quinnipiac, Princeton, Canisius and St. Lawrence). For the season, Colgate’s PK numbers have dropped below 80.0%. The Raiders have also not scored a short-handed goal since Dec. 30 against Canisius. In league play, Colgate is 77.6% on the PK which ranks 10th of 12 teams.
*The second period has also been a sore spot as of late with eight goals yielded last weekend and 11 in total during a four-game slide since the start of the calendar year. For the season, Colgate has been outscored 25-21 in the second period. In ECAC games, Colgate has allowed a league-worst 15 goals in the middle stanza. However, the first period for the ‘Gate has been outstanding with a 21-14 goal margin in the opening 20 minutes. And against ECAC foes, the Raiders are tied for the league lead with just four goals allowed in the first frame.
*Colgate has scored 21 goals in the first two and last two minutes of a period this season. When the Raiders do pot one of these goals, they are 9-2-1. However, Colgate has given up 13 goals in a first or last two and a half minutes of a period. Seven of the 13 goals have come in the last five games – Canisius included. Colgate allowed only three goals in that particular time in the first 10 games.
*Austin Smith remains among the top three vote getters in the fan balloting for the Hobey Baker Memorial award. Vote here. Smith leads the country with 22 goals, 1.00 goals per game and five short-handed goals. He is tied for second nationally in game-winning goals (five) and is third in points per game (1.59). Thirteen of Smith’s 22 lamp lighters have been in ECAC games. No other ECAC skater has more than eight goals in league competition.
*The senior has 138 career points in 136 games on 65 goals and 73 assists. He is three points shy of moving into a tie for 22nd place on Colgate’s all-time scoring list with current Adrian College head coach Ron Fogarty. This season, Smith has at least one point in 20 of 22 games. He had a 12-game point streak snapped last Saturday afternoon at Quinnipiac.
*While Austin Smith draws the headlines, Chris Wagner has quietly worked his way to second in ECAC Hockey with 1.40 points per game, 0.30 PPG behind league leader Austin Smith. Wagner has amassed 14 points (6-8-14) in 10 league games. This season, Wagner has 26 overall points on eight goals and 18 assists. With 18 helpers in 21 games, Wagner is averaging 0.84 assists per game and that ranks him 14th nationally among Division I players.
*Junior Robbie Bourdon is on track to play in his 100th career game this weekend. Heading into Friday night’s game with Harvard, Bourdon has skated in 98 tilts for the Raiders and he has amassed 65 career points on 29 goals and 36 assists. Barring injury, both Jeremy Price and Thomas Larkin will reach the 100-game plateau over the next two weekends.
*On the all-time games played list, Kevin McNamara can move into a tie with former teammates Jesse Winchester and Tom Riley for 13th place. Winchester and Riley each participated in 142 career games. With a spot in the line-up on Friday night, McNamara will tie Joey Mormina and Jon Smyth for 15th place.
*Staying with Kevin McNamara, the senior from Chestnut Hill, Mass. is one of 23 players nationally to receive a nomination for the 2012 BNY Mellon Hockey Humanitarian Award. McNamara’s former teammate, Ethan Cox, won the award as a senior in 2010. Overall, 12 Division I men’s ice hockey players were nominated – the other nominees are female Division I skaters as well as male/female Division III players. The finalists will be announced later this month and then the award will be handed out at the Frozen Four in April.
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