Harvard had new hope for the 2000-01 season because of a spectacular recruiting class centered around Deerfield linemates Tyler Kolarik and Robert Fried. For the first time, Harvard coach Mark Mazzoleni put the pair on the same unit in a Crimson jersey.
Good move, coach.
Fried scored his first two collegiate goals, including the game-winner, as Harvard dispatched Dartmouth 5-2 at Bright Hockey Center Saturday night.
“I had two great linemates,” Fried said. “It was just a matter of cleaning up the garbage.”
With Harvard already up 2-0, assistant captain Peter Capouch shoveled a shot from the left point that found its way through traffic. Dartmouth goaltender Nick Boucher could not control the rebound and Fried fought his way to the puck and knocked it home at 8:15 of the second period.
Dartmouth junior Jamie Herrington narrowed the lead to 3-1 at 15:13, but Fried answered three minutes later on the power play. In what advance reports deemed his specialty, Fried again aggressively got to the puck in front of the net to score at 18:32 off assists by captain Steve Moore and freshman defenseman Blair Barlow.
Harvard really opened the play up in the second period. After getting outshot for most of the first — at one point Dartmouth held an 11-3 lead in shots on goal — the Crimson poured 16 shots on Boucher during that frame.
“I thought it was a good hockey game,” Dartmouth coach Bob Gaudet said. “It was up-and-down; we played real well in the first period and not so well in the second period. We got behind and it’s just tough to catch up on the second night once you fall behind.”
Dartmouth, meanwhile, had difficulty finishing its ample scoring opportunities. While Harvard attacked Boucher, it allowed the Big Green to reach its own goalie, senior Oliver Jonas, as well. The teams traded chances, but Jonas proved up to the task, making 34 saves on the night.
Herrington scored in the second period on a rebound after Jonas had robbed freshman Mike Turner on a breakaway.
“I didn’t think we had a good edge tonight,” Mazzoleni said. “We didn’t have our legs and we continued to struggle to contain our opponents. The difference tonight was we were opportunistic on our chances and we had and excellent game from our goaltender.”
Harvard exhibited a balanced attack, rolling all four of its lines and getting production from each. Thirteen Crimson players appeared on the scoresheet as fourth-line players, senior Harry Schwefel and junior Kyle Clark, teamed up for the Crimson’s first goal of the game. Schwefel blasted a shot home from between the hash marks at 18:12 of the first period.
Freshman Tim Petit continued his strong play for the Crimson, scoring at 7:12 of the third period to extend Harvard’s lead to 5-1. It was his second goal in as many games.
“When you are starting a combined 10 freshmen and sophomores, you better hope that some of them get on the scoresheet if you are going to have any offense,” Mazzoleni said.
Capouch beat Boucher at 5:16 of the second period for Harvard’s second goal, while Dartmouth junior winger Mike Maturo finished the scoring at 10:14.
“We couldn’t finish any of our chances tonight,” Gaudet said. “That doesn’t concern me, however, because there will be plenty of nights for us this year when the puck goes in the net.”
The loss was the Big Green’s first ECAC defeat of the year after defeating Brown 4-3 in overtime Friday night. Harvard rebounded from blowing a 3-1 lead to Vermont the night before.
