The Harvard Men’s Hockey Team, like much of the Harvard student body, has commitment issues. At least, that is according to coach Ted Donato ’91, who, after the team’s embarrassing 0-6 shutout loss against Quinnipiac last Saturday stated, “There’s a reason they scored six goals, and some of them weren’t even on their best chances… we wasted what would’ve been a really good performance from Derek [Mullahy] ’24.” When asked about the team as a whole, Donato was even more direct. “Our inability to be patient and our turning pucks over flipped the game around on us… we aren’t consistently committed to putting pucks behind them [Quinnipiac]. Until we as a group commit, we aren’t going to have the offensive opportunities or production we’d all like to have.”
Donato’s commentary on Saturday’s loss was dead-on. Watching Harvard play against the reigning NCAA champions, I could not tell whether Quinnipiac was simply that good, or whether we were just playing that poorly. The problem wasn’t that we didn’t score—had Quinnipiac’s goalie been lights-out against a deluge of high-danger chances (as both Harvard goalies did in back-to-back games) we would not be having this conversation. Through three periods Harvard recorded less than one-half of Quinnipiac’s shots on goal, emblematic of a larger offensive issue. Donato highlighted offense as a potential problem during our conversation last month, when he raised concerns about the team’s goal-scoring abilities coming into the season.
As Donato pointed out in our post-game discussion, you cannot expect offensive output when you do not put pressure on the opposing defense, and you cannot do that if you do not get the puck into their zone. Harvard’s difficulties Saturday can be principally attributed to that issue, one I am confident will be solved over the coming weeks as the team adjusts to this new system and the younger skaters grow more comfortable in the NCAA.
There are also questions about the solidity of the Crimson’s defensive core. Despite a strong showing from Captain Ian Moore ’25, Harvard’s defense was disappointing in both home tilts, giving up far too many scoring chances and relying too heavily on their netminders. According to Moore, the biggest issue is Harvard’s turnovers, particularly in the middle zone. “We were at our best when we kept pucks on the wall and in their end—we need to do more of that and it’ll help us,” he said. While the start of the season may be disappointing, fans should take comfort in knowing that team leadership is universally aligned on what needs to improve in order to start winning.
In what will likely be a difficult season, Saturday’s loss was tougher than anyone expected. But I am hopeful the team got it out of their system and is eager to bounce back. One might ask why I have so much hope, given the last two paragraphs I just spent lamenting the team’s poor performance. Well did you watch them play Friday?
Friday’s game against Princeton was about as incredible a home opener as you could ask for. They got the bad stuff out of the way first; the team lost in a shootout after a grueling regulation and overtime struggle. Yes, the team was outshot 2:1, and if not for the stellar play of goalie Aku Koskenvuo ’26, they likely would have been blown out of the water. All of Donato’s commentary applies here. Too many holes in the defense, not enough time in the offensive zone, and the need to be more aggressive on the forecheck and putting pucks behind the opposing team. Ok, I think we get it. Now, for the good.
After an early goal from Princeton, Harvard responded with two counterpunches from Ryan Fine ’27 and Joe Miller ’26, just a minute-and-a-half apart. Then, with only 35 seconds left in the first, the Tigers roared back with a tying goal, and so ensued a period of stagnation with neither side giving an inch in the next frame. Just one minute in the third, the Tigers scored again to put them up 3-2, answered by Marek Hejduk ’26 five minutes later. Tied 3-3, Princeton took the lead 19 seconds later, only to be tied again by Miller just 25 seconds after that. There were not enough stick taps in the world for the boys in crimson that night—a phenomenal if heartbreaking game punctuated by all-star performances from Koskenvuo and Miller.
But, hockey is a team sport, and as much as Koskenvuo and Miller deserve credit for their play, the entire team deserves a round of applause for the sheer grit and spirit they poured onto that ice. With only two players above 200 lbs (Matthew Morden ’27 and Ryan Drkulec ’24), the Crimson are not a big team, and yet they play with immense physicality. There were at least five or six different scraps on the ice during the Princeton game alone, with another five to ten against Quinnipiac. Most of those were led by forward Salvatore Guzzo ’27, who at one time took on three Quinnipiac skaters after the whistle blew, laughing in their faces as they tried to pull him back. Phenomenal stuff there Guzzo.
For Koskenvuo, seeing that kind of heart from the team is everything. “It fires you up more. It makes you want to push yourself that much harder for the team,” he stated. That’s great to hear, but with a .907 save percentage (39 saves on 43 shots), Koskenvuo is the last person who needs to worry about playing better.
This is a team with an incredible amount of heart and determination, shown in spades at both home games last weekend. There may be some defensive gaps and some offensive play that needs work, but this is not the San Jose Sharks. This is not a team that is going to go 0-10-1 in the first leg of the season. This is not a team that’s going to set a record for the most goals allowed in back-to-back games. This past weekend, despite losing to Colgate in yet another shootout, Harvard put up a much stronger showing, only being outshot 31-27 by the Raiders and never allowing a lead of more than a single goal. Harvard’s first-years were the stars that night, with the only two Crimson goals coming from Ryan Fine ’27 and Ben MacDonald ’27. Against Cornell, the Crimson pulled off a miracle victory, scoring just 60 seconds into the first period against the #7 team in the nation. For the next 59 minutes, the Crimson put on a clinic of resiliency, able to maintain strong offensive pressure and defensive zone coverage despite the loss of their captain Zakary Karpa ’25 after he sustained a concussion in the first period. With a final tally of 3-2 (goals from Joe Miller ’26, andAlex Gaffney ’25) there’s hope yet that the Crimson have found their game, and look to carry it forward into the rest of the season.
The Crimson remains a top ECAC and NCAA hockey team, and I expect that the next time we speak, I will be glowing about some miraculous win or insane goal. “Playing tougher teams is an opportunity to prove ourselves. You learn from your mistakes, you rest up, you forget about tonight and get fired up for tomorrow,” said Koskenvuo, regarding the team’s intense upcoming schedule. That attitude is exactly why I have faith in this team, and I cannot wait to see them get the job done.
Jordan Wasserberger ’27 (jwasserberger@college.harvard.edu) wants to take more photos of Harvard goal celebrations.