The men's hockey team defied expectation Friday in its 2-1 defeat of Harvard in Cambridge. Harvard was expected to be one of the top teams in the nation this season and began the year ranked No. 13. Brown, on the other hand, was picked to finish last in the ECACHL after posting a 5-20-7 record last year.
The triumph was the Bears' second in a row, but Brown dropped a hard-fought 1-0 battle to Dartmouth the following evening. Bruno is now 1-2-1 in the ECACHL (2-3-2 overall).
Goaltender Dan Rosen '10 was the star on Friday. Brown posted its first ECACHL win even though it was out-shot by the Crimson 26-13, with Rosen's strong performance carrying the day.
"I thought we played a good game," said Head Coach Roger Grillo. "It was a different style of hockey than we've played and from what we're used to this year. It was more defensive and a bit slower. Harvard plays (a type of neutral zone trap) so it was more methodical. We got two quick goals and kept the lead while Danny (Rosen) held down the fort ... helping us get a big win on the road."
All the scoring in the game took place in the first period, beginning with a Brown power-play goal from captain Sean Dersch '07 after just 6:35 of play. Defenseman Sean Hurley '08 was at the point when he passed the puck off to forward Brian Inhacak '07, who was waiting in the left corner. Dersch was tied up by a Crimson defenseman in front of the net, but Inhacak found a passing lane and slipped the puck to Dersch, who was able to one-time the puck into the net. Brown's power-play unit is one of the team's strengths, and it capitalized on its only opportunity in the period.
Just over eight minutes later, forward Jeff Prough '08 increased the Bears' lead to 2-0. Following a period of solid Brown puck possession and movement in the offensive zone, Matt Vokes '09 passed the puck to Brian McNary'08 behind the net. McNary skated to his right and managed to slip the puck over to Prough, who was in the crease. Prough fired the puck over the goalie's left shoulder, tallying Brown's second goal at 14:52.
The assist was Vokes's sixth point in the first six games of the season.
With just 44 seconds left in first-period play, the Crimson closed the scoring gap to 2-1 when it shot a puck past Rosen on a Harvard power play.
The final 40 minutes were scoreless for both teams, despite Harvard's efforts to even the score. Rosen stopped 18 shots in the last two periods of play, and the Bears played good defense, holding off the Harvard attack. With 58 seconds of regulation play, the Crimson pulled its goalie, but the effort proved unsuccessful.
The Harvard win was special for two reasons. First, it marked Grillo's 100th career victory since he came to the University in 1997. That feat was accomplished only once before - by former Head Coach James Fullerton, who guided the program from 1956 to 1970.
The win also gave Bruno its first victory against rival Harvard in a span of six games going back to Jan. 31, 2004. For the Bears, ranked last in both ECACHL preseason coaches' and media polls, the win over Harvard, which was ranked second by both polls, carried a little extra weight.
On Saturday night, the Bears headed to Hanover, N.H. to battle Dartmouth, ranked 13th in the nation. The Bears were unable to muster any offense against the Big Green, however, and lost 1-0 after Dartmouth converted a five-on-three power-play at 2:58 in the second period.
"We came out flat," Rosen said. "They were flying and they pretty much dictated the play."
The game was characterized by special teams play. The Bears and Dartmouth each had eight man-advantage opportunities.
"We just didn't create enough opportunities to score," Grillo said. "That's something that's been strong with us in the past and that we could have capitalized on - that we needed to capitalize on - if we were going to win."
With just 1:03 remaining in regulation play, Grillo pulled Rosen in attempt to even the score. Despite Dersch's efforts in winning two offensive zone face offs which led to late scoring opportunities for the Bears, they were unable to push the game into overtime.
Rosen recorded 19 saves in the game and was recognized by Grillo for his strong performance in net, despite the loss.
"(Rosen) continues to be solid back there and he kept us very much in the game, making key saves," Grillo said. "If we had been a bit quicker and more intense, we might have pulled off the win."
Next weekend, the Bears will step away from ECACHL play, facing American International College at Meehan Auditorium on Saturday and Providence College, also at home, on Sunday. Both games will begin at 2 p.m.
