CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Harvard is set for the final weekend of the regular season with plenty at stake as it hosts Rensselaer (Feb. 28, 7:30 p.m., ESPN+) and Union (Feb. 29, 7 p.m., ESPN+) at Bright-Landry Hockey Center. Harvard and RPI are 4-5 in the ECAC Hockey standings, with the Crimson two points ahead. A win or a tie on Friday night, and Harvard clinches a top-4 finish in the ECAC Hockey standings for the fifth straight season. On Saturday night, Harvard will honor its six seniors on Senior Night after the game against Union. Harvard is 5-0 in its last five Senior Night contests.
How to Follow
RPI Broadcast: ESPN+ l International Feed
Union Broadcast: ESPN+ l International Feed
Live Stats: RPI l Union
Twitter: @HarvardMHockey
Game Notes: Harvard
What to Know
• Harvard is one of the top scoring teams in the nation, with an average of 3.70 goals per game (5th, NCAA), and has done so through a balanced scoring effort. First-year forward Nick Abruzzese leads the team in scoring with 37 points (13 goals, 24 assists). He leads all NCAA freshmen in per game scoring (1.37 points per game). Sophomore forward Jack Drury (17-15-32) is No. 2 in the NCAA in per game goal scoring (.71 goals per game), and sophomore forward Casey Dornbach (11-22-33) has also been excellent for the Crimson. Defensemen Jack Rathbone (6-20-26) and Reilly Walsh (5-16-21) are two of the top scoring blueliners in the nation, with Rathbone ranked No. 3 (among blueliners) in the NCAA with 1.08 points per game.
• Harvard has scored a power play goal in 22 of its 27 games and has the No. 1 power play in the nation - 29-for-93 (31.2%) ...Harvard has scored first in 19 of 27 games this season, with a 11-4-4 record in those contests....Harvard is No. 4 in the nation with a 12.2 shooting percentage...Harvard is No. 3 in the nation with an average of 1.26 goals in the 1st period.
• Harvard is No. 4 in the nation in first-year (per game) scoring, with freshmen contributing 3.11 points per contest. Up front, Nick Abruzzese (13-24-37), is No. 1 in the NCAA among freshmen with 1.37 points per game. John Farinacci (8-12-20) and defenseman Henry Thrun (3-16-19) also making an immediate impact.
• Since a 5-9-1 start, RPI is 10-6-1 in its last 17 games, including a 9-3-0 mark in ECAC Hockey play. Senior forward Todd Burgess (13-6-19) scored four goals in RPI's 7-1 win last Saturday against Princeton, helping the Engineers complete a weekend sweep. RPI has been excellent on the defensive end in league play (2.00 goals allowed per game), led by sophomore goalie Owen Savory (11-9-2, 2.20, .926).
• Union took both Princeton (T, 2-2) and Quinnipiac (L, 3-2) to overtime last weekend, but is 1-8-3 in its last 12 contests. Senior Anthony Rinaldi (7-16-23) leads the team in scoring, and goaltender Darion Hanson (6-20-4, 2.78, .908) has been solid.
Harvard Hockey on Social
Ted Donato '91, The Robert D. Ziff '88 Head Coach for Harvard Men's Ice Hockey
Following success as a player at the collegiate, professional and international levels, Ted Donato has begun piling up a long list of accomplishments as head coach at his alma mater. The former Crimson captain has guided Harvard to four 20-win seasons, captured ECAC Hockey and Ivy League championships, claimed six NCAA tournament berths, a Frozen Four appearance, led his team to six ECAC Hockey championship games, and coached 11 All-Americans and 16 National Hockey Leaguers. As a player at Harvard he was named the 1989 MVP of the Frozen Four during the Crimson's national title run. Drafted by the Boston Bruins in 1987, Donato played 796 games over 13 NHL seasons. His career in the NHL commenced after he competed on the 1992 USA Olympic team where he scored four goals and three assists in eight games.
Up Next
Harvard will begin the ECAC Hockey playoffs on either March 6-8 or March 13-15 at Bright-Landry Hockey Center.
