Room for improvement
Nov. 1 was a bitter day on the ice. The Harvard men’s hockey season kicked off with a game against the Swedish National Under-20 team, which the Crimson failed to outscore. Four days later, Harvard lost again — 2-1 to Union College — and was off to a start consistent with last season’s disappointing performance. The Crimson won just nine games back-to-back in 2009 and 2008 — a crushing collapse after coach Ted Donato’s successful 2004-07 run. “You certainly tweak your systems and strategies every year based on what has and hasn’t worked in the past and your personnel, but, for the most part, we believe in the approach we’ve been taking,” said Donato in a mid-November interview. “We want to change our results by working harder every day, paying attention to detail, and continuing to improve as the season progresses.” The Crimson rebounded with wins over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Nov. 6...