Lombard - a quiet leader in Elis' success

For the men's hockey team to have any hopes of an ECAC championship come April, goalie Dan Lombard, SM '02, must continue to provide the Bulldogs with the same kind of leadership that he has all season. With standouts such as Ben Stafford, BR '01, and Jeff Hamilton, SM '01, it has become all too easy for fans and journalists alike to ignore the significance of other players, particularly when people cannot measure their contributions in goals and assists. But every player on the team knows the importance and appreciates the contributions of the valued net-minder, the quiet leader from Andover, Mass.

JULIA TIERNAN/YH Dan Lombard, SM '02, and the Bulldogs take on Notre Dame at both the Whale and the New Haven Coliseum this weekend.

When the team struggled over the cou-rse of a month, losing six of seven games, it was, arguably, the big saves of number 31 that made the team even remotely competitive, that kept some games a lot closer than they otherwise might have been. Yes, very few can deny the positive impact Lombard has had on the Bulldogs this season, which is especially clear now that the team has begun to reverse the course of its season.

Teammates know just how good Lombard is, and they value his style of leadership immensely. "He was definitely the backbone last year," forward Jason Noe, CC '02, explained. "And I think he's better this year. He's a relatively quiet guy who has a presence. And the rest of the team feels it." More than just a strong presence on the team, Lombard has validated his leadership qualities through his hard work and talent. "He's been great," forward Luke Earl, JE '02, said. "Early on, we weren't giving him much help defensively. But he came up with big saves time and time again."

Of course, Lombard is more modest about his contributions to the team. A working man's goaltender, lunch pail and hard hat in hand, he firmly believes that the only thing a good goalie can do is give his team "a chance to win." He has started every game this season and has dominated between the pipes. As he explained, "playing all the games" has enabled him to "simplify everything." He credits the new goalie coach, Dave Hainsworth, for much of his success. "I have been able to play the game better in my mind," Lombard remarked. "It's something Dave Hainsworth has stressed. It's the mind, and what you bring to the table mentally."

That positive mentality has worked all season. And now it seems to have rubbed off on Lombard's teammates, who have played smart hockey, racking up three victories in a row. As a result, team confidence has grown almost as high as when the club opened the season with wins against national powerhouses New Hampshire (UNH) and Boston College (BC). "We're pretty confident after the past two weeks," Earl said. "We always knew we could do it. It was just a matter of doing it and doing it for three periods."

To be sure, the Bulldogs have brought greater consistency to their play in recent weeks. They know that in order to be successful, they must play hard for 60 minutes, each and every game. "Definitely, we didn't even play three periods against Holy Cross, but luckily we won," Noe said. "We did against Brown and Harvard, and against BC and UNH early on in the season. But, in between, we didn't play the whole 60 minutes in order to win consistently."

Over the past three games—the victories against Brown, Harvard, and Holy Cross—the club has reaped the rewards of its consistent play. The team has increased its scoring output, tallying 15 goals in the three games. Much of the credit must go to the Hamilton-Stafford-Nick Deschenes, MC '03, line, which has proven to be one of the most potent forces in all of college hockey. "Hamilton, Stafford, Deschenes—they have all been on fire," Noe said. Lombard added, "Hamilton is just an electric player. Stafford is the stabilizing force on that line. And Deschenes—he's big, can finish, and has been a great fit for that line." This, combined with the scoring contributions of players such as Earl and forward Evan Wax, DC '03, has re-energized the Bulldogs' offense. In addition to scoring more, the club has improved its play on special teams, a sore point all season long. On both the power play and penalty kill, the Bulldogs have been relentless. Noe said, "We're not doing a whole lot differently. We're just executing a lot better."

This weekend, the club hopes to add to its recent success against a Notre Dame team that has struggled in recent games. Kicking off a pivotal two-game series on Sat., Jan. 27, the Bulldogs and the Fighting Irish will play in the New Haven Coliseum, a venue in which Yale has not played since 1984. On Sun., Jan. 28, the Elis will host Notre Dame at Ingalls Rink, hoping to complete the second half of what they hope will be a weekend sweep.

For Yale, the task for the remainder of the season is simple: "We just want to keep the ball rolling, improving every game," Lombard said. "The team that is hot in the end really does well in the playoffs." Of course, it helps to have a goalie like Lombard to make that task a little easier. Earl explained, "We all know that if we do our jobs defensively, Dan will make the saves."

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