(Harvard photo courtesy of Gil Talbot)
(Submitted by Alex Hoegler, BCHL communications)
A pair of BCHL alums have each traveled a unique path to lead their respective NCAA teams into the postseason, and they’re going to face off this weekend.
Brayden Jaw and the Harvard Crimson will face off against Jacob Pritchard and the St. Lawrence Saints this Friday in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC Hockey,) semifinals in Lake Placid, N.Y.
Harvard got to the semis by defeating RPI in two-straight games last weekend. Jaw, now a senior and a former Nanaimo Clippers and Surrey Eagles forward, has the made the rare transition to the blueline as a collegiate player.
“He’s a tremendous skater with good puck skills,” Harvard head coach Ted Donato said, adding that Jaw was moved back partway through last season when the blueline was hampered by injuries. “He’s really, over the last couple of years through hard work, developed into a guy that’s used in a lot of situations for us.”
Jaw played four seasons in the BCHL with the Eagles and Clippers. He had 35 goals and 94 points in 146 games, playing predominantly as a forward.
On the other side of the ice, former Powell River Kings standout Pritchard sustained a broken thumb earlier in the season but had a goal each game to help the Saints past Clarkson last weekend. The freshman is currently on a 12-game point streak and has nine goals and 20 points so far this season.
St. Lawrence head coach Greg Carvel said Pritchard’s production since returning from injury has helped significantly, putting him on the top line and first power play unit.
“(He’s) gaining more and more confidence, realizing what he wants to do,” Carvel said. “He wants the puck, he wants it badly, he’s got really good patience, he’s got a really good sense and he’s got a really good skill set.”
Pritchard played for the Kings in 2014-15, scoring 39 goals and 76 points in 54 games.
The conference semifinals will be played at Herb Brooks Arena, the site where the 1980 U.S. Olympic team pulled off the Miracle On Ice against the Soviet Union. In the other semifinal, Dartmouth faces Quinnipiac.
