NEW HAVEN — Keith Allain had long treated early-season practices no differently than mid-season practices. He preferred to hit the ground running by covering all aspects right from day one.

That philosophy changed this fall.

Allain, in his 13th season as Yale men’s hockey coach, knew most of his incoming freshman class would be playing major roles right away, particularly forward Curtis Hall and defensemen Jack St. Ivany, both NHL draft picks in June.

He also wanted to avoid a repeat of the previous fall when Yale, reliant on multiple freshmen, dropped seven of its first 10 games.

“We used our preseason time differently than in past,” Allain said. “We spent a lot of time working on our systems play because I felt like that might have been one of the reasons we didn’t have a good start last year. So I think (the freshmen) are comfortable in our system of play. It’s more natural now.”

Yale (2-1, 2-1) remains a work in progress, Allain concedes. But entering this weekend’s home-opening series against arch-rival Harvard (Friday, 7 p.m.) and Dartmouth (Saturday, 7 p.m.), the Bulldogs are in a better spot than at this time a year ago.

“Speed,” Allain said. “That’s the identity we’re trying to build. We want to be a great transition team. We want to be hard on the forecheck. We want to play a fast hockey game. If you don’t see that when you watch us play then we’re screwing up somewhere.”

Senior forward Joe Snively remains the central point of Yale’s attack. With seven points in three games, he’s the nation’s second-leading scorer in terms of point-per game and is fourth in the country with an average of one goal per game.

But the freshman class is already making an impact.

Photo: Catherine Avalone / Hearst Connecticut Media File Photo

Defenseman Graham Lillibridge and forward Justin Pearson have played in all three games and been highly effective. Kyle Johnson, who made his debut against Colgate, is another skilled forward with offensive potential.

Hall and St. Ivany could be two of the top rookies in ECAC Hockey. Both are candidates to make the United States roster for next month’s World Junior Championships (along with Yale sophomore defenseman Phil Kemp).

Hall, listed at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, was a fourth-round pick of the Boston Bruins last summer. Skating alongside Snively and sophomore Kevin O’Neil on Yale’s first line, he’s an impressive net-front presence who scored the first two goals of his career in a 4-2 win at Colgate last Saturday.

“Coach Allain has given me all the opportunity I could have asked for, so I’m thankful for that,” Hall said. “I keep working hard every day to stay where I am, playing with two great wingers in Snively and O’Neil. I’m doing all I can to match with them. It’s going well so far.”

St. Ivany, 6-2 and 196 pounds, has seen action on all of Yale’s special teams units in the early season, with good vision and a booming one-timer. He was one of the top-scoring defenseman in the United States Hockey League last winter. The Philadelphia Flyers took him in the fourth-round of the draft, and Allain believes they got quite a bargain.

“They stole a player,” Allain said. “Jack is really impressive. He’s 6-3 with nice offensive skill. But he’s not physically developed yet. He’s still a baby in his body. When he gets stronger and more well-conditioned he will be an offensive force for a big guy.”

Harvard (0-2-1, 0-2-1) has yet to win a game. But the Crimson are once again loaded with talent, including several impact freshmen.

Junior defenseman Adam Fox is the nation’s leading scorer with eight points in three games, and could be in his final collegiate season before joining the NHL’s Calgary Flames. Freshmen Jack Rathbone (Vancouver, 4th round), a defenseman, Jack Drury (Carolina, 2nd round), son of Trumbull native and former NHL-er Ted Drury, and Casey Dornbach are all averaging over a point-per game.

The Crimson are struggling badly on defense, allowing over five goals per game. Goaltenders Michael Lackey and Cameron Gornet have stopped just 80 percent of shots on goal, a big reason Harvard’s penalty kill unit is operating at just 50 percent, second-worst in the country.

Special teams will be crucial for Yale, which racked up four power-play goals last weekend.

“I like the elements we have on the power play,” Allain said. “We have some creativity, we have guys who can shoot, we have guys who can hunt pucks when there are scrambles in the corner. To win in this league you need to have a good power play.”

BOBCATS BACK HOME

Quinnipiac (6-1, 1-1), which fell from the ranks of the unbeaten with a loss at Dartmouth last Saturday, returns home to play host to RPI (Friday, 7 p.m.) and Union (Saturday, 7 p.m.).

The Bobcats, ranked 13th in the USCHO.com poll, are averaging 3.86 goals-per game while allowing 2.14 thanks to an impressive crop of two-way defensemen. Senior Brandon Fortunato, who scored eight points in 37 games last season, already has 10 points and leads the team in scoring. Classmate Chase Priskie leads the team with six goals and is second with nine points. Juniors Brogan Rafferty (two goals, five assists) and Karlis Cukste (six assists) aren’t far behind.

No team in the country has gotten more goals from defensemen than Quinnipiac’s 10.

Quinnipiac is also getting strong production from freshmen forwards Ethan de Jong (one goal, five assists), William Fallstrom (three goals, two assists) and Wyatt Bongiovanni (three goals, one assist), adding depth to an offense led by sophomore Odeen Tufto.

cmalafronte@nhregister.com