Late Goals End Redemption Bid

A high-flying start to Saturday night’s game and wild first-period play by the Harvard men’s hockey team (4-6-2, 4-3-2 ECAC) eased off, as the Crimson skated to a 4-3 loss in its second matchup of the weekend with the University of North Dakota (7-8-1, 4-5-1 WCHA) at the Bright Hockey Center.

Harvard came out fighting. Seeking revenge against the Fighting Sioux, who bullied the Crimson to a 10-1 loss the previous night and handed the team its first home defeat of the season, Harvard pressured early and took control of the game by firing the first few shots on goal.

“I think everyone was disappointed with [Friday] night’s result,” co-captain Brian McCafferty said. “We had a meeting [Friday] night with the team, just telling us that we got some bad bounces last night and things like that happen, but the main point for us was that we all have to stick together and keep working hard.”

Not to be outdone, UND sought to take control of the match’s momentum early. However, the Sioux committed a pair of penalties within the first two minutes of the match that gave Harvard a 5-on-3 advantage.

Freshman forward Alex Killorn received the puck from sophomore forward Michael Biega on the right-hand side of the goal at close range and fired it into the lower-left corner of the net for an easy goal just 2:07 into the match. Junior defenseman Alex Biega also notched an assist on the play.

Unfortunately for the Crimson, the early lead was lost under five minutes later—this time when UND had a two-man advantage. After junior forward Doug Rogers and sophomore forward Pier-Olivier Michaud were sent to the penalty box less than a minute apart, the Fighting Sioux quickly found the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1. UND added another under a minute later to take the lead for the first time in the match.

In a period characterized by flying pucks and broken hockey sticks, it was fitting that the period should close with a five-minute penalty on Fighting Sioux forward Chris VandeVelde for major game misconduct and hitting from behind. Despite holding a 14-8 advantage in shots during the first frame, the UND defense held strong by blocking shot after shot, and Harvard was unable to find the back of the net again that period.

“They did a good job leveling the power play, taking good chances, making big saves when they needed [them],” said Harvard coach Ted Donato ’91. “They made some plays when the game was on the line, so if you do those three things, then most nights, you’re going to get a victory.”

Unlike Friday night’s blowout, the Crimson wasn’t going to let the Sioux get away with an easy victory. Harvard scored twice in a row—once in the second period and once in the final period—to regain the lead.

Sophomore forward Michael Del Mauro notched a goal at 9:54 in the second after tipping in a pass from freshman forward Daniel Moriarty. Despite playing a cleaner period, UND again committed a penalty in the last seconds of the second frame, allowing the Crimson to start off the third period with a man advantage.

Again taking advantage of the power play, Harvard scored a goal to take the lead just eight seconds into the third. When a Sioux player was caught up in their boards on the left-hand side, Michaud stole the puck before passing it to Moriarty, who was alone on the right-hand side of the net. The rookie made a move with his backhand before sticking the puck into the net.

The lead was again short-lived for the Crimson. The Fighting Sioux scored twice within two minutes to take the advantage. Harvard looked desperately for the tying goal in the waning minutes of the match. Shots were fired from long-range and attempts were also made to stuff the puck into the net, but it just wasn’t meant to be.

“I think we came out and played well pretty much all game long, and in the third period, we got some bad bounces and some bad luck,” McCafferty said.

“But I think our play, compared to last night, was head and shoulders above anything we expected.”

—Staff writer Lucy D. Chen can be reached at lucychen@fas.harvard.edu.