Crimson Eludes Brown Threat

On Senior Night at the Bright Hockey Center, a junior provided the theatrics that launched the Harvard men to a 2-1 victory over Brown (5-18-4, 5-12-3 ECAC). Saturday’s win was the Crimson’s sixth in seven games, moving Harvard (13-11-3, 11-7-2) into third place in the ECAC standings.

Deadlocked in a 1-1 tie at the start of the third period, freshman forward Michael Del Mauro hit junior forward Jimmy Fraser streaking towards the goal. Fraser deked the defenseman on his left shoulder before dumping a backhand into the net for the deciding goal.

“It looked like I was in on my own then I saw a defenseman come up on my left,” Fraser said. “I just tried to get to the other side of him. Fortunately the puck came with me, and I just put it into an empty net.”

The goal provided redemption for an earlier missed opportunity. On a similar play midway through the second period, Fraser was taken down from behind by a defender. On the ensuing penalty shot, Fraser was stonewalled as he tried to sneak the puck between Bears goaltender Dan Rosen’s legs.

“I had a feeling Jimmy Fraser was going to come back after not scoring on the penalty shot,” said Crimson coach Ted Donato ’91. “To me that’s indicative of not only Jimmy but our team.”

The win avenged a disappointing 4-1 loss to Brown on Feb. 1st. Since then, Harvard has been red-hot, winning four-straight league games and finishing second in the Beanpot.

“Everybody’s elevated their game from the net on out,” Donato said.

The Crimson got on the scoreboard early. Seven minutes into the first period, senior forward Mike Taylor ripped a shot from the left circle. The co-captain’s attempt was blocked, but freshman forward Matt McCollem poked the rebound in for his fourth goal in six games. Taylor’s assist marked his seventh straight game with a point.

“Early on in the year we didn’t feel like we had a first line that was a major concern for the other team. I think that’s changed,” Donato said of Taylor, McCollem, and sophomore forward Doug Rogers. “That first line has been effective...and carried the torch for us offensively.”

After Harvard scored, two penalties swung the momentum in Brown’s favor, and the Bears answered with a goal late in the first period. On a power play, Brown blue-liner Sean Hurley found teammate Jeff Prough beside the crease where the forward was able to knot the game up at 1-1.

From that point on, the Crimson took control, out-shooting its opponent by a 27-7 margin in the second and third periods.

The defense limited the Bears’ scoring chances, and, although Rosen had a sensational day between the pipes for Brown—collecting 34 total saves and overcoming four power plays—Harvard’s relentless attack was eventually able to break through.

The win was especially sweet for the seniors who were playing their last regular-season home game at the Bright Hockey Center.

“It’s always good to come up with a win the last regular-season game at home,” Fraser said. “It’s great for those seniors and it means a lot to the underclassmen as well.”

“We’re really excited about the win,” co-captain Dave McDonald said. “It’s Senior Night, so that makes it a lot better, but more than anything, we just jumped up to third in the ECAC...We set our sights on a home-ice bye in the first round [of the ECAC playoffs], and we took one more step towards that tonight.”