Colgate Ties Men's Hockey, 2-2, With Third-Period Score

Playing No. 18 Colgate Friday night at Starr Rink in Hamilton, N.Y., the Harvard men’s hockey team got a big boost from an unexpected star when senior defenseman Peter Starrett scored his first collegiate goal midway through the second quarter to give the visitors the 2-1 lead.

The go-ahead goal would later prove crucial in allowing the Crimson (4-6-7, 3-4-5 ECAC) to tie the Raiders (12-8-3, 6-4-1 ECAC), 2-2. The result marked Harvard’s program-record seventh tie of the season—with 11 games still to go—and was its sixth in 10 contests.

Junior forward Marshall Everson led the Crimson in scoring on the night, netting two points with an assist on Starrett’s goal and a score of his own.

Starrett had a disallowed goal in Harvard’s shutout loss to then-No. 14 Union at Fenway Park last week, but this time, his score certainly counted. The senior took a cross-ice pass from Everson and raised a shot over Colgate netminder Eric Mihalik’s left pad to put the Crimson ahead.

"You could feel the emotions on the bench," junior forward David Valek said. "He scored in the Frozen Fenway, but the goal got called back…I kind of felt bad for him. We definitely could’ve used that goal there, but for him to bounce back and get one right after that was really great. The bench was all pumped up. It was pretty special."

Harvard took its 2-1 advantage into the third period, with freshman goaltender Steve Michalek keeping the Crimson ahead on two big saves on a late Raiders power-play opportunity.

"I felt pretty good last night, but my team made it easy on me," Michalek said. "I didn’t have to make too many saves inside. I thought they did a good job clearing out traffic from in front, which has been a problem for us this year."

But for the second consecutive game, Harvard blew a third-period lead, with Colgate’s Austin Smith—tied for the nation’s lead in points—putting back a rebound inside the left post to even things up with 12:28 left in the contest.

Neither squad managed a shot on goal in overtime, and the Crimson once again finished with a draw against its seventh ranked opponent in its previous eight contests.

"We just have to bear down more in the last few minutes of the game," Michalek said. "That’s a couple of games in a row that we’ve given up a lead late, and it’s something we’ve got to focus more on—paying attention to the details, remaining confident, and sticking towards our game plan towards the end."

It was the Raiders who got on the board first, with Chris Wagner beating Michalek in a crowd from close range with a one-timer six minutes into the opening period.

But after Colgate’s Thomas Larkin was called for slashing, the Crimson responded with a power-play score. With just 19 seconds left in the first, Everson took a cross-ice pass in the slot from teammate Alex Killorn and fired a high shot off the right post and into the opposite side of the goal.

"That was a huge shift in momentum, it pumped us up," Valek said. "For Colgate you could see on their faces they were a little shaky after that…[Everson’s] been on a hot streak recently, so hopefully that continues."

The Crimson was able to hang on for the tie despite being outshot, 16-1, in the final period. Michalek tied a career high with 34 saves, seven of which came off of Wagner’s stick.

"I could see the puck and control the rebounds," Michalek said. "They put a lot on net, but they didn’t have a whole lot of good opportunities."

Harvard did win 38 of 57 faceoffs, including an 8-1 record for freshman Colin Blackwell, which helped offset the shot disparity.

The draw allowed the Crimson to finish the season with a 1-0-1 record against Colgate after topping the Raiders, 4-2, in Cambridge on Nov. 12.

"I thought we played a good defensive game," Michalek said. "We played against a good team, and we knew it’d come down to a bounce or two."

Playing No. 18 Colgate Friday night at Starr Rink in Hamilton, N.Y., the Harvard men’s hockey team got a big boost from an unexpected star when senior defenseman Peter Starrett scored his first collegiate goal midway through the second quarter to give the visitors the 2-1 lead.

The go-ahead goal would later prove crucial in allowing the Crimson (4-6-7, 3-4-5 ECAC) to tie the Raiders (12-8-3, 6-4-1 ECAC), 2-2. The result marked Harvard’s program-record seventh tie of the season—with 11 games still to go—and was its sixth in 10 contests.

Junior forward Marshall Everson led the Crimson in scoring on the night, netting two points with an assist on Starrett’s goal and a score of his own.

Starrett had a disallowed goal in Harvard’s shutout loss to then-No. 14 Union at Fenway Park last week, but this time, his score certainly counted. The senior took a cross-ice pass from Everson and raised a shot over Colgate netminder Eric Mihalik’s left pad to put the Crimson ahead.

"You could feel the emotions on the bench," junior forward David Valek said. "He scored in the Frozen Fenway, but the goal got called back…I kind of felt bad for him. We definitely could’ve used that goal there, but for him to bounce back and get one right after that was really great. The bench was all pumped up. It was pretty special."

Harvard took its 2-1 advantage into the third period, with freshman goaltender Steve Michalek keeping the Crimson ahead on two big saves on a late Raiders power-play opportunity.

"I felt pretty good last night, but my team made it easy on me," Michalek said. "I didn’t have to make too many saves inside. I thought they did a good job clearing out traffic from in front, which has been a problem for us this year."

But for the second consecutive game, Harvard blew a third-period lead, with Colgate’s Austin Smith—tied for the nation’s lead in points—putting back a rebound inside the left post to even things up with 12:28 left in the contest.

Neither squad managed a shot on goal in overtime, and the Crimson once again finished with a draw against its seventh ranked opponent in its previous eight contests.

"We just have to bear down more in the last few minutes of the game," Michalek said. "That’s a couple of games in a row that we’ve given up a lead late, and it’s something we’ve got to focus more on—paying attention to the details, remaining confident, and sticking towards our game plan towards the end."

It was the Raiders who got on the board first, with Chris Wagner beating Michalek in a crowd from close range with a one-timer six minutes into the opening period.

But after Colgate’s Thomas Larkin was called for slashing, the Crimson responded with a power-play score. With just 19 seconds left in the first, Everson took a cross-ice pass in the slot from teammate Alex Killorn and fired a high shot off the right post and into the opposite side of the goal.

"That was a huge shift in momentum, it pumped us up," Valek said. "For Colgate you could see on their faces they were a little shaky after that…[Everson’s] been on a hot streak recently, so hopefully that continues."

The Crimson was able to hang on for the tie despite being outshot, 16-1, in the final period. Michalek tied a career high with 34 saves, seven of which came off of Wagner’s stick.

"I could see the puck and control the rebounds," Michalek said. "They put a lot on net, but they didn’t have a whole lot of good opportunities."

Harvard did win 38 of 57 faceoffs, including an 8-1 record for freshman Colin Blackwell, which helped offset the shot disparity.

The draw allowed the Crimson to finish the season with a 1-0-1 record against Colgate after topping the Raiders, 4-2, in Cambridge on Nov. 12.

"I thought we played a good defensive game," Michalek said. "We played against a good team, and we knew it’d come down to a bounce or two."

—Staff writer Scott A. Sherman be reached at ssherman13@college.harvard.edu.