NOTEBOOK: Small Errors Prove Costly for Men's Hockey

Just looking at most of the box score for Monday evening’s Beanpot matchup between Boston University and Harvard, it would seem as if the Crimson had the slight edge over the Terriers.

Harvard (7-7-9, 6-4-7 ECAC) outshot BU 30-25, won more faceoffs than the Terriers, 36-31, and had only one more penalty.

But with BU (17-8-1, 13-6-1 Hockey East) being the No. 1 team in the nation, the Crimson had little room for error. Making a few too many mistakes and not converting on all of its opportunities, Harvard suffered a 3-1 loss in the semifinals of the Beanpot Monday night at the TD Banknorth Garden.

The Crimson had trouble generating any momentum in the first portion of the game, and was whistled for six penalties by the end of the second period. The Terriers’ goaltender Kieran Millan didn’t make it any easier for underdog Harvard, earning 29 saves including a couple on breakaways while frustrating the Crimson throughout most of the night.

FRUSTRATING PENALTIES

Although BU was only one of five on the power play, early penalties by Harvard contributed to team’s initial deficit and eventual loss.

“We were in the box far too often in the first half of the game,” said Crimson coach Ted Donato ’91. “It made it awfully tough for us to back into it.”

Evan Rodrigues had the first penalty of the night 9:12 into the first frame for BU, but then Harvard was called for five consecutive penalties, including two straight by junior Marshall Everson.

The man-down disadvantages prevented the Crimson from generating any consistent, offensive threat, while also fatiguing the penalty-kill lines early on.

“It gets frustrating because, when you’re on the [penalty-kill] for like ten minutes, you only rotate like four guys,” said assistant captain Alex Killorn, who scored the Crimson’s lone goal on a power play. “So you’re shortening the bench, and you’re not getting into a flow of players. It’s tough grabbing momentum like that.”

The Terriers were 0-3 in the first period on the power play but were able to score an even-strength goal on a Matt Nieto wraparound 8:14 into the first.

And on its fourth power-play bid, BU was finally able to convert, with Wade Megan scoring his first of two goals on the night on a turnover and breakdown by Harvard in the defensive zone. He added his second a few minutes later, putting the Terriers up 3-0.

Despite being called for only one of remaining five penalties in the game, the Crimson could not muster a comeback and will not reach its first Beanpot finals since 2008.

CLOSE, BUT NO CIGAR

Harvard had various chances to score throughout Monday night’s game but was thwarted time and time again by the BU defense and the stellar play of goalie Kieran Millan.

“It seemed like this whole game [Millan] played really great,” Killorn said. “There were a few chances where I thought we could have scored. We had some net to shoot at but he was moving side to side really well.”

Second chances also proved hard to come.

“They swarmed the front of the net,” freshman Colin Blackwell said. “So even if there was some loose change, they had bodies there.”

One of the best chances all night came on a Blackwell breakaway towards the end of the first period. Led down the ice by a sharp pass from sophomore Dan Ford, Blackwell found himself one-on-one with Millan. The rookie faked his opponent once but was unable to put the puck past the BU netminder.

“I tried to pump him and make a move,” Blackwell said. “My original thought was to go five-hole, and I think that’s what I tried. I actually had the right side wide open, but [Millan] made a good calculation.”

After Killorn’s goal near the end of the second, the Crimson had a chance to take the momentum entering the final frame. Harvard earned a power play opportunity, but the Terriers’ solid penalty kill kept the momentum on their side.

“That was a great opportunity to grab [the momentum],” Killorn said. “I thought they played the four-on-three really well. That could’ve been a real momentum change, but we kind of lost it there.”

The Crimson played a very strong No. 1 BU squad evenly for the most part, except for a few mistakes and strong play by Millan.

“It’s definitely a good sign,” Blackwell said. “It’s just that we couldn’t bury some of the opportunities we had.”

—Staff writer David Mazza can be reached at damazza@college.harvard.edu.