NOTEBOOK: Last-Minute Goal Gives Crimson A Tie

As the third period began to wind down at the Bright-Landry Hockey Center Tuesday night, the clock became Harvard’s biggest enemy. After Quinnipiac (15-3-5, 6-2-3 ECAC) took a 2-1 lead on a quick wrist shot from junior forward Matthew Peca early in the final frame, the Crimson (5-7-3, 2-6-3 ECAC) spent the remainder of the period looking for an equalizer.

Harvard generated several chances but failed to find the back of the net for most of the period. However with under a minute to go, after Crimson goaltender Raphael Girard vacated his net in favor of an extra attacker, Harvard delivered.

Deep in the Bobcats’ territory, sophomore forward Kyle Criscuolo fired the puck toward the crease from out wide. In the midst of a scrum in front of the net, freshman forward Alexander Kerfoot squeezed the puck past Quinnipiac goaltender Michael Garteig, tying the game at two with 49 seconds left to play.

“[The puck] just went off some part of my body and found a way in the net,” Kerfoot said. “I don’t really know how it happened.”

Kerfoot’s goal proved to be the last score of the night, as the two teams skated to a 2-2 draw in the first conference tilt of 2014 for each side.

BRINGING HIS BEST FOR THE BOBCATS

Criscuolo was all over the ice for the Crimson. In addition to picking up an assist on the game-tying score, the forward netted his eighth goal of the season midway through the second period.

With Quinnipiac leading 1-0, Criscuolo left a drop pass for Kerfoot at the top of the right circle and moved towards the front of the net. Seconds later, the sophomore received a pass from junior Max Everson and pushed it past Garteig to tie the game.

“[Criscuolo] wins battles, gets you the puck, goes hard to the net, does everything right,” Kerfoot said.

The young forward has had nothing but success over the course of his collegiate career against the Bobcats, scoring in each of his three matchups against Quinnipiac. Criscuolo’s most recent goal marked the second time he has beaten Garteig this season, after having recorded a power play goal in a 3-2 loss to the Bobcats in November.

Last season, Criscuolo notched his first goal against Quinnipiac—one that actually parallels his latest score. The Bobcats had gotten on the board first, but the forward tied the game at one in that contest as well, providing a spark for the Crimson who went on to win 2-1 in overtime.

“It’s pretty unique playing with [Criscuolo],” Kerfoot said. “He’s kind of different [from] anyone I’ve ever played with, but he’s one of the hardest working guys I’ve ever been around. If you get the puck in down low, he’s going to win every battle.”

PERFECT PENALTY-KILLING

The Bobcats entered the game with the top penalty-killing unit in the nation, successfully fighting off 91.9 percent of opponents’ power plays. That percentage would only increase as Quinnipiac managed to kill all four penalties that it surrendered to Harvard.

In fact, over the course of the Crimson’s four advantages, Harvard could only muster four shots on net—all from sophomore forward Jimmy Vesey. With less than nine minutes remaining in the game, the Crimson finally generated a few scoring chances on its final power play, but the Bobcats maintained their one-goal lead.

“They’ve given a lot of teams trouble [on the penalty kill],” Harvard coach Ted Donato ’91 said. “It’s tough to even get the puck in the zone…They don’t miss a lot of opportunities on their clears, and there’s a reason why they’re the top team in the country [in that regard].”

Meanwhile, Harvard’s penalty-killing unit kept pace with that of its opponent. Carrying the 12th best penalty-killing percentage in the nation at 85.2 percent, the Crimson also staved off each of the Bobcats’ four power plays.

Tuesday’s showing marked a major improvement over the team’s performance on the penalty-kill against Boston University last Saturday. Harvard did fight off a BU power play in the waning minutes of regulation with the game on the line, but prior to that, the Terriers had scored on each of their first three man advantages.

Quinnipiac remains atop the nation in penalty-killing percentage after its strong performance against the Crimson, while Harvard’s four stops fittingly move the team up four spots into eighth place.

—Staff writer Jake Meagher can be reached at jmeagher@college.harvard.edu.