Vesey Returns to Crimson After Successful Tourney

Riding a four game losing streak, the Harvard men’s hockey team (4-7-1, 3-5 ECAC) will be happy to have one of its key offensive contributors back in the lineup.

Freshman Jimmy Vesey was missing in action the past few weeks for the Crimson. The forward was busy helping USA’s U20 national team win gold in the 2013 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. On Saturday, the U.S. topped defending champion Sweden, 3-1, in the gold medal match. The victory was the first for an American squad since 2010 and a marked improvement over last year’s seventh place finish.

Vesey saw action in all seven games for the U.S., registering four assists for the tournament and one goal in the semifinal match.

The United States went 2-2 in group play before topping the Czech Republic, 7-0, in the quarterfinals. The semifinal game pitted the Americans against perennial powerhouse Canada, but the U.S. came out on top with a decisive 5-1 win to advance to the finals.

The Crimson will have its top scorer back on the ice after a tough stretch of losses. Harvard went winless in December and dropped its first two matchups of 2013 to conference foes.

In his first year with the Crimson, Vesey has been a formidable part of Harvard’s offensive line. In his first outing with the Crimson, the freshman registered two goals and added an assist in Harvard’s victory against Bentley, earning ECAC Rookie of the Week honors. Vesey leads the Crimson with a team-high five goals in addition to three assists on the season. His eight point total thus far is the second highest on the team.

Harvard will next see action when it visits cross-town rival Boston University Jan. 9.