NOTEBOOK: Vesey's 12th Multi-Goal Game Becomes His First Career Hat Trick

When it comes to individual accomplishments, Jimmy Vesey has achieved just about everything there is for a college hockey player to achieve. Nonetheless, until Friday, one significant feat remained unchecked on the Harvard co-captain’s bucket list.

JIMMY THREESEY

Less than two-and-a-half minutes after tying things up against No. 18/- St. Lawrence (10-9-2, 4-4-1 ECAC) with a goal for the highlight reels Friday night, Vesey took charge a second time, connecting on a wrister from the top of the slot to give his side its first lead of the night.

In addition to handing the No. 7/8 Crimson (9-3-3, 5-2-3) a 2-1 edge with 13:45 remaining, the goal gave Vesey the 12th multi-goal game of his career. As for the first 11 of those contests, however, the final whistle blew with the star forward stuck on two goals.

But on Friday, the 2015 Hobey Baker finalist was not to be denied. Just minutes after scoring his second, Vesey caught a flying puck at the point, dangled his way through the slot, and beat goaltender Kyle Hayton, giving the co-captain his first career three-goal game—a natural hat trick obtained in the most unnatural of ways, with three pucks finding the mesh in less than five minutes.

“We feel like we lost to Jimmy Vesey—we didn’t lose to Harvard tonight,” St. Lawrence coach Greg Carvel said. “He’s too good of a player for this level.”

Vesey now has a team-leading 13 goals to go along with 13 assists through 15 games, giving him the second-best points per game clip in the nation (1.73). That tops the rate of 1.57 which the Predators prospect produced last year when he led the nation in scoring with 32 goals in 37 games.

“That kid’s gonna beat you,” Carvel said, “and unfortunately he just beat us too many times.”

JAW OF LIFE

After sitting out the last four games, senior defenseman Brayden Jaw returned to the lineup on Friday, getting significant minutes in his usual spot on the second pairing alongside 6’7” sophomore Wiley Sherman. Filling in while the senior was sidelined with an undisclosed injury, sophomore Thomas Aiken held his own during the Mariucci Classic, but against No. 10/10 Boston University and No. 2/1 Quinnipiac, he—along with the entire defensive unit—struggled mightily.

The Crimson surrendered 11 goals in those two games, at one point allowing as many as seven scores over a span of 17 minutes spanning the two contests. But with Jaw back in the mix on Friday, Harvard looked impressive in front of sophomore goaltender Merrick Madsen, holding the Saints to no more than eight shots on goal in any period and just 20 for the game.

In the first period, St. Lawrence lacked any real quality scoring opportunities, save for the ones that came on a power play courtesy of a Kyle Criscuolo slashing penalty at 6:32. But Jaw cut out the best chance of the Saints’ man advantage with his skate, kicking his foot out to block a shot from top-line forward Drew Smolcynski and keep Madsen out of danger.

“I thought Jawsy was outstanding,” Harvard coach Ted Donato '91 said. “I thought he was quick to pucks, quick to defend, [and] got us out of the zone a bunch. He’s a tremendous skater, and I think having him back was very helpful.”

St. Lawrence does not boast the same kind of offensive firepower that the Terriers and Bobcats do, but entering Friday, the Saints sat just two points behind Harvard in the ECAC and had not lost to the Crimson since Feb. 24, 2012. Yet in the first contest of a two-game weekend slate for Harvard, Jaw’s presence helped the Crimson blue line look stronger than it has in about a month, enabling the hosts to erase its demons against a team Donato said has given his side fits for the past few years.

WIN DIFFERENT WAYS

With the amount of hard, physical hits on display Friday night, you would think it was Rivalry Night at the Bright. St. Lawrence dictated the way the game was going to be played by imposing its physicality early, causing Harvard—a team built primarily on pure speed—to adapt its game.

The different style of play provided a platform for the Crimson defense to regain its form, but the Harvard attack, meanwhile, struggled to find space to generate offense, particularly in the first two periods. Despite averaging 33 shots and just under four goals per game, the Crimson offense was held off the board with only 15 shots to its credit after two frames.

“We had to stay with it, we had to battle,” Donato said. “It wasn’t really going our way, it wasn’t necessarily the type of game we would prefer to play, but you know what? We have to be able to win different ways.”

Harvard began winning more puck battles with its speed in the third, and as a result, the Crimson outshot the Saints by a 16-6 margin in the frame. St. Lawrence would score the final goal of the period—a Sean McGovern second-chance opportunity from the doorstep—but it would not be enough to negate the incredible third-period display from Vesey, whose three goals propelled Harvard into a tie for third with No. 8/7 Cornell in the ECAC standings.

—Staff writer Jake Meagher can be reached at jake.meagher@thecrimson.com.

Read The Crimson's game story here.