B.U. Blasts M. Hockey, 2-1

With a little luck, the Harvard men's hockey team could have pulled out a win over cross-town rival Boston University in its first non-conference match-up this season.

But you can't depend on luck to win hockey games.

When Terriers' winger Chris Heron was called for tripping at 3:21 left in the third period, the Crimson (4-2-0, 4-1-0 ECAC) had a golden opportunity to push the game into overtime.

Initially, the Crimson took a few shots on net but had difficulty setting up its power play, ensuring B.U.'s (7-3-2, 4-0-1 HEA) 2-1 victory.

"We played better in the third period, but you can't win a game in one period of hockey," junior winger Chris Bala said. "That's when you get lucky."

The Terriers lit the lamp first, giving B.U. the advantage only 5:55 into the first period.

Terriers' defenseman Christ Dyment took a shot on net, and though it appeared that goaltender J.R. Prestifilippo made the save, the puck bounced loose in the crease.

B.U. winger Carl Corazzini was the first to realize that the play had not stopped and tapped the puck across the goal line, putting the Terriers up 1-0.

Though the Crimson started sluggishly in the first, Harvard was able to depend on its power play to put it on the board.

Junior center Steve Moore gained control of the puck in the offensive zone on a turnover with nothing separating him and B.U. goaltender Rick DiPietro. Forced to break up the play himself, DiPietro lost his stick in the scuffle.

Borrowing the stick of teammate Pat Aufiero, DiPietro was at a distinct disadvantage when senior defenseman Matt Scorsune blasted a shot from the point at 15:22. The puck trickled between DiPietro's skates, temporarily equalizing the score, 1-1.

"We have some people who are very good in tight areas and they don't get flustered," Harvard Coach Mark Mazzoleni said. "But it's unfortunate that we weren't able to hit the nail on the head tonight."

It seemed as if Scorsune's tying goal turned the momentum in the Crimson's favor as Harvard generated most of its early offensive opportunities in the final minutes of the first.

Junior winger Chris Bala gave Harvard a handful of chances that the Crimson was unable to capitalize on. At 16:27 and again at 16:50, Bala rushed in alone on DiPietro but could not find the back of the net.

The second period almost mirrored the first as the Terriers notched their second power play goal of the night at 4:56.

Traffic in front of the crease prevented Prestifilippo from stopping the play, making way for the eventual game-winner.

The puck sprang loose to Dyment at the point, who aimed a slap shot at Prestifilippo's right post. Heron, in an effort to ensure the goal, redirected the shot past Prestifilippo, securing B.U.'s 2-1 win.

The Harvard-B.U. rivalry reached its climax during the middle frame, as both teams combined for a total of 10 penalties in the second period alone, highlighted by a pair of minors called on the Crimson for hitting the goaltender.

"The refs are supposed to call a tight game," Harvard captain Trevor Allman said. "Some were questionable and that will happen in any game, so that's no excuse for us."

With barely three minutes to play in the second, Moore took a shot on net, taking out DiPietro in the process. Terriers' center Dan Cavanaugh defended DiPietro by going after Moore, causing a skirmish in front of the goal.

Once separated, both were tagged with offsetting minors for roughing, and Moore escaped relatively unscathed with a penalty for hitting the goalie.

Barely two minutes later, sophomore winger Jeff Stonehouse was reminded to stay away from the goalie and was dubiously handed the identical penalty at the end of the period.

Harvard found its legs in the final period and tried to take control of the game, holding B.U. to only two shots on net in the third while taking eight.

"We played extremely lethargic for two periods," Mazzoleni said. "We played a better third, but you sure don't deserve to win a hockey game when you only play one out of three periods."

DiPietro was on his game in the third, using his lightening-quick reflexes to save a number of Harvard shots that could have sent the game in to extra minutes.

On a power play six minutes into the third, sophomore defenseman Peter Capouch dished a shot to Scorsune, who looked to nab his second point of the night with another shot from the point. But DiPietro quickly got his glove up to hold the Crimson at bay.

And though the Crimson had trouble getting the breakouts they needed to create offense, they had a few key attempts.

Possibly the best opportunity for the Crimson came at 14:43. Allman picked off the puck in the offensive zone and found himself one-on-one with DiPietro. B.U. breathed a collective sigh of relief as Allman's slap shot went wide.

"We had the lead and we laid back a little bit," Parker said. "Sometimes you lay back a little too much and you give up chances."

Even with the numerous chances the Crimson had in the third, B.U. held the upper hand and broke Harvard's eight-game winning streak at Bright Arena.