Early Power Play Proves Difference

BOSTON—Boston University is the third most penalized team in the country and Harvard boasts the nation’s fifth best power play, but it was the Terriers that dominated on special teams last night.

The No. 12 Terriers (7-3-2, 4-3-0 Hockey East) capitalized early with a first period power-play goal and held on to defeat the No. 13 Crimson (5-3-0, 5-2-0 ECAC) 3-0, at Walter Brown Arena.

“If you win the power play game, you usually win the game, and we did,” said BU coach Jack Parker.

The Terriers were averaging 21.3 penalty minutes a game entering last night but managed to reverse that trend against the Crimson.

Through the first 48 minutes, Harvard had just one full opportunity on the power play, while the Crimson allowed BU five chances with the man advantage.

And Harvard did nothing to help itself either when the Terriers gave the Crimson opportunities to tie the game.

After being thoroughly outplayed and outshot 14-5 in the second period, the momentum momentarily changed when BU freshman winger David VanderGulik was called for interference with 2:21 remaining in the period, giving the potent Crimson power play (9-for-35, 25.7 percent) a golden opportunity.

Thirty seconds into the man advantage, however, Harvard was called for a bench minor after a number of Crimson players off the ice tussled with BU senior forward John Sabo, preventing him from rejoining the play.

The situation was compounded when sophomore center Tom Cavanagh was whistled for high-sticking 33 seconds later, giving the Terriers a two-man advantage to finish the second and start the third period.

Harvard had its opportunities, especially in the third period, but it could not translate them into goals.

“We did not play our game through the first two periods, and you can’t do that when you play a team like BU,” said Harvard coach Mark Mazzoleni. “We got penetration in the third, had our chances but the disappointing part was we couldn’t finish them.”

The Crimson outshot the Terriers, 19-10, in the final period, but BU junior goaltender Sean Fields responded at crucial moments, including a timely stop on a Cavanagh breakaway early in the third.

Following his 36 save shutout performance, Fields gave most of the credit to his teammates.

“The forwards took their man, the defense cleared out in front,” Fields said. “They did not get a lot of traffic, and when you can see it, you are going to make the save 95 percent of the time.”

With the Crimson pressuring for the equalizer, freshman winger John Laliberte capitalized at the other end of the ice to give BU a 2-0 lead with 8:55 remaining.

“Harvard was anxious in the third,” Parker said. “Especially after our second goal, they really opened it up.”

The Crimson had one last chance on the powerplay after sophomore winger Matt Radoslovich was penalized for hooking with 4:55 to go in the third.

Despite missing senior center Brett Nowak, who served a one-game suspension for a spearing incident late against Colgate on Saturday, the Harvard power play showed its potential with a late game flurry but once again failed to convert.

“The penalty kills in the third period were huge for us,” Parker said. “They got a number of great looks, and when we could not get it out of the zone late in the third period, Fields made five big saves in a row and that was the game right there.”

BU junior winger Mark Mullen added an empty-net goal with 1:15 remaining.

The game was fast-paced despite the low score, with plently of opportunities on both sides. The Terriers simply converted where the Crimson failed.

“There was a lot of flow to this game,” Parker said. “Harvard plays such a high-tempo style, but we were ready for it after watching the tape from their Cornell game, and we matched them tonight.”

The skill level displayed was not surprising considering the talent on both teams. Harvard and BU have more NHL draft picks than any other college team with 13 each.

—Staff writer Timothy Jackson can be reached at jackson2@fas.harvard.edu.