Men's Hockey Tops No. 1 BU in Overtime

On Tuesday night, the only thing standing between Jimmy Vesey and an overtime victory over the top team in the nation was the goaltender.

Streaking up the middle of the ice, the junior forward came inches from lifting the No. 18 Harvard men’s ice hockey team over No. 1 Boston University at Agganis Arena, only to have his breakaway attempt sent aside by Terrier goaltender Matt O’Connor.

But Vesey would not be denied. Just minutes later, the forward dished a pass to junior co-captain Kyle Criscuolo in front of the net, who muscled a shot past O’Connor to complete the upset for the Crimson (6-1-2, 3-1-2 ECAC) by a score of 3-2.

“Our guys dug deep towards the end there,” Harvard coach Ted Donato said. “I thought in the overtime, the attitude on the bench was great. I thought our guys really tried to dig deep and go after it.”

After Boston University (8-2-1, 6-1-1 Hockey East) created some chances of its own in the extra frame, the Crimson found its response after junior defenseman Patrick McNally pushed the puck ahead to Vesey behind the goal.

Calling for the puck, Criscuolo darted towards the crease, taking the pass from Vesey and squeezing it past O’Connor to seal the victory.

The goal was one of two on the night for Criscuolo, as Harvard’s top line accounted for all of its offense against the Terriers. Sophomore forward Alex Kerfoot notched two assists, while Vesey—a Mass. native—had a goal and an assist against the team’s crosstown rival.

“We’re just thrilled about the win,” Criscuolo said. “[We have] a ton of guys from Boston, so it’s a huge game when you play Boston University. And with them at No. 1, it’s even a bigger game coming in here.”

The first goal of the night for the co-captain gave the Crimson its first lead with just under two minutes remaining in the second period.

With Harvard on the man advantage, Criscuolo took a pass from McNally at the top of the left circle and unleashed a slap shot towards goal. With traffic in front of the net, the puck soared over the right shoulder of O’Connor, giving the forward his ninth straight game with a point.

The Crimson carried that lead into the final frame, but the Terriers found an equalizer 6:43 into the period.

Moving up ice in transition, BU defenseman Brandon Hickey delivered a pass to junior forward Ahti Oksanen on his left. From the top of the left circle, the junior threw a low wrist shot on net that caught Harvard goaltender Stephen Michalek off guard, evening the score at two goals apiece.

That, however, would be the only real mistake Michalek would make all game long, as the junior netminder finished the contest with 40 saves. Over the last four games, Michalek has made 130 saves, allowing just four goals during that span.

The goalie set the tone right out of the gate, stopping all 13 shots that came his way in the first period, including a quick wrist shot by the nation’s leading point-getter—freshman forward Jack Eichel.

Eichel, who entered the contest with seven goals and 12 assists through 10 games, was held without a point for the first time all season.

Donato joked that to keep the forward off the board, he had been carrying a rosary bead in his coat pocket.

“It certainly didn’t feel like he didn’t have any points tonight because he’s dynamic,” Donato said. “[With] his skill level [and] his ability to control the tempo of the game, he’s a tough matchup.”

While trying to contain Eichel and the rest of BU’s top line, the Crimson struggled offensively in the opening period. Harvard totaled just five shots on net in the frame—the first of which did not come until almost nine minutes into the contest.

Nonetheless, the Crimson emerged from the locker room at the start of the second period looking like a different group. Harvard recorded 11 shots on target in the stanza, earning its first score of the game at the 11:46 mark courtesy of Vesey.

Trailing 1-0 following a goal by Terrier forward Matt Lane, the Crimson lined up for a faceoff in the attacking zone. After winning the draw, Kerfoot got the puck to Vesey coming off the right wing, who made his way to the crease and poked a shot past O’Connor.

With the victory, Harvard has knocked off two top-ranked teams in the last three seasons, as the Crimson defeated No. 1 Quinnipiac in overtime in 2013. Dating back to that same season, Harvard has also now won its last five games against BU.

“For us, we were trying to make a statement to ourselves,” Donato said. “I think BU is very worthy and will be a great team throughout the rest of the year. But I think our guys are really trying to get ourselves established. And we knew that [this] was a good opportunity.”

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