Fox, Krusko Net First Goals as M. Hockey Cruises Past Bentley

UPDATED: November 27, 2016, at 12:45 p.m.

With the way that freshman defenseman Adam Fox had been playing to start his first season in Cambridge, it was only a matter of time before he notched his first career goal. And on Saturday night, the breakthrough finally came as Fox, the assist leader for the Harvard men’s hockey team, opened the scoring against local adversary Bentley.

Fox found the back of the net during a power play, after the puck deflected out to him following a scramble in front of goal. His low wrist shot beat two defenders as well as the goalie before settling in the bottom right corner of the net, giving the No. 9 Crimson its first lead of the game and setting the tone for the remainder of the contest.

The rookie additionally went on to tally two assists to take him to a total of 10 for the season. Co-captain and center Alexander Kerfoot also had himself a night, recording a career-high four assists against the Falcons, giving him 10 on the year as well.

Sophomore Ryan Donato, pictured in action against BC last weekend, scored his fifth goal of the season on Saturday and added two assists as well. By Thomas W. Franck

On the strength of Fox’s and Kerfoot’s playmaking, as well as another strong performance by sophomore winger Ryan Donato, Harvard (6-2-1, 2-1-1 ECAC) came away with a comfortable 5-2 victory in front of its home fans. Bentley (3-6-3, 2-4-2 AHC), which could not find the same intensity that produced impressive wins at UNH and Air Force earlier this year, will look to put the loss behind it when it resumes conference play next weekend.

“We didn’t want to take our feet off the gas pedal after facing BU and BC,” Kerfoot said. “It’s always easy to get up for those games, but I think the team responded well today, getting the lead early and holding it throughout the game.”

After sophomore winger Lewis Zerter-Gossage tacked on a second goal at the end of the first period, Harvard never led by less than two scores. The team made sure to deliver a swift response to the Falcons’ first goal too, as freshman winger Nathan Krusko tipped a Clay Anderson blast into the back of the net to make the score 4-1 right before the second intermission. Like Fox, Krusko was recording the first goal of his collegiate career.

Freshman Nathan Krusko throws a shot on goal earlier this season at Quinnipiac. The rookie scored his first collegiate goal Saturday against Bentley. By Thomas W. Franck

“It was important to have an answer there to go back to the locker room at 4-1,” Harvard coach Ted Donato ’91 said. “Their goaltender was making a lot of good saves in the period, and to convert one of our chances at the end there was mentally a bonus for us.”

The Crimson held its three-goal lead for a majority of the final period, but just as the story has been for much of the season, penalties hurt the team and threatened to make the game close. Four different Harvard players were penalized in a nine-minute span, giving Bentley multiple chances to get back into the game. The Falcons finally converted with less than three minutes remaining, but by then, it was too late to mount a comeback.

The Crimson did show improvements on the penalty kill, however, killing five of the six power plays it faced on the night. These situations included a minute of 5-on-3 play and another minute of 6-on-4 action. The team responded well both times, even adding an empty-net goal courtesy of senior Sean Malone during the 6-on-4 at the end of the game.

“It’s a work in progress, definitely,” Donato said. “It was frustrating to kill off the 5-on-3 and then come back to give up another one. It’s been small mistakes that have given other teams one opportunity too many, and we’ll continue to work on fixing those.”

On the other side, the power play was a strong point for Harvard, as was the play of the first line led by Kerfoot. The Crimson scored twice on the power play against Bentley and three times when the majority of skaters on the ice were from the first line. Ryan Donato was named the game’s First Star for his wrap-around goal and two assists.

After the comprehensive win, the team now has a week to review its performance and prepare for a difficult road trip. St. Lawrence and Clarkson await in upstate New York before Harvard can enter its December break.

“It’s good to get back in the win column heading into next weekend,” Kerfoot said. “Those two games will be huge, especially with how those teams have been playing. They’re definitely ones that are marked on our calendars.”

GAME NOTES

—Senior forward Phil Zielonka made his first appearance since Feb. 8, playing on the third line alongside sophomore Michael Floodstrand and junior Jake Horton. Floodstrand was making just his second appearance of the season.

—Junior goaltender Merrick Madsen made 32 saves, one shy of his season high.

—Both teams logged 34 shots on goal, but Harvard out-attempted the visitors, 68-57.

—Staff writer Jake Meagher contributed reporting.

—Staff writer George Hu can be reached at yianshenhu@college.harvard.edu.