Crimson Completes Season Sweep of Union

Just as the Harvard men’s ice hockey team’s victory seemed inevitable, a three-goal comeback by Union in the final six minutes of the game threatened its triumph. But it wasn’t quite enough to overcome the Crimson.

Harvard prevailed with a 4-3 victory over the No. 16 Dutchmen (16-8-6, 10-4-4 ECAC) at Bright Hockey Center on Saturday night.

Led by sophomore forward Alex Killorn and junior goaltender Kyle Richter, the Crimson (7-15-3, 7-8-3 ECAC) swept first-place Union in regular season play.

“We realize that for every game and every win, the points are so huge since we are so close with these teams,” Killorn said.

And against the Dutchmen, every goal mattered.

After a scoreless first period, Harvard offensive standout Louis Leblanc left the game early in the second after taking a blow to his head from the puck. Leblanc was reportedly in good spirits after the contest, and the Crimson did not allow his removal to throw off its game.

Harvard proceeded to pull ahead in the second period with three goals in 14 shots. Freshman Alex Fallstrom started off the Crimson by sneaking the puck past Union’s Corey Milan from the right boards at 1:41. The tally gave Harvard some needed momentum, and about five minutes later, freshman David Valek converted on the rebound of junior Pier-Olivier Michaud’s blocked shot. Killorn logged the final goal of the period after junior Michael Biega won a battle for the puck in the corner and fed the rookie with a nice pass.

But the Crimson’s scoring spree wasn’t finished yet. Killorn’s second goal came on a power play about halfway through the third period.

“We were moving [the puck] around really well, and I got a nice pass from Alex Fallstrom,” Killorn said. “I just took a shot and beat [Milan] close side.”

“I think it is important that we are able to get a power play goal every night,” added Harvard coach Ted Donato ’91, “because most nights it can be the difference.”

With a 4-0 lead and only 10 minutes left, the Crimson seemed to be in a good position for the shutout win. But the Dutchmen were just getting started.

Union led 34-26 in shots for the game, with 16 of these shots coming in the final period. The Harvard men could only hold for so long, and the Dutchmen scored their first goal at 14:27 off a power play. Determined to continue his team’s comeback, Union coach Nate Leaman substituted Milan in favor of another offensive player. The Dutchmen punched in their second goal with a six-on-four advantage in the last few minutes and logged their final score with only 3.4 seconds remaining in the game.

But time ran out on Union, and the Crimson stayed strong for the 4-3 win, leaving Donato pleased with his team.

“In general, I am very happy with the way the guys played,” Donato said. “We were much more disciplined with our decisions with the puck and taking penalties.”

Although every goal counted on Saturday night, Harvard’s defense kept it in the game. Richter led the squad with a standout performance between the pipes, logging 31 saves on the night.

“Richter was outstanding in the net all night,” Donato said. “Your goalie is always your best penalty killer, and I think Richter was there for us when the opportunity presented itself.”

The Dutchmen converted only one of their six power play attempts, demonstrating the Crimson’s defensive strength throughout the game. But the team did not overlook its breakdown in the last six minutes.

“I think it is obviously disappointing when they score three goals in [such a short] time span,” Killorn said. “A 60-minute game is something we’ve been working on.”

Finishing strong will be especially important for Harvard with tough games against conference rivals Cornell and Colgate coming up next weekend. The Crimson aims for victories against these two competitors to earn a bid for home ice in the playoffs.

Yet with Saturday night’s game, Harvard continued to prove its ability to defeat tough opponents.

“[Union] is a veteran team and at the top of our league for a reason,” Donato said. “I am very happy to get the win tonight.”