Men’s Ice Hockey Secures Rivalry Win Over Yale

The Harvard men’s ice hockey team (6-3-1, 4-1-0 ECAC) secured the late-game victory over the Yale Bulldogs (4-6-0, 3-4-0 ECAC) in its second game against an Ivy League opponent this season. Just a week after the Crimson forced the No. 1 Michigan Wolverines to overtime in its second of two matchups, Harvard cemented itself as a fierce competitor in the ECAC.

Harvard’s Head Coach Ted Donato ‘91 spoke positively of last weekend’s outing.

“I mean, anytime you get a chance to play the number one team in the country, I think it was Michigan's first time at Harvard, it was a great opportunity.”

Freshman forward Richard Gallant, a San Jose Sharks draftee and goal-scorer tonight, added, “I think it’s the tip of the iceberg for us.”

Yale and Harvard, along with Quinnipiac, entered the night in a three-way tie for third place in the ECAC standings. Only Cornell, who narrowly defeated the Crimson in Cambridge in early November, and No. 10 Dartmouth, currently undefeated, are ranked ahead.

The Crimson spent most of the opening period chasing after the Bulldogs, who took advantage of several sloppy zone entries to get their first few shots on net. An interference penalty against Harvard was the first time the team managed to slow Yale’s offense, even though the Crimson played at a man-down disadvantage.

“They don’t really give you much off the rush,” Donato said, crediting the Bulldogs’ defenders.

“They don’t get caught up ice, so it was a little bit of a grind for us. And I thought that we just had to stick with it and stay with it, and not really get impatient and reach for offense,” the coach added.

Harvard’s penalty kill, which leads the conference in effectiveness, managed to shut down the Bulldogs’ first bid. It was not until the final few minutes of the first period that the Crimson let one slip by. The goal came as a bit of a fluke for sophomore goalkeeper Ben Charette, who allowed Yale’s defenseman, Rhys Bentham, to get his first goal of the season off a shot from the blue line.

By the time Yale scored, however, the Crimson had found its offensive touch, and the team began to rack up shots on this past week’s ECAC Goaltender of the Week recipient, junior Jack Stark. A hooking penalty called on Yale gave Harvard the necessary momentum to swing the game back in its favor.

The Bulldogs struggled to keep the Crimson at bay and seemed to let up in the remaining seconds, as Harvard exhausted Yale’s defenders during a prolonged possession in the offensive zone.

This gave captain Joe Miller a chance to make the miraculous buzzer-beating play to tally the equalizer. Miller secured his second goal of the season and his fourth point by capitalizing on the rebound that Yale failed to cover.

The second period seemed evenly matched as both teams settled into their defensive structures and each offense took very calculated chances.

Harvard’s sophomore forward Mick Thompson finally managed to break free, gliding between defenders before quickly shifting his stick to Stark’s glove side. The sophomore’s shot was just barely stopped by Stark’s outstretched pads.

Fans of defensively dominated games had lots to enjoy during the majority of the middle period. The few penalties taken were not particularly eventful, and many bouncing pucks were deftly controlled as the teams crafted their offensive cycles.

Sophomore Justin Solovey scored the final goal for the Crimson, allowing Harvard to secure a 3-2 win over the Bulldogs. By Chase W. McCann

Despite controlling possession, Harvard struggled to capitalize on its shots, allowing the Bulldogs to stay in the game.

Fortunately, the Crimson kept its head up and maintained its fast-paced style of play.

Gallant then tallied his second goal and fourth point of the season, thanks to assists from fellow freshman forwards Heikki Ruohonen and Aidan Lane. Gallant’s goal snuck just underneath the inside pad of Stark, nearly bouncing off his left skate, but hitting the back of the net cleanly.

With the go-ahead goal, Harvard continued to pick up the pace on Yale and extended its shot advantage to nearly 20. The Bulldogs had just two shots to show for themselves in the final period.

Despite another stellar save by Stark, with him leaping back to cover the puck as a teammate crashed to the ice next to him attempting to block the same shot, the sheer number of attempts Harvard had amassed proved too much for the Bulldogs to defend.

Harvard’s third goal was delivered by sophomore forward Justin Solovey, who scored with just under two minutes remaining in regulation play.

When asked about what seemed to translate well from the games with Michigan, Gallant said, “You can see it just in the way we play. All four lines are going every game, like last weekend, everyone was humming tonight.”

Yale responded to the Solovey by pulling Stark to go on a man-up advantage.

Despite its momentum, Harvard let up a goal to the Bulldogs, who briefly looked as though they might mount a comeback.

However, in the end, the Crimson kept the puck away long enough to keep its lead and secure the win.

The Tim Taylor Cup, awarded annually to the most outstanding player in the Harvard-Yale game, went to sophomore Justin Solovey, and the win marked Donato’s 234th as a coach, tying Bill Cleary’s program record. By Chase W. McCann

The Tim Taylor Cup, awarded annually to the most outstanding player in the Harvard-Yale game, went to Solovey, and the win marked Donato’s 234th as a coach, tying Bill Cleary’s program record.

“My first reaction would just be gratitude for all the great players, the great human beings that I have had a chance to work with,” Donato said after the game.

Harvard takes on another Ivy League and ECAC opponent in Brown tonight. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m., and the game will be available to stream on ESPN+.

—Staff writer Nate M. Bolan can be reached at nathan.bolan@thecrimson.com