Rookie Leaves His Mark in ECAC Final

ALBANY, N.Y.—A quiet contributor for the entire year, rookie forward Jimmy Fraser had a career night in the Harvard men’s hockey team’s 6-2 victory over No. 7 Cornell in the ECAC Championship Game on Saturday.

Entering the contest with only one goal and 11 assists, Fraser made the most of his extra playing time when sophomore Jon Pelle left the ice with a lower leg injury in the opening minute. The freshman tallied two power-play goals and added two assists—a feat that earned him a spot on the ECAC All-Tournament Team.

“I’m in a fortunate position to have guys that can step in and do a very good job,” said Harvard coach Ted Donato ’91. “Jimmy’s played a lot on the power play this year...and it’s been my experience [that] to win any kind of championship, you need guys to step up.”

Fraser was the catalyst for the Crimson’s early success, drawing two penalties and scoring a power-play goal as Harvard moved ahead 3-0 in the first period.

Just 2:56 into the game, the Crimson earned a man-advantage opportunity when Big Red pivot Michael Kennedy knocked Fraser into the Cornell net.

And Fraser converted just a minute and a half later, putting away the rebound of blueliner Dylan Reese’s shot off the end-boards to give Harvard a 1-0 lead.

Then at 11:38, Fraser was shoved into the Big Red goal again, this time by sophomore defenseman Sasha Pokulok. Twenty-four seconds later, the Crimson received a 5-on-3 chance when Cornell center Daniel Pegoraro was whistled for checking from behind—a two-minute minor that eventually led to another power-play goal.

For Fraser, Harvard’s leader in penalties and penalty minutes, being on the other end of the referees’ calls was a welcome surprise.

“Jimmy just plays with such intensity that sometimes he takes penalties, sometimes he draws penalties,” Donato said. “But he really competes, and he’s a character guy for us.”

Fraser tallied another power-play goal in the second period, scoring with just 56.9 seconds remaining in the frame.

On the faceoff immediately following a Big Red infraction, the referee tossed Fraser out of the circle. Nevertheless senior winger Dan Murphy took the draw on the faceoff and kicked the puck to the pivot for an on-target backhander from the slot that put Harvard ahead of Cornell, 4-2.

“That may have been the real turning point,” Donato said.

“Jimmy made a great play there, and that turned the momentum around,” he added.

SPECIAL EFFORT

Harvard came into Saturday’s game with just a .182 power play conversion percentage, but the Crimson’s man-advantage units dissected a Cornell penalty kill renowned for its stinginess.

In the opening frame, the Harvard power play launched nine shots and tallied three scores in five opportunities. The Crimson added a goal in each of the two final frames to finish 5-for-10 on the night.

“It was kind of a shock,” Murphy said of Harvard’s success with the man advantage. “But we just kept it simple tonight. We were able get shots to the net, and a bunch of them were rebound goals.”

On the other hand, the Crimson’s penalty kill held the potent Big Red offense scoreless in eight man-advantage chances, standing strong in front of goaltender John Daigneau, the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

AROUND THE NATION

In other postseason action, Boston University and Michigan State locked up No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament by winning their respective conference tournaments.

The Spartans prevailed, 2-1, over Miami (OH) in the CCHA finals after defeating rival Michigan in the semifinals.

Boston College opened up a 1-0 lead over the Terriers, but BU ultimately triumphed in a 2-1 overtime win to clinch the Hockey East title.

In the WCHA championship, Wisconsin routed Minnesota 4-0 to claim the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Both teams came into the game having clinched a regional No. 1 seed, regardless of the outcome.

Holy Cross and Bemidji State rounded out the automatic bids, capturing the Atlantic Hockey and CHA titles, respectively.

FINAL TICKS

In addition to Daigneau and Fraser, Murphy, Reese, and center Kevin Du were also given All-Tournament nods....After the game, Donato said that Pelle would be reevaluated in Cambridge but that, for now, he was “day to day”....In the first period, Harvard scored as many goals (three) as Cornell had shots....It was the fifth straight ECAC final featuring the Crimson and the Big Red. The teams have alternated as champions since 2002....Harvard was the first No. 4 seed to win the ECAC tournament since Cornell in 1996....Reese was on the ice for all eight goals, finishing with a plus/minus of –1 despite notching a goal and two assists....After outshooting the Big Red 18-3 in the opening frame, the Crimson was outshot 10-3 in the second period....Cornell coach Mike Schafer pulled McKee after Harvard scored for the sixth time, replacing him with backup Louis Chabot....The Crimson’s 28 goals over the last two weekends set a single-season ECAC tournament record.

—Staff writer Karan Lodha can be reached at klodha@fas.harvard.edu.