CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Behind
Ben Sharf's overtime game-winner, the Colgate men's hockey program knocked off No. 9/12 Harvard in a 4-3 final on the road. The Raiders notched four goals by four different players to earn their first weekend sweep of the season and fourth win in the last five games.
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was a physical start to the game and despite a pair of power plays for the Raiders, the teams skated to a 0-0 finish of the first period.
The pace of the game sped up in the second period, as
Andrew Farrier made big stops at the net through the opening minutes of action. Although Colgate drew a third man advantage, it wouldn't be until the skater was returned that the Raiders' efforts would pay off. Just seconds after Harvard returned to full strength, Colgate scored to crack onto the board against the nationally ranked opponent.
It was in the second half of the period that the Raiders penalty kill faced its first test, but it was one that that the Crimson would score on for the eighth straight game on a tic-tac-toe play to even the game. Minutes later, Harvard split the defensemen on a turnover to flip the score for a 2-1 advantage.
The Crimson lead wouldn't last long though, as
Tyler Penner was prepared to answer just 42 seconds later to tie the game. After a four-goal second period, the teams would head to the locker room all squared up at 2-2.
Midway through the third period Colgate drew its fourth power play of the night. A solid it attack though it was, Colgate had to wait until shortly after the skater was returned for the pay off as
Bobby McMann lit the lamp to put the Raiders back on top.
Just as Colgate had done prior, it was Harvard's turn to answer. That it did just 1:49 after McMann's number with a goal scored through traffic, a mark that would stand through regulation for a 3-3 game.
In the final seconds of regulation, the Crimson cruised down the ice on a breakaway. In an attempt to break it up, the Raiders were called for a penalty, one that would carry over to the extra session in its entirety.
The effective kill by the Raiders only sacrificed one shot on goal through the 2:00 of Harvard power play in the overtime, before returning to full strength. It was on the next shift that
Ben Sharf would power down along the boards and score the overtime game-winner for a 4-3 victory over No. 9/12 Harvard.
COLGATE SCORING PLAYS
• Period 2 | 06:56 – Seconds after the power play expired,
Jared Cockrell sent the puck across the blue line to
Nick Austin. His shot from the right point flew through traffic and was tipped down low by
Colton Young for a 1-0 advantage.
• Period 2 | 17:59 –
Bobby McMann made a pass behind the net to
Ben Sharf, who skated it in towards the crease. He flipped the puck to
Tyler Penner, who scored on a wide-open back door to tie the game at 2-2.
• Period 3 | 10:08 – In a rush at the net,
Anthony Stark chipped the puck across the crease before the netminder tipped it out to McMann in the circle. His quick wrister found the five-hole for a 3-2 game.
• OT | 03:40 – Rushing into the zone, Sharf flew down the left boards. He curved around the north end of the faceoff circle and weaved around the crease centering the puck. He poked the puck on the far side past the toe of the netminder for the overtime game-winner.
STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
• By scoring in overtime
Ben Sharf earned his third game-winning goal of the season, including second in the last four games. Two of Sharf's three game-winners have been scored in overtime, and while by adding an assist on Penner's tally, he recorded his fourth multi-point night of the season.
• Senior captain
Bobby McMann extends to a five-game point streak and three-game scoring streak behind a goal and assist against the Crimson. The forward now holds four goals in the last five games as well as 11 points in the last nine games.
• In his fifth straight start, sophomore goaltender
Andrew Farrier earned his third 30-plus save performance of the season. While recording 30 on the night, the netminder tallied a game-high of 12 in the opening period.
• With the opening tally, freshman
Colton Young recorded his team-leading seventh goal of the season. The Calgary, Alberta native is on a two-game scoring streak, and extends to a career-best three-game point streak.
• In addition to posting a plus-3 rating on the ice, senior
Tyler Penner marked his second goal of the season and first since scoring against Brown (Nov. 9). A well-rounded performance, the Winnipeg, Manitoba, native also marked two blocked shots in addition to his two shots on goal.
• With his assist on Young's tally, junior
Nick Austin extends to a three-game point streak and holds six apples through the last eight games.
• Nine different Raiders recorded a point, while six remain on active point streaks.
• Picking up critical league points, the Raiders earned their first weekend sweep since Feb. 22-23, 2019 (Union, RPI).
• It marks Colgate's second win against a nationally ranked opponent this season after defeating then-No. 18 UMass Lowell (Oct. 18) in a similar 4-3 overtime victory.
THE BOTTOM LINE
• Colgate 4, No. 9/12 Harvard 3 – OT
RECORD UPDATES
• Colgate holds a 7-7-4 record, and a 5-2-1 mark in ECAC Hockey action.
• No. 9/12 Harvard is 6-4-0 overall on the season and is 6-2-0 in ECAC play.
HEAD COACH DON VAUGHAN'S TAKE
"I am very proud of the effort we put forward tonight. It was a gutsy performance against a very skilled team.
"
Brett Riley has done a great job preparing our guys on the penalty kill and we needed those guys to step up and they did. Having to kill a penalty to start overtime is a tall order but the guys really sacrificed and got the job done.
"A sweep on the road is a nice way to head into break."
UP NEXT
Colgate heads into the holiday break with its next matchups coming in three weeks. The Raiders travel to Columbus, Ohio, at the end of the month for a two-game nonconference series at 2019 NCAA Tournament team Ohio State on Dec. 27-28.
FOLLOW THE RAIDERS
For more information on the Colgate men's hockey program, follow the Raiders on Twitter @ColgateMIH and Instagram at colgate_mih.
