No. 18 Crimson Tops Terriers on Rogers' OT Strike

Photo by DSPics.com

Box Score

BOSTON-Doug Rogers scored the winning goal in overtime and fellow sophomore Kyle Richter made 39 saves to lead the 18th-ranked Harvard men's hockey team to a 2-1 victory against Boston University in a non-conference, crosstown matchup Tuesday night at Agganis Arena.

Harvard senior Jon Pelle scored a highlight-reel goal after the Terriers (3-7-2) took a first-period lead. Richter took over from there, stopping the final 33 shots he faced, many on shots from the perimeter.

The winning tally came at 3:52 of overtime, after Rogers won an offensive-zone faceoff for the Crimson (5-2-0). Sophomore Alex Biega took the puck off the left boards and fired a shot on net. BU goalie Karson Gillespie deflected the puck behind the net, where Rogers grabbed it and banked a shot off Gillespie and in from the goal line at the right post.

BU held a 40-20 edge in shots and killed six Harvard power plays. The Terriers were 1 for 4 on the man advantage. Harvard held a 45-40 advantage in faceoffs.

The Crimson nearly jumped on top less than two minutes into the game, as freshman Michael Biega skated up the left wing on the rush and beat Gillespie with a shot that clanked off the right post. On the next shift, Gillespie hugged the same post to stop a wraparound attempt by senior Tyler Magura.

Instead it was the Terriers taking the early lead at 8:34 of the first period, as forward Pete MacArthur, playing the right point on the game's first power play, scored on a one-timer. Richter saw the puck late and could not get enough of it to keep it from trickling in.

Richter denied Boston University a two-goal lead with about three minutes left in the period. Jason Lawrence found an open spot in front of the goal, but Richter moved right to left to make the stop the tip-in attempt. That was one of 15 first-period saves for the sophomore.

Pelle tied it up with a sensational goal at 11:51 of the second. As the Crimson broke up a BU rush, junior Jack Christian collected the puck and sent it up to Pelle going the other way. He raced down the left wing, turned the corner on a defender, pulled the puck out of the reach of Gillespie as he skated across the goalmouth and tucked it into the right side of the net.

The special teams played the rest of the period, as senior Mike Taylor broke the through the middle of the defense and was pulled down for the first of three straight BU penalties. The Terriers escaped the shorthanded stretch unscathed and could not find the net on the first half of their late power play, so the game remained knotted at 1-1 at the second intermission. Harvard held an 11-10 advantage in second-period shots.

The third period featured more penalties. Harvard killed the rest of the BU power play to start the period, but the Terriers returned the favor on a pair of man-advantage chances for the Crimson. Harvard was whistled for another penalty near the midpoint of the period, and BU got its best chance of the power play on a screened shot from the left point. Richter made the stop, and junior Nick Coskren cleared the rebound down the ice.

Just before the clock ran out on regulation, Rogers picked up the puck behind the BU net and attempted a wraparound, but he was picked up by a defender and his shot never reached the net. Richter made 12 saves in the third period and 37 in regulation.

Boston University appeared to have the first scoring chance of overtime when Nick Bonino tipped a point shot from Richter's right. Richter made the save, but Bonino was called for playing the puck with a high stick. The faceoff took place in the BU zone, and Harvard kept the puck down there, applying pressure until Rogers broke through.