Power Play Carries Yale Past Harvard
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NEW HAVEN, Conn. -Mike Matczak scored two goals to lead No. 14 Yale to a 5-1 win against the Harvard men's hockey team Friday night at sold-out Ingalls Rink.
Crimson freshman Matt Hoyle made a career-high 45 saves but could not keep the Bulldogs (16-5-1, 11-3-1 ECAC Hockey, 7-0-0 Ivy League) from their fifth straight win. Sophomore Matt McCollem scored for Harvard (5-13-4, 5-7-4, 1-4-3). Broc Little also scored for Yale, which scored four times on the power play to stay unbeaten in Ivy League play.
Yale led, 2-1, after one period before adding one goal in the second and two more in the third. The Bulldogs held a 50-15 shots advantage and got 14 saves from Alec Richards.
The Crimson had the game's first good chance, but Richards stuffed Harvard senior Brian McCafferty on a delayed-penalty rush. Harvard could not convert on the power play but got another highlight when freshman Daniel Moriarty bowled over Brendan Mason with a big hit in the defensive zone.
Harvard appeared to have another big hit but was whistled for interference. The Bulldogs took advantage and took a 1-0 lead on Matczak's shot from the left side. McCollem, however, knotted the score just 72 seconds later. Sophomore Michael Biega collected the puck in the left corner and hit McCollem with a pass at the left post for the point-blank finish, the sophomore's fourth goal of the season.
Hoyle kept Yale from taking back the lead with a pair of big saves, stoning Denny Kearney on a short breakaway and then denying Ken Trentowski on the rebound. The Crimson committed a penalty on that rush, and the Bulldogs again converted on the power play for a 2-1 advantage. After a Yale teammate knocked the puck out of the air with his stick, Kearney sent a pass across the front of the goal for Kevin Limbert to put away. The Elis took the one-goal lead to the first intermission.
The Crimson started the second period on the power play, but the Bulldogs killed the penalty and had the first great chance of the second. A long pass sprung Sean Backman for a breakaway about five minutes into the frame. Hoyle, however, went into the splits to get his left pad on Backman's backhand.
Hoyle came up big again a few minutes later. Mark Arcobello dragged the puck across the crease to create an apparent open net, but the Crimson freshman dove down to glove the shot and cover the puck. Richards countered on the other end with big stops on senior Jimmy Fraser and freshman Eric Kroshus.
The Bulldogs finally netted the period's only goal at the 17:56 mark. They kept the puck in the Harvard end after an offensive-zone faceoff, and Limbert's shot from the left hit Kearney found its way through and in for a 3-1 Yale lead.
Hoyle again came through in the closing seconds of the frame, stoning a Kearney breakaway and smothering a rebound bid. He had 28 saves by the second intermission. He made another tough one early in the third, rejecting a point-blank redirection by Brian O'Neill.
Yale built the lead to three with its third power-play goal, at 10:28 of the third period. Matczak put in his second of the game with Limbert and Backman assisting. Little added another power-play tally for insurance in the final two minutes.
The Crimson is back in action in Boston Monday, when it faces No. 12 Boston College in the consolation game of the 57th Beanpot tournament.
