Rogers Powers Harvard in Tie at No. 18 Dartmouth

Photo by DSPics.com

Boxscore

HANOVER, N.H.-Junior Doug Rogers recorded a hat trick and added an assist to lead the Harvard men's hockey team in a 5-5 tie at No. 18 Dartmouth in a back-and-forth game in front of 3,523 fans Sunday afternoon at Thompson Arena.

Each team led twice and the Crimson (4-11-4, 4-6-4 ECAC Hockey, 1-3-3 Ivy League) rallied from a two-goal deficit in the second period. Harvard registered its highest offensive output of the season, scored a season-high four power-play goals and led twice in the third period.

Freshman Daniel Moriarty recorded a goal and an assist, while junior Alex Biega and freshman Eric Kroshus each notched two assists. Freshman Ryan Grimshaw scored his first collegiate goal to give Harvard a 5-4 lead in the third.  Junior John Riley made 37 saves, including 18 in the second period.

Evan Stephens scored two goals and Jody O'Neill stopped 32 shots for the Big Green (10-7-2, 7-4-2, 2-3-1). Harvard extended its unbeaten streak against Dartmouth to five games (4-0-1).

The Crimson got off to a good start, recording the first three shots of the game. O'Neill stopped a one-timer by freshman Alex Killorn, a slap shot from the point by freshman Peter Starrett and a shot by sophomore Michael Biega from the right faceoff circle. The Big Green countered with shots by Connor Goggin and Josh Gillam that were handled by Riley.

The Big Green converted a power play at 17:54 for a 1-0 lead. Riley made a great save during the man advantage, robbing Joe Gaudet on a rebound chance right in front, but Stephens later found some space on the left side and scored on a wrist shot.

O'Neill made a nice pad stop when Kroshus collected a loose puck alone in front but could not keep the Crimson off the board when Dartmouth committed a penalty in the final minute of the period. After Rogers won the faceoff to start the power play, Chris Huxley passed from high on the right boards to fellow sophomore Pier-Olivier Michaud in the corner. Michaud threaded a pass in front of the net to Rogers waiting on the left post to bang in his first goal of the season. Dartmouth had a 9-8 edge in first-period shots.

Dartmouth regained the lead at 1:36 of the second period. Big Green defenseman Peter Boldt sent a backhand toward net from the offensive blue line. The puck found its way through several pairs of skates, took a deflection in front and found its way over the right shoulder of Riley.

Harvard almost got a fortunate bounce of its own on a power play when Michaud's pass deflected off a Dartmouth stick, but O'Neill covered. It was instead the Big Green picking up a shorthanded tally. Andrew Owsiak finished off a pass in the low slot from Doug Jones behind the net for a 3-1 lead.

Two Dartmouth penalties 53 seconds apart added up to a two-man advantage and another late-period goal for Harvard. Rogers again had the tally from the left post after Kroshus got a pass from Michael Biega and quickly fed it to Rogers from thee right point. The Big Green, however, held a 20-8 shots advantage in the period and a 3-2 lead at the second intermission.

Harvard grabbed the lead with two goals 69 seconds apart in the first five minutes of the third period. The tying goal belonged to Moriarty on the power play. His low shot from inside the right hash came after passes in the zone from Rogers and Alex Biega.

Rogers then completed his second career hat trick to give Harvard a 4-3 edge at 4:48 of the third. Alex Biega skated from left to right along the point and fired a wrist shot at the net from the middle of the zone. Moriarty tipped the puck to create a rebound, which Rogers collected and slid past O'Neill to make it 4-3.

O'Neill kept Dartmouth within reach by making tough saves on sophomore Matt McCollem after a great move, on a redirection in front by senior Nick Coskren and on senior Steve Rolecek coming down the right side. Scott Fleming then carried the puck end to end and scored from the right side to tie the score at 4-4.

Grimshaw answered. Kroshus left the puck for junior Chad Morin at the left point. Rather than force a shot, Morin waited for Grimshaw to enter the zone and slid it across to him. The rookie sent his shot through traffic and past O'Neill to give the lead back to the Crimson with less than five minutes left.

Stephens and Dartmouth scored last, though. He converted a wraparound with barely three minutes left to send the game to overtime. Harvard held a 15-10 edge in shots in the third and a 6-3 advantage in overtime, but neither team could find the net.

The Crimson returns home Friday to host Union at 7 p.m.