ECAC Hockey

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – For the second straight game, senior forward Marshall Everson netted a pair of goals, helping the Harvard men's hockey team to a 4-1 win over Colgate Friday at Bright Hockey Center. The win is the second in a row for Harvard (7-15-2, 4-12-1 ECAC), bumping the Raiders to 13-12-4 on the year and 5-9-3 in ECAC play.

Dan Ford scored for the second time in as many games, adding an empty-net tally with 30 seconds to play, and rookies Kyle Criscuolo and Brian Hart had a pair of assists each on the night, combining to feed Everson on both of his goals.

After a quiet opening period, both teams made some noise in the second, although Harvard did most of the scoring. Just 43 seconds into the frame, Alex Fallstrom gave the hosts a 1-0 lead, netting his fifth tally of the season. Tommy O'Regan and Colin Blackwell had short-range stuffs denied by Colgate goalie Spencer Finney, but Fallstrom was on target with the heavy rebound. Nearly five minutes passed before Colgate was able to tie it up, as Mike Borkowski clanged a shot off the inside of the pipe that was reviewed and called good at 5:40.

The class of 2013 shined down the stretch in the second as Everson posted two goals in the final nine minutes of the frame. His first came via an excellent play from Criscuolo, with the freshman winging a shot in from the left faceoff  circle and Everson directing it home with his body at 11:29. Criscuolo fed Everson on his second as well, threading a brilliant pass to the senior as he drifted in front of the cage and put the shot home past a sprawling Finney.  

The Harvard penalty kill was put to the test in the third, as chippy play saw the Crimson booked for a quartet of penalties. Harvard was on lockdown throughout the period, however, allowing just four shots on goal in the period, all coming on the power play. Criscuolo nearly put Harvard in front with just over seven minutes to play, but the reviewed play resulted in no goal. Colgate pulled its goalie with 1:30 to play and already a man up thanks to a Harvard penalty, but the decision resulted in a Harvard goal when Ford banged a clear off the boards in his own end and the puck trickled down the ice for an empty-net tally.

An up-tempo first period saw the Raiders show off their speed, keeping Harvard on the defensive for a sizeable portion of the period. In fact the Raiders held a 5-0 shots advantage well into the frame, allowing Harvard its first shot on net just past the halfway point of the period. A pair of Colgate penalties saw the Crimson gain a pair of power plays, and despite firing three shots on net during the two infractions, Raider goalie Spencer Finney stayed true to preserve the scoreless draw. The Crimson killed a penalty of its own late in the period, and ended the stanza in a 0-0 deadlock.

Raphael Girard finished the game with 27 saves, needing only four in the final 20 minutes to preserve the 4-1 victory. Harvard is now unbeaten in its last three games.

The Crimson is back in action tomorrow night when it takes on Ancient Eight rival Cornell in a 7 p.m. showdown. The game will be broadcast locally on WBIN-TV and nationally on Fox College Sports.