CAMBRIDGE, MA – The Harvard University men's hockey team held onto a two-goal first period lead to defeat Union, 4-0, in ECAC Hockey action at the Bright Hockey Center Saturday evening. The loss drops the Dutchmen to 2-4-2 overall and 0-2-2 ECAC Hockey action.

 

The Crimson (3-1-0, 3-1-0 ECAC Hockey) took a two-goal lead in the first period on nine shots, first lighting the lam at 6:57 on a Mike Taylor shot from the left circle the careened into the net off the far post. Jon Pelle fed Taylor a long pass after picking up a Union turnover in the neutral zone.

 

Harvard edged forward with a power-play tally less than three minutes later as Chris Huxley found the upper left corner of the net from the blue line. Taylor connected with Huxley across the point after getting the puck from Michael Biega, who was set up low.

 

Union's offense started to surge late in the period, and used a tripping call at 18:35 to its advantage, keeping the puck deep in Harvard's zone. The Dutchmen could not convert, as Union's three shots with the man advantage were either just wide or blocked.

 

Mario Valery-Trabucco (Montreal, QC) sent a puck from the left point to Jason Walters (Renfrew, ON) in the right circle, giving his classmate a clear pass across the slot to Stephane Boileau (Blainville, QC), but the winger's shot went just to the left of the net.

 

The Dutchmen carried the momentum from the first into the second, putting several more quality shots on Richter. Mike Schreiber (Sherwood Park, AB) took a long pass fromm Walters and carried it in for a low shot from the left circle before taking the puck end-to-end after a Harvard rally.

 

Andrew Buote (Grande Prairie, AB) then aimed to tip in a shot from the point by Brendan Milnamow (Wilton, CT), but Richter again handled the puck.

 

Union generated again on the power play, and after a lengthy back-and-forth across the point between Lane Caffaro (Slave Lake, AB) and Michael Beynon (Nepean, ON), Caffaro fired, again denied by Richter.

 

Torren Delforte (Shortsville, NY) moved through three defenders on his way into the Harvard zone with three minutes left on the clock, but Richter snagged his shot out of the air. Delforte started a play shortly before, feeding Matt Cook (Belle Mead, NJ) in the left circle.

 

Harvard added a pair of  third-period tallies, starting at 9:23, as Paul Dufault fought with a Union defender all the way into the zone before shaking him and flipping the puck past Corey Milan (Great Barrington, MA) as he crossed in front of the net.

 

Tyler Magura netted a short-handed tally at 12:22 of the third. Milan seemed to have stopped Magura's shot from the doorstep, but the puck trickled through his pads, giving Harvard a 4-0 lead.

 

Just over four minutes into the third, Milan fed Adam Presizniuk (Calgary, AB) deep in the Union zone before the freshman found Valery-Trabucco as he was streaking out of the zone.

 

Milan finished with 17 saves, while Richter earned the shutout with 27.

 

The Dutchmen continue their six-game road trip after a two-week break, traveling to Massachusetts for a 5 p.m. game at the Mullins Center on November 25.