Jimmy Vesey scored the game-winner on a breakaway Saturday (Mike Tansey).

POTSDAM, N.Y. – No. 14/13 Harvard men's hockey (14-9-3, 10-7-3 ECAC) scored twice in the first seven minutes and fended off a late Clarkson (11-7-4, 8-10-2 ECAC) surge to capture a 3-2 victory Saturday evening in Potsdam, N.Y.

Harvard scored on the power play for the second straight night and the penalty kill unit held the Golden Knights off the board on three man-up occasions. A total of 42 penalty minutes were dished out, including 34 in a heated second period.

Harvard came out as the offensive juggernaut, potting its first goal just 2:55 into the opening period. The Crimson began crashing in on Clarkson netminder Steve Perry with freshman Seb Lloyd capitalizing on the opportunity with his third of the season. Tyler Moy picked up his second assist in as many nights on the play giving him 14 on the year and Victor Newell earned the second helper.

The Crimson took advantage of the power play for the second night in a row, with Max Everson scoring at 6:13 with Perry D'Arrisso serving two minutes for tripping. Phil Zielonka set up Everson for a blast from the left point that sailed passed Perry, while Newell garnered credit for his second assist of the night.

Clarkson closed the deficit to one at 11:55 when A.J. Fossen scored his third of the season, bringing the score to 2-1, which held into the first intermission.

Second period statistics proved deceiving, as Clarkson outshot Harvard 11-7, but it would be the Crimson that would tack on another goal. ECAC leading scorer Jimmy Vesey out-raced two Clarkson defenders in the neutral zone and deked Perry before lifting a forehand into the goal for his 20th of the season, giving Harvard a 3-1 advantage. With the goal, Vesey became the first Crimson player since Alex Killorn '12 during the 2011-12 season to reach 40 points in a season.

The strike by Vesey would be the only goal of the period, but not the only action, as a scrum at 18:37 in the Clarkson zone led to matching 10-minute penalties to Clarkson's Nic Pierog and Harvard's Clay Anderson, as well as two minutes to Luke Esposito. `

Clarkson closed the gap to just one goal at 11:34 of the third with Fossen scoring his second of the night. The Golden Knights did its best to score the equalizer in the waning minutes, including pulling its goalie for the last 1:58, but Steve Michalek made a pair of quality saves for Harvard and numerous skaters laid out to block shots, to ensure the 3-2 victory. Michalek finished the night with 33 saves.

With the win, Harvard is tied with Colgate for fourth in the ECAC standings. The Crimson control its own destiny, as four points next weekend would clinch a first round bye in the playoffs, as Harvard holds the tiebreaker against the Raiders. Harvard closes out the regular season at home next weekend with Quinnipiac and Princeton. A Monday matchup against Boston College in the Beanpot Consolation at the TD Garden is up next for Harvard.