Box Score Senior goaltender Merrick Madsen made 21 saves against Cornell.
ITHACA, N.Y. – In the 151st meeting between Harvard and Cornell on the ice, No. 5/5 men's ice hockey (2-3-0, 2-3-0 ECAC Hockey) fell 3-2 to the Big Red at Lynah Rink on Saturday night (Nov. 11).
Cornell's Alec McCrea scored a power play goal with 2.3 seconds remaining in regulation to lift the Big Red (6-0-0, 4-0-0 ECAC Hockey) to the win.
In a game fitting for the rivalry, Harvard controlled possession and chances for long stretches of the game, and jumped out to an early 2-0 lead.
Freshman forward Henry Bowlby helped Harvard take the early lead on a great play set up by his line mates. Junior forward Ryan Donato intercepted a breakout pass and fed junior Lewis Zerter-Gossage for a 2-on-0 chance. Zerter-Gossage fed cross-ice to Bowlby, who found the open net to put Harvard up 1-0.
The Crimson continued its dream start later in the period as sophomore Ty Pelton-Byce pounced on a rebound off an initial shot from Nathan Krusko, stuffing one past Cornell goaltender Matthew Galajda to make it 2-0.
With Cornell on the power play late in the first period, the Big Red converted after a series of blocked shots and Madsen saves. Yanni Kaldis came off the bench and fired a slap shot in from the high slot to cut the Crimson lead to 2-1 at 19:16 of the 1st period.
Cornell tied the game on its first shot of the second period as Jeff Malott scored on a partial breakaway to tie it 1:15.
Harvard Highlights:
- Donato (assist) has points in four straight games to open the season. He leads the team with seven points (three goals, four assists) on the year.
- Ty Pelton-Byce scored his first goal of the season – seven different Harvard players have scored through five games this season.
- Senior goaltender Merrick Madsen made 21 saves in net for the Crimson.
Game Notes:
- The Crimson power play was held off the scoresheet for the first time this season.
- Harvard's six game unbeaten streak against the Big Red came to an end. The Crimson is now 4-1-2 against Cornell in its last seven games
What's Next:
Harvard heads to Minnesota next weekend for a two-game series against the Gophers.
