Box Score CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – First-year forward Nick Abruzzese matched his career high with four points (two goals, two assists), and sophomore defenseman Jack Rathbone scored with an extra skater on late in the third period to help No. 18 Harvard men's ice hockey (11-8-5, 9-4-4 ECAC Hockey) earn a 4-4 tie against Yale (10-12-2, 7-8-2 ECAC Hockey) at Bright-Landry Hockey Center.
Yale outshot Harvard 33-32 for the night, as senior goaltender Cameron Gornet made 29 saves in net, while his counterpart Corbin Kaczperski stopped 28 shots.
Harvard, which trailed 4-1 midway through the second period after a shorthanded goal by Yales Mitchell Smith at 10:32, got a key power play goal from Abruzzese to keep within striking distance heading into the third period. Rathbone found Abruzzese with a high low pass, and the first-year found the top corner from a tight angle at 10:55.
Then Harvard went to work late in the third period to even the score.
Abruzzese found the net on another one-timer from below the right circle off a feed from sophomore defenseman Marshall Rifai at 14:46 to make it 4-3.
Then, seconds after Gornet left the ice for an extra attacker, sophomore forward Casey Dornbach found Rathbone at the point, and the sophomore defenseman beat Kaczperski with a low slap shot at 18:39 to tie the game at 4-4.
Abruzzese nearly won it for Harvard midway through overtime on an odd man rush, but Kaczperski kicked out his right pad to make an incredible stop and preserve the tie game.
Yale scored twice in the first period on goals from Curis Hall (3:50) and Justin Person (PPG, 13:35), but sophomore forward Jack Drury scored at 19:50 with a great shot from the high slot to make it a one-goal game.
Yale pushed the lead to 4-1 on goals from Justin Pearson (:21) and Mitchell Smith (SHG, 10:32) in the second period, but Harvard was able to rally back to earn a key point in the league standings.
Game Notes
- First-year forward Nick Abruzzese (two goals, two assists) matched his career high for points in a game, and now has 20 points (seven goals, 13 assists) in his last 11 games. Abruzzese (13-22-35) is the nation's leading freshman scorer overall, and also with an average of 1.46 points per game.
- Abruzzese and Yale forward Justin Pearson shared the Tim Taylor Cup as most valuable players of the Harvard-Yale game played at Harvard.
- Sophomore defenseman Jack Rathbone (goal, two assists) matched his career high for points in a game, and is fifth among NCAA defensemen with 1.05 points per contest. Rathbone (5-17-22) matched his point total from last season.
- Sophomore forward Jack Drury (goal) recorded his team leading 16th goal of the season, and is tops among NCAA skaters with an average of .76 goals per game.
- Harvard's power play added another goal, finishing the night 1-for-3, and the Crimson has now scored at least one power play goal in 20 of 24 games this season.
