CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – After an opening weekend sweep of Dartmouth (W, 5-2) and Princeton (W, 4-2), No. 15/15 Harvard men's ice hockey (2-0-0, 2-0-0 ECACH) hosts Brown (1-1-0, 1-1-0 ECACH) and Yale (1-1-0, 1-1-0 ECACH) at Bright-Landry Hockey Center this weekend. On opening night against the Big Green, junior forward Alex Laferriere, the ECACH Forward of the Week, matched a career high with four points (two goals, two assist) to key a Harvard comeback from an early 2-0 deficit. On Saturday, it was sophomore Matthew Coronato's two third period goals that helped Harvard rally from a 2-1 third period deficit against the Tigers. Brown and Yale opened the season with a home-and-home series against each other, with Yale winning on Friday night (W, 2-0) in New Haven, and Brown earning the victory (W, 2-1) on Saturday in Providence.

WHAT TO KNOW

• Harvard is 11-2-1 in its last 14 games against Brown, but the Bears earned the victory (2-0) the last time the two teams met on Dec. 3, 2021. In that contest, goaltender Mathieu Caron made 34 saves to earn the shutout win. Caron returns as Brown's primary starter, and senior defenseman Luke Krys will lead the backend. Brown lost its top 3 scorers from a season ago. Harvard is unbeaten in its last seven games (5-0-2) against Yale, winning both games in the series last season. Yale returns its top four scorers from a season ago led by Ian Carpentier (8-5-13). Junior Nathan Reid, who started 17 games in net last year, is also back.
• Named for legendary Yale coach and former Harvard captain Tim Taylor '63, the Tim Taylor Award is given to the most outstanding player of the Harvard-Yale game played at Bright-Landry Hockey Center. Taylor captained the 1963 Harvard squad that won the ECAC Championship and served as Yale head coach from 1978 to 2006. He also was head coach of the 1994 U.S. Olympic men's hockey team.
• Harvard returned to the NCAA Tournament for the 5th time (2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022) in its last six completed seasons in 2021-22, and the 7th time under Ted Donato (in 18 seasons since 2004-05). The Crimson reached 20 wins for the 5th time in the Ted Donato era, and it was one of the hottest teams in the nation over the second half. Harvard went 12-3-2 over its final 17 games before the NCAA Tournament, which included a five-game stretch (3-1-1) in which Harvard was without U.S. Olympians Nick Abruzzese and Sean Farrell. In the ECACH Tournament, Harvard defeated RPI in the quarterfinal round in three games, including a Game 1 victory in which the Crimson scored three 6-on-5 goals. Harvard defeated No. 6/6 Quinnipiac, 3-2, in overtime of the championship game in Lake Placid to clinch an NCAA bid before falling to No. 1/1 Minnesota State, 4-3, in the Albany Regional.
• Harvard returns 74% of its point production from 2021-22 (10th in college hockey), a group headlined by senior captain and 2nd Team AHCA All-American defenseman Henry Thrun (seven goals, 25 assists) and sophomore forward Matthew Coronato (18 goals, 18 assists). ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Year Alex Laferriere (14 goals, 17 assists) is back for his junior campaign, and junior forward Sean Farrell (10 goals, 18 assists in 24 games) also returns, as does senior captain John Farinacci (10 goals, nine assists). In net, senior goaltender Mitchell Gibson (29 career wins, fourth most among all returning NCAA goaltenders) is back.
• Harvard was the youngest team in college hockey in 2021-22, and will be the fourth youngest team in the nation entering 2022-23 (average age 21.0 as of Oct. 1). However, the Crimson returns the fourth-most points (240) of any team in the nation, and sixth-most goals (85) of any team in the country.
• Seniors John Farinacci, Baker Shore, and Henry Thrun were elected by their teammates as the 134th, 135th, and 136th captains in the 124-year history of Harvard men's hockey. Farinacci, a standout on the 2020 gold-medal winning U.S. World Junior Team and at Harvard, has 39 points (18 goals, 21 assists) in 59 games over two seasons in Cambridge. Shore has been a steady presence at center for the Crimson (.513 career faceoff percentage), and is one of two seniors on the team that have played three years of college hockey (began careers in 2018-19) along with Wyllum Deveaux. Thrun, one of 10 returning All-Americans in college hockey, has 53 points (10 goals, 43 assists) and a plus-29 rating in 66 career games.
• Senior defenseman Henry Thrun became the 11th blue-liner in program history to earn All-America honors, as he was named a Second Team AHCA All-American after totaling a 7-25-32 line with a plus-12 rating. A skilled two-way defenseman, Thrun has the ninth most assists (43) among all returning defensemen in college hockey and the 12th-most points (53).
• Harvard had a potent offensive attack (3.31 goals per game (11th in NCAA) and a solid defensive corps (2.34 goals allowed per game, 14th in NCAA). Harvard allowed more than 3 goals in a game just six times all season, while scoring 4 or more goals in a game on 14 occasions (14-0-0).
• Harvard was picked to finish second in ECAC Hockey by the league coaches, four of which tabbed Harvard to win the league. In addition, senior defenseman Henry Thrun, junior forward Alex Laferriere, and sophomore forward Matthew Coronato were named to the Preseason All-ECAC Hockey Team, with the Crimson the only team with three selections.
• Senior goaltender Mitchell Gibson is one of the most experienced returning goaltenders in the nation, with a career 29-18-4 mark in 53 games played, including a 2.35 GAA and .917 Save %. Gibson was at the heart of Harvard's late season run in 2021-22, including a 47-save performance in the ECACH title game against Quinnipiac.
• Harvard leads all teams in college hockey with 15 NHL Draft Picks on its roster. This marks the most picks that Harvard has had on one roster in the Ted Donato era (2004-present).

UP NEXT

Harvard will play its first road contests of the season when it heads to Rensselaer (Nov. 11) and Union (Nov. 12) next weekend. Both games will start at 7 p.m. and will air on ESPN+.