CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – No. 15/15 Harvard men's ice hockey (21-10-3) clinched its 26th NCAA Tournament appearance by winning the Whitelaw Cup as 2022 ECAC Hockey Tournament champions on Saturday night in Lake Placid. Harvard defeated No. 1 seed Quinnipiac, 3-2, in overtime on first-year forward Matthew Coronato's goal at 9:18 of the extra period at Herb Brooks Arena. Junior goaltender Mitchell Gibson made 47 saves in the game. Harvard, the No. 4 seed, will take on No. 1/1 (and No. 1 seed) Minnesota State (35-5-0), the CCHA regular season and tournament champions in the first game of the Albany Regional on Thursday (March 24) at 12 p.m. on ESPNU. This is the first ever meeting between the two programs.
How to Follow
NCAA Tournament Albany Regional Semifinal
Thursday, March 24 - Noon (ET)
No. 4 seed Harvard vs. No. 1 seed Minnesota State: ESPNU | WatchESPN
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Game Notes
HARVARD IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Harvard returns to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time (2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022) in its last six completed seasons (discounting 2019-20 and 2020-21), and the seventh time under head coach Ted Donato (in 18 seasons since 2004-05). The Crimson made its longest run in the Donato era in 2016-17, when Harvard reached its 13th Frozen Four in program history, falling to eventual national champion Minnesota-Duluth, 2-1, on April 6, 2017 in Chicago. Harvard has made the NCAA Tournament 26 times, winning a national championship in 1989.
HOW HARVARD GOT HERE
While Harvard needed to win the Whitelaw Cup to make the 2022 NCAA Tournament, it started a run of excellent play in late January. Harvard is 12-2-2 since taking five of six league points on a road trip to Colgate and Cornell on Jan. 28-29, which included a five-game stretch (3-1-1) in which Harvard was without U.S. Olympians Nick Abruzzese and Sean Farrell. Dating back to Christmas, Harvard has the eighth-best record of all teams in the NCAA Tournament field 15-6-2 (.696). In the ECAC Hockey 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 in the final 3:42 of regulation before Jack Donato won it in OT. In the semifinal game against Clarkson, Harvard trailed 3-2 entering the third period, but Abruzzese tied the game at 4:23, and Coronato scored the game-winner at 15:06 in a 5-3 win over the Golden Knights. That set up Harvard's championship game win over Quinnipiac, with Coronato (OT game-winner) and Mitchell Gibson (47 saves) providing the heroics for Harvard.
SCOUTING MINNESOTA STATE
Minnesota State (15-0-0 in last 15 games) is one of the most complete teams in the NCAA Tournament and it starts in net with Hobey Baker Top 10 finalist Dryden McKay (35-4-0, 1.27 GAA, .934 Save%, nine shutouts). They have the No. 2 scoring offense in the nation (4.17 goals per game) featuring two of the NCAA's top point scorers in Nathan Smith (18-31-49) and Julian Napravnik (18-31-49), and top goal scorer Ryan Sandelin (21-12-33). Defensively, they are No. 2 in the country, allowing just 1.27 goals per contest.
HARVARD-MINNESOTA STATE CONNECTIONS
Minnesota State head coach Mike Hastings served as an assistant coach on the 2022 U.S. Olympic Team in Beijing, where he coached current Harvard forwards Nick Abruzzese and Sean Farrell, who were players on the same team. In addition, Minnesota State leading scorer Nathan Smith was on the same team. In addition, Harvard senior captain Casey Dornbach is Harvard's lone Minnesota native (Edina), and was teammates with Minnesota State senior defenseman Wyatt Aamodt on the Lincoln Stars of the USHL.
BALANCE KEYS HARVARD'S SUCCESS
Harvard has a potent offensive attack (3.32 goals per game (11th in NCAA entering weekend) and a solid defensive corps (2.29 goals allowed per game, 11th in NCAA entering weekend). Harvard has allowed more than 3 goals in a game just five times all season, while scoring 4 or more goals in a game on 14 occasions this season (14-0-0).
CORONATO, ABRUZZESE STEPPING UP
First-year forward Matthew Coronato has been on quite a surge of late, scoring two game winners during ECAC Hockey Championship weekend to help Harvard move on the NCAA Tournament. Coronato is 12-9-21 in his last 16 games leading all Harvard skaters in that span. He now leads the team with 18 goals and 35 points on the season and is second (to Sean Farrell) among all NCAA first years with 1.06 points per game.. Abruzzese has 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in his last eight games.
LAFERRIERE NAMED ECAC HOCKEY ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Sophomore Alex Laferriere was named ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Year on Monday. Laferriere was tied for first among all ECAC Hockey skaters with 12 goals in league play, and led all ECAC Hockey rookies with 21 points (12 goals, nine assists). One of Harvard's most consistent scorers this year, Laferriere is fourth on the team in scoring with 29 points (14 goals, 15 assists). Laferriere recorded a four-goal game in a 5-1 win over Colgate on Nov. 6, the first four-goal game by a Harvard player since Ryan Donato '19 scored four on Feb. 10, 2017.
JERSEY BOYS FORM DYNAMIC LINE
Harvard's second half success has been helped by Laferriere's line (Fr. LW Alex Gaffney-Jr. C John Farinacci-So. RW Alex Laferriere) – formed on Jan. 21. All three played on the same line for the New Jersey Colonials youth program for several years (Junior defenseman Ryan Siedem was also on the team) starting when they were all nine years old. Farinacci has 14 points (eight goals, six assists) in 18 games since the line came together, and Gaffney has 12 (four goals, eight assists) of his 14 points on the season in the same span. Laferriere has 15 points (six goals, nine assists) in those 18 games.
THRUN ON A RUN
Junior defenseman Henry Thrun, a finalist for ECACH Best Defensive Defenseman, is 2nd among Harvard skaters with 32 points (seven goals, 25 assists). He has been excellent of late, with 18 points (four goals, 14 assists) and a plus-15 rating in his last 17 games.
