STORRS, CT – Zakary Karpa pulled the Crimson within one with just over 10:00 to play but it was ultimately too much as the Crimson (1-7-3, 1-4-3 ECAC)  fell to the Huskies. Karpa and Joe Miller added the tallies for Harvard and Aku Koskenvuo made 34 stops in a stellar effort between the pipes. Harvard is back in action next weekend at the Desert Hockey Classic in Tempe, AZ. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED 
 
The Crimson found themselves in a hole early after UConn scored in the first minute of play off a deflection. Originally going wide, the shot from the point caught a Husky stick and got past Koskenvuo from a strange angle for an early 1-0 deficit. 
 
Koskenvuo went on to make two incredible saves in the opening period to keep the Crimson in the game. Going post to post to keep the puck out in his best save of the night,  the Finnish netminder kept the game within reach throughout the opening period. Koskenvuo ended up making 17 stops in the first period. 
 
Coming out of the break the Crimson was awarded its first power-play opportunity after the Huskies were called for unsportsmanlike conduct. On the power-play, Ryan Healey found Joe Miller at the top of the circle who fired a rocket that beat Sergeev from a difficult angle. His fifth goal of the season and second goal in his last two games – Miller's power-play tally marks the first time this season he has scored in back-to-back games. Healey collected his team-leading eighth assist on the play while first-year Ben MacDonald picked up the secondary helper. 
 
The Huskies wasted no time answering the tying goal after Jake Black deflected yet another shot from the point to regain the one-goal lead. Three minutes later Jake Percival tapped home a cross-crease pass to give the Huskies a two-goal lead with just over ten minutes to play in the middle frame. 
 
Pushing in the third, Zak Karpa got a piece of a Husky pass that sprung him on a partial breakaway. Able to get separation from the UConn defender, Karpa went five-hole on the backhand to pull Harvard within one. 
 
The Crimson got a couple of great chances on a late third-period power-play but was unable to find the equalizer on the man advantage. The Crimson pulled the goalie with just under a minute to play and had started to generate some pressure with a couple of great looks that were swallowed up by the Husky netminder. UConn eventually scored on the empty net with time expiring in the third period. 
 
NEXT UP
The Crimson head to Tempe, AZ to play the nationally ranked Sun Devils in the first game of the Desert Hockey Classic next Friday.