CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – No. 7/9 Harvard (19-6-2, 16-4-0 ECAC Hockey) will conclude the 2022-23 regular season with North Country road contests at St. Lawrence (16-16-0, 11-9-0 ECAC Hockey) and Clarkson (14-14-4, 8-9-3 ECAC Hockey) this weekend. Harvard has clinched a first-round bye and home ice (top-4 seed) in the ECAC Hockey playoffs, which it has accomplished in six of the last seven seasons. Harvard has a chance to finish as high as second in the league standings, which would be its best ECAC Hockey showing since winning the Cleary Cup in 2016-17. It also has a chance to clinch its sixth 20-win season in the Ted Donato era.

WHAT TO KNOW 

• Harvard has a chance to win its 29th Ivy League title this weekend, and will be keeping an eye on Cornell's series at Brown and Yale. Harvard finished Ivy League play at 9-1-1 (24 points), while Cornell sits at 6-2-0 (19 points). Any other result than two regulation wins for the Big Red would give Harvard the Ivy League title.
• Sean Farrell has been on fire of late, with seven multiple point efforts in his last 11 games (9-14-23 in that span. Farrell (17-29-46) is the third Harvard forward in the last five seasons to top 40 points (Nick Abruzzese, 14-30-44 in 2019-20; Ryan Donato 26-17-43 in 2017-18). Farrell has a chance to become the third Harvard skater in the last 20 years to top 50 points (Jimmy Vesey, 32-26-58 in 2014-15; Dominic Moore, 24-27-51 in 2002-03). Farrell is second in the nation (to Adam Fantilli of Michigan) with 1.70 points per game, which would be the highest per/game scoring average by a Harvard player since Steve Martins '95 (1.88 points/game) in 1993-94.
• St. Lawrence with 16 wins, is enjoying its best season since 2016-17 and is position to earn a first-round bye as a top-4 seed in ECAC Hockey. The Saints are coming off a four-point weekend, including a 1-0 road win over No. 11 Cornell last Saturday in which goaltender Emil Zetterquist made 28 saves in a shutout win. Junior defenseman Luc Salem (10-15-25) leads the team in scoring. Clarkson has a 3-1-1 mark in its last five contests, and also took four points against No. 11 Cornell (W, 4-3) and Colgate (T, 3-3) last weekend. Sophomore forward Ayrton Martino leads the team in scoring with 35 points (9-26-35).
• Harvard has an NCAA-leading six overtime wins this season. Harvard is 6-1-2 overall in games that have progressed to 3-on-3 overtime. Harvard has picked up OT wins at RPI (W, 3-2 - Nov. 11), at Cornell (W, 2-1 - Dec. 2), at Princeton (W, 4-3 - Jan. 6), at Yale (W, 3-2 - Jan. 20), vs. Colgate (W, 5-4 - Jan. 27), and against Boston College (W, 4-3 - Feb. 6).
• Sophomore forward Matthew Coronato and junior forwards Sean Farrell and Alex Laferriere are Harvard's nominees for the Hobey Baker Award. Farrell leads Harvard in scoring with 46 points (17-29-46) and is second in the nation in points per game (1.70). Coronato leads the team with 19 goals, and has 32 points (19-13-32) on the year as Farrell's linemate, including 13 goals in his last 16 games. Laferriere is tied for second on the team in scoring with 32 points (14-18-32). Harvard has had four winners of college hockey's most prestigious award (T-2nd amongst all schools) - Jimmy Vesey (2016), Lane MacDonald (1989), Scott Fusco (1986), and Mark Fusco (1983).
• First-year forward Joe Miller has been excellent up front for Harvard, notching 23 points (13-10-23) in 27 games. He leads all ECAC Hockey first-years in goal scoring and is one of 12 first-years in the nation with 13 or more goals. Miller was named to the HCA Rookie of the Year Watch List in February.
• Starting goaltender Mitchell Gibson (13-5-2, 2.21 .920), one of the nation's best in net, was named one of nine semifinalists for the Mike Richter Award last week. He entered the year as one of the most experienced goaltenders in the nation and he currently has a career 42-23-6 mark in 72 games played, including a 2.32 GAA and .918 Save %.

UP NEXT

Harvard will await its opponent in a best-of-three ECAC Hockey Quarterfinal series to be played at Bright-Landry Hockey Center on March 10-12.