AMHERST, Mass. – A third-period comeback from the No. 20 Minutemen handed the Crimson (2-3-1, 2-2-1 ECAC) its first non-conference loss of the season on Friday night in Amherst. Leading 2-1 heading into the final period, UMass scored four goals in the third to pull away and secure the win. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED 
Aku Koskenvuo was stellar in the opening period as the Crimson was outshot 12-1 in the first ten minutes of the game. Making multiple glove stops, it was the first time this season the Crimson had been outshot in the first period. 
 
The fourth line gave the Crimson its best chance of the opening period after generating some zone time. Eventually leading to a stretch pass to Ben MacDonald, the Crimson just missed a breakaway late in the period. 
 
Settling down near the end of the period, Ben MacDonald and Joe Miller both had good looks but couldn't beat Hrabal. 
 
Koskenvuo stopped all 16 shots he faced in the first period – the most in any opening period this season from the junior. 
 
The Crimson came out looking like a different team in the opening minutes of the second period. Getting multiple odd-man rushes, Mick Thompson and Joe Miller both just missed tying the game as Harvard controlled much of the first ten minutes of the second period. 
 
However, in its lone chance in the opening minutes, UMass scored after getting a couple of cracks at it in the crease to take a 1-0 lead. The Crimson was assessed a bench minor after the goal which led to another successful Crimson kill. 
 
Despite the deficit, Harvard continued to control much of the play in the second leading to two quick Crimson goals. Hrabal misplayed a bounce off the back wall which gave Marek Hejduk a wide-open net to tie the game. Hejduk has two goals in his last three games. 
 
20 seconds later Lucas St. Louis found Mick Thompson in the slot who just got enough to beat Hrabal and give the Crimson its first lead of the night. Thompson's second goal of the season was the fastest two goals the Crimson has scored all season. 
 
Harvard was trailing 16-3 in shots at the end of the first period but ended up leading 25-24 in shots after the second period. 
 
UMass started the third period with a goal off a deflection to tie the game. Shortly after the Minutemen tied the game, Ben MacDonald took a penalty which led to another goal to give UMass a 3-2 lead with 14:00 left in the final period. 
 
UMass would add two more goals to go up 5-2 before Joe Miller scored in the dying seconds to make it 5-3. 
 
NEXT UP 
Harvard travels to Belfast, Northern Ireland for two games next weekend.