CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Men's Hockey hits the road for its first ECAC road trip since Nov. 8 when it heads to the Capital District to take on RPI and Union. Picking six points last weekend the Crimson currently sits three points ahead of RPI and three points behind Union as a key weekend approaches. 
 
PUCK DROP

• Puck drop on Saturday is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. against RPI from the Houston Field House and an early 4:00 p.m. game on Saturday as the Crimson will play Union at Messa Rink for the final time. 
• The Engineers currently sit at 9-10-2 and 4-6-0 in conference play after winning three of their last four games including a win over No. 19 Clarkson 4-1. 
• Union is currently 12-8-1 and is posting a 6-4-0 conference record. Also, winners of three of their last four, Union split the weekend on the road with Clarkson and St. Lawrence.

LAST TIME OUT

• Harvard completed the sweep over Ivy rivals Yale and Brown last weekend after two 3-1 victories. 
• Matthew Morden, Marek Hejduk, and Kyle Aucoin all scored in the win against Brown while Ben Charette made 26 stops in the first game of the back-to-back. 
• Charette was named ECAC Rookie of the Week for his efforts. 
• On Saturday, Michael Callow and Casey Severo scored the first two Crimson goals while Phil Tresca added his first of the season for a big insurance marker in the third period. 
• Aku Koskenvuo won his second straight Tim Taylor Trophy after being named the MVP of the Harvard-Yale game. Stopping 21 of 22 shots, Koskenvuo has only allowed two goals in his last three games against the Bulldogs. 
• In a rare midweek game, Harvard fell to No. 2 Boston College 3-1 at Conte Forum on Tuesday. 
• Ryan Healey scored the lone goal for the Crimson on the power-play as the junior scored his first of the year. 

LOOKING BACK 

• The Crimson went 1-0-1 with a shootout win against RPI last season. Picking up a 6-3 win at home against the Engineers with Ryan Healey, Joe Miller, Michael Callow, and Casey Severo finding the back of the net. 
• Harvard came from behind in the third period to earn a 3-2 shootout win after Ryan Fine and Casey Severo scored in the third to push overtime. 
• Harvard has won 14 games over the last ten seasons against the Engineers and has yet to lose to RPI in the last five games. 
• Harvard lost in both meetings with the Garnett Chargers last season after falling in overtime at Bright-Landry and losing 6-2 on the road. 

CHEVY LANDS ON THE RICHTER WATCH LIST 

• Rookie netminder Ben Charette was named to the initial watch list for the 2025 Mike Richter Award as the nation's top goaltender, the Hockey Commissioners Association announced.
• Charette (2-3-1, 2.23 GAA, .926 SV%) made his debut against Notre Dame at the Friendship Four and would go on to make the next six starts for the Crimson. Charette would record his first career win the following day against Merrimack after making 31 saves in a 4-2 win to close the Friendship Four. 
• Adding his first career shutout against St. Lawrence on Dec. 7, the rookie netminder made 31 saves in a shootout win over the Saints. Charette is currently twentieth in the country in save percentage while he also leads the ECAC in save percentage. 
• One of only 15 first-year netminders in the country with at least seven starts, Charette ranks third in save percentage among rookies. Charette became one of three rookie netminders in the last 22 seasons to have 30+ saves in a shutout in program history.  

SCATTERED SCORING 

• Six different players scored over the weekend to help deliver the Crimson six much-needed ECAC conference points.

STELLAR GOALTENDING

• The combined goaltending tandem of Aku Koskenvuo and Ben Charette is currently posting the second-best save percentage with a .908%
• Tied with Princeton and Quinnipiac, Harvard only trails Brown as the conference leader.  

COACH CLEARY NIGHT

• Last weekend Harvard celebrated the legacy of Coach Cleary. 
• A true legend in the world of hockey, Bill Cleary has a long list of accomplishments as a player and coach at Harvard.
• Earning the 1983 Spencer Penrose Award as the top coach in collegiate hockey and the 1993 Hobey Baker Legend of Hockey Award, Cleary cemented his place in the U.S. Hockey, U.S. Olympic, IIHF, and Beanpot Halls of Fame. 
• As Harvard's head coach, he led the team to over 300 wins, four Beanpots, two ECAC tournament titles, 11 Ivy League Championships, and the 1989 NCAA championship, and is the namesake of the ECAC regular-season champion trophy. 
• A standout player, he set a then-NCAA record of 89 points in a season (1954-55), holds seven Harvard records, and was a two-sport letterman in hockey and baseball. His accolades include First Team All-American (1955), NCAA All-Tournament First Team (1955), and Beanpot MVP (1955). On the international stage, he won a silver medal at the 1956 Olympics, was named Best Forward at the 1959 World Championship, and earned Olympic gold in 1960.

100 CAREER GAMES

• Jack Bar skated in his 100^th career game against Merrimack at the Friendship Four. 
• Bar became just the 41^st defenseman in the last 44 seasons to play in 100 games. 
• A week later, Ian Moore skated in his 100^th career game becoming the 42^nd defenseman in the last 44 seasons to hit the milestone. 
• With three players set to hit 100 games in one season, it is the most for the Crimson since 2019.
• Zakary Karpa became the third Crimson skater to hit 100 games after hitting the milestone against Yale on January 11^th. 

SHOOTOUT SHUTOUT

• Ben Charette recorded his first career shutout against St. Lawrence in the last game before the holiday break.
• Stopping all 31 shots in regulation and overtime, Charette was perfect in the shootout to help deliver the Crimson much needed conference points. 
• Charette becomes the first Crimson rookie netminder to shutout an opponent at home since Mitchell Gibson in the 2020 season.  

SCALLY TRICK 

• Casey Severo recorded the first Crimson hat-trick since Nov. 6, 2021 when Alex Laferriere added four goals in a win against Colgate. 
• Severo and Laferriere are the only Crimson skaters to record hat-tricks in the last five years. 
• 1 of only 17 players in the nation with a hat-trick, Severo never had scored more than one in a game leading up to his first career hat-trick. 
• His first three or more point game since he added one goal and three assists against Northeastern in his rookie year. 

DEBUT BETWEEN THE PIPES

• Ben Charette made his debut last weekend at the Friendship Four after coming in for relief on Friday and getting his first career start on Saturday against Merrimack.
• Picking up his first career win over Merrimack on Saturday, Charette made 31 stops including 18 in the third period. 
• Charette becomes the first Crimson netminder to record 30+ saves and the win in his rookie debut since Mitchell Gibson made 31 stops in a 3-0 win over Princeton on Nov. 8, 2019. 
• Charette made 46 stops on 49 shots in five periods of play so far this season.  

THE  MILLER AND SEVERO CONNECTION 

• Joe Miller recorded three primary assists against Merrimack as Severo picked up his first career hat-trick. 
• Miller becomes the most recent Crimson to record three primary assists in a game, joining Sean Farrell who had three against Cornell on Jan. 28, 2023. 
• The duo also is the first pair of Crimson forwards to record three points each joining teammates Michael Callow and Cam Johnson who picked up three points each last season against RPI. 
• Miller becomes the first skater to assist on all three goals in a hat-trick effort since Marshall Rifai picked up three assists on Alex Laferriere's hat-trick on Nov. 6, 2021. 
• Miller also became the first Crimson skater to record three primary assists in a hat-trick effort in more than a decade. 

ECAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK 

• Casey Severo became the third Crimson skater this season to earn ECAC weekly honors after his hat-trick on Nov. 30 against Merrimack. Picking up four points in two games, Severo was the first Crimson forward to be recognized with ECAC weekly honors. 
• Mason Langenbrunner picked up the second consecutive weekly honor for the Crimson after being named ECAC Defender of the Week on Nov. 18. 
• With goals in back-to-back games against Colgate and Cornell, Langenbrunner became the first Crimson d-man to score goals in back-to-back games since Ryan Healey did against Brown and Yale last January. 
• Aku Koskenvuo earned ECAC Mac Goaltender of the Week on Nov. 11 after stopping 41 of 44 shots over the weekend against Princeton and Quinnipiac. 
• The Espoo, Finland native recorded his third career shutout and his first since the first round of the ECAC playoffs last season. 
• The shutout over the Bobcats was the first time they had been shut out on home ice since 2022. 

THE NEW KIDS

• Justin Solovey, Lucas St. Louis, and Mick Thompson have been great additions to the Crimson offense this season as the trio combined for 11 points over the first six games of the season. 
• All three rookies added their first career goals in the Princeton – Quinnipiac weekend.
• Harvard is the fifth youngest team in the country, with an average age of 21.3 as of Oct. 1

RANKED CRIMSON 

• For the first time since the beginning of last season, Harvard made its first appearance in the weekly national rankings on Nov. 11. 
• Picking up a win over No. 15 Quinnipiac, Harvard checked in at No. 20 on the week 7 USCHO poll while coming in at No. 19 on the USA Hockey Coaches poll.

A BUSY PRESEASON

• The Crimson began the preseason with games against the U.S. NTDP and No. 3 Boston University.
• Hosting the U.S. NTDP on Oct. 18, the Crimson fell behind 3-1 heading into the third period.
• Mick Thompson, Cameron Johnson, Kyle Aucoin, and Justin Solovey all scored in the third to give Harvard a 5-4 comeback win.
• First-years Mick Thompson, Lucas St. Louis, and Justin Solovey combined for five points in the third period; Thompson pulled Harvard within one, Solovey netted the game-winner, and St. Louis added three assists.
• The Crimson then skated to a 2-2 tie with the nationally ranked Terriers on Saturday.
• Harvard scored the first two goals after Justin Solovey netted a breakaway goal and Lucas St. Louis added a power-play marker.
• Aku Koskenvuo was solid in goal, making 31 saves against the Terriers.

LEADERSHIP GROUP

• Last season's captains Ian Moore and Zakary Karpa return, joined by Jack Bar in the leadership group.
• Seniors Karpa (92), Moore (96), and Bar (98) are all approaching 100 career games in a Crimson uniform.
•  Newport Beach, Calif. native Karpa added four goals and four assists in 31 games last season.
• Moore, a third-round selection by the Anaheim Ducks, netted a career-high three goals last season and added three goals and five assists in 21 games. Moore scored the overtime winner against Yale at Bright-Landry and the game-winning goal against Princeton in the first round of the ECAC playoffs.
• A native of Newmarket, Ont., Bar added one goal and five assists in 27 games while leading the team in blocked shots. 

PRESEASON POLL

• Harvard finished sixth in the ECAC Preseason Coaches Poll.
•  Cornell (120 points) finished in first with 10 first-place votes, while Quinnipiac (111 points) picked up two first-place votes to finish second.
•  Harvard (73 points) follows Cornell, Quinnipiac, Dartmouth (93 points), Clarkson (82 points), and Colgate (75 points) while ranking above St. Lawrence (66 points).

RETURNING TO THE CRIMSON

• The Crimson returns 99% of its goal scorers and 98% of its points from last season.
• The national leader in both categories, Harvard only lost one offensive senior.
• Harvard has the second-largest senior class (9) in the country, only behind Cornell (10).

UP FRONT

• Key offensive producers Joe Miller, Ben MacDonald, Cam Johnson, and Michael Callow all return for the Crimson.
• Miller finished last season with 13 goals and 14 assists, earning spots on the All-ECAC Third Team and All-Ivy First Team. He was named ECAC Forward of the Month in January.
• Rising sophomores Ryan Fine, Cam Johnson, Michael Callow, and Ben MacDonald combined for four of the top 10 points on the team.
•  Last year's freshman class was responsible for 24% of the total goals, with underclassmen accounting for 75% of total goals in the 2023-24 season.

ON THE BLUE LINE

• The Crimson returns a veteran D-corps in 2024-25.
• Highlighted by Ian Moore, Jack Bar, Ryan Healey, and Mason Langenbrunner, Harvard's top four have played in many key moments.
• Ryan Healey was one of the most productive defensemen in the country, finishing with nine goals and 13 assists in 29 games. He earned ECAC Defenseman of the Month in January and ranked fourth nationally among defensemen with six power-play goals.

BETWEEN THE PIPES

• Junior Aku Koskenvuo returns as Harvard's starting goalie this season.
• A native of Espoo, Finland, Koskenvuo posted a 2.95 GAA and a .910 save percentage last season, with key performances against Yale and Princeton.
•  Koskenvuo made 21 saves in a 1-0 win over Yale in January and 29 saves in an overtime win at Bright-Landry, earning the Tim Taylor Award as the MVP of the Harvard-Yale game.
• Koskenvuo followed that up with a 38-save shutout against Princeton in the ECAC playoffs.

CAREER CRIMSON

• Zakary Karpa (96) is on pace to play over 100 career games this season.
• Alex Gaffney and Jack Bar both hit the 100 game mark against Merrimack on Nov. 30, 2024. 
• Ian Moore hit the same milestone one week later against St. Lawrence. 
• With four seniors set to reach this milestone, it is the most since 2017-2018. 

THE 300 CLUB

• Ted Donato notched his 300th win against Yale on Jan. 13, 2024, making him one of only three coaches in Harvard hockey history to reach this milestone.
• Donato sits just 17 wins away from becoming Harvard men's hockey's all-time winningest coach.
• Donato is seventh in all-time wins among ECAC coaches and one of 15 active Division I coaches in the top 50 with over 300 wins. 

MATT GILROY JOINS THE STAFF

• A North Bellmore, N.Y. native, Gilroy played college hockey at Boston University, where he was a three-time All-American on defense.
• In 2009, Gilroy became the fifth player in history to win both the Hobey Baker Award and an NCAA championship in the same season.
• An undrafted free agent, Gilroy went on to play 225 NHL games, signing his first contract with the New York Rangers in 2009. He also played for the Lightning, Senators, and Panthers before spending five seasons in Europe.
• Gilroy served as an assistant coach with the U.S. NTDP for two seasons prior to joining Harvard.

FAMILY TIES

• Five Harvard Players have ties to family members that have played in the NHL.
  • Marek Hejduk - Father, Milan Hejduk
  • David Hejduk - Father, Milan Hejduk
  • Kyle Aucoin - Father, Adrian Aucoin
  • Zakary Karpa - Father, Dave Karpa
  • Mason Langenbrunner - Father, Jamie Langenbrunner
  • Lucas St. Louis – Father, Martin St. Louis 

NHL DRAFT PICKS

• For the second year in a row, Harvard is among the national leaders in NHL draft picks
• playing college hockey. Checking in No. 6 in the country, Harvard has 11 NHL draft picks currently on the roster.
  • Ryan Healey (MIN) 
  • Ian Moore (ANA)
  • Matthew Morden (UTA)
  •  Kyle Aucoin (DET)
  •  Jack Bar (DAL) 
  • Mason Langenbrunner (BOS)
  • Aku Koskenvuo (VAN), 
  • Ben MacDonald (SEA)
  • Joe Miller (TOR)
  •  Zakary Karpa (NYR)
  • Michael Callow (ANA)