STORRS, Conn. –
Richard Gallant scored the lone goal for the Crimson in a 1–1 tie against the nationally ranked Huskies at Toscano Family Ice Forum on Halloween night.
Ben Charette made 36 saves in an outstanding performance on opening night as the Crimson turns its attention to Stonehill on Tuesday evening at Bright-Landry Hockey Center.
"Proud of the effort," head coach Ted Donato said after the season opener. "I thought the team battled throughout the game, and we had an excellent third period with contributions throughout the lineup and excellent goaltending."
Trailing 6–1 in shots to start the game, a Crimson power play helped Harvard find its rhythm in the opening minutes of the 2025-26 season. Both units had solid looks on the man advantage before UConn struck on a breakaway shortly after successfully killing the penalty.
Later in the period, the line of
Philip Tresca,
Casey Severo, and
Mick Thompson generated quality chances for the Crimson, as Thompson hit the post and a deflection from Severo went just wide past the UConn netminder.
Harvard finished the period trailing 11-10 in shots, with time remaining on another man advantage to start the middle frame.
Charette opened the second period with his second breakaway save of the night. Making multiple strong stops early, the sophomore finished the period with 12 saves helping keep Harvard in the game.
The top line produced another great look when Tresca poked a puck free for Thompson, who missed just wide on a breakaway. The score remained 1-0 after 40 minutes of play.
Harvard started the third with pace and began to control much of the action. Four minutes in, Gallant picked up a puck off the rush on the left dot and picked the corner for his first collegiate goal. Assisted by
Matthew Morden and
Heikki Ruohonen, Gallant's strike knotted the game at one heading into the home stretch.
Both teams generated multiple chances to take the lead but were unable to capitalize. Charette stood tall in the third, making several key stops to help force overtime.
Overtime solved nothing between the Crimson and the nationally ranked Huskies, as Harvard skated to a tie in its season opener. The Huskies won the shootout in the 10th round, 3-2, with Harvard's goals coming from
Marek Hejduk and
Mick Thompson.
"I thought it was a great effort against a top-10 team," senior captain
Joe Miller said after the game. "We got some big contributions from the young guys, and I'm excited to see where we go from here."
GAME NOTES
- Richard Gallant became the first rookie to score in his debut since Matt Coronato in 2021.
- Ben Charette tied a career high with 36 saves, matching a mark he set in a loss to Clarkson in December 2024.
- It marked the second time in three seasons that the Crimson has gone to a shootout on opening night. Two years ago, Harvard played an 18-round shootout on the road at Dartmouth.
NEXT UP
Harvard hosts Stonehill on Tuesday at 7 p.m. before beginning ECAC play over the weekend.
