CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Harvard men's hockey opens the 2026-27 season with a home-and-home series with intrastate rival Massachusetts on Thursday and Friday. The Crimson kick off the Rob Rassey era at home in game one at 7 p.m. at the Bright-Landry Hockey Center with game two of the week at 7 p.m. at the Mullins Center in Amherst. Thursday's opener marks the 12th all-time match-up between the two teams. Harvard leads the series 6-4-1, including a 5-1-0 mark in Cambridge. The first match-up, a 9-3 Crimson win, between Harvard and Massachusetts was on January 27, 1913. Both games will air on ESPN+ with Eric Gallanty (play-by-play), Luis Sanchez (color commentator) and Jess Todd (reporter) on the call Thursday night.

Watch: Thursday (ESPN+) | Friday (ESPN+)
Live Stats: Thursday | Friday
Tickets: Thursday
Game Notes: Harvard | Massachusetts
 
ABOUT THE CRIMSON
» Harvard returns 17 letterwinners, including junior Ben Charette, who started all 34 games in net last season. The Crimson went 16-16-2 overall and 11-10-1 in the ECAC with Charette sporting a 2.72 goals against average and .910 save percentage.
» Harvard reached last year's ECAC Hockey Quarterfinals following a home win over St. Lawrence.  The Crimson pushed No. 9 Cornell on the road to three games before falling in the deciding game.
» Junior Mick Thompson (9 goals) is Harvard's top returning scorer after tying for the team lead last season, while also leading the squad in assists at 18. Sophomore Richard Gallant tied for third on the team in scoring with eight goals in his rookie campaign.
» Harvard's penalty kill ranked third in the ECAC at 87.0 percent. The Crimson return seven players from last year's blue line, including senior Matthew Morden, who contributed 20 points on four goals and 16 assists.
 
A NEW ERA
» Rob Rassey was named the Robert D. Ziff '88 Head Coach for Harvard Men's Hockey on June 23, 2026.
» The 12th head coach in program history, Rassey returns to Cambridge from Ann Arbor, where he served as associate head coach at Michigan. In the last four years, he helped guide the Wolverines to two Big Ten Championships and three Frozen Four appearances.
» An assistant for the Crimson from 2013-19, Rassey helped Harvard to four NCAA Tournaments, two ECAC titles in 2015 and 2017, and a trip to the 2017 Frozen Four. Harvard was ranked in the top 15 in five of his six seasons, getting as high as No. 3 during 2016-17.

EXHIBITION RECAP
» Four players scored in a 4-1 exhibition win for over Northeastern on Friday night. The Crimson took the ice for the first time under the direction of Rob Rassey.
» Harvard dominated the first, nine shots to five and built a 2-0 lead on goals by Justin Solovey and Aidan Lane just two minutes and 10 seconds apart. The Huskies did get on the board before the end of the first, but did not score again; getting outshot 30-19.

LEADING THE CRIMSON
» Senior Michael Callow and Matthew Morden were presented with the captain's 'C' on their sweaters at last year's post-season banquet at the Harvard Club of Boston.
» Callow and Morden follow graduated teammates Mason Langenbrunner and Joe Miller, becoming the 142nd and 143rd captains in program history.
» Morden had a career season on the blue line, recording 20 points—shattering his previous career-best of six. He scored four goals and added 16 assists on his way to being named to the All-ECAC Third Team and All-Ivy First Team.
» Callow, a native of South Boston, was limited to just 16 games last season but returned to the lineup in early February. Down the stretch, he recorded points in seven of the final eight games, including three points in four playoff games.
 
HARVARD IN GAME ONE
» All-time, Harvard men's hockey is 83-35-7 all-time in season openers.
» The Crimson have tied each of its last three season openers and is unbeaten in season openers since 2019. Harvard's longest win streak on opening day was 18 games from 1922-39.
» In last season's season opener, the Crimson followed up a 4-2 exhibition win at Northeastern with a 1-1 tie and shootout loss at Connecticut.