CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Kyle Criscuolo scored with less than three minutes to play in the third period to break a 4-4 tie and spark No. 13 Harvard to 7-4 triumph over Colgate in ECAC Hockey action Saturday at the Bright-Landry Hockey Center.
Criscuolo’s game-winning goal was first of three Crimson tallies over the remaining 2:47 of the contest. Insurance markers from Colin Blackwell and Jimmy Vesey in the final minute allowed Harvard to finally pull away from an upset-minded Colgate squad that battled back to tie the game on three occasions.
Harvard appeared to be in control early as Vesey and Luke Esposito scored less than three minutes apart midway through the opening frame to give the Crimson an early 2-0 lead.
Colgate battled back, using goals from Tylor Spink and Darcy Murphy to tie the game at 2-2 before the first intermission.
Seb Lloyd restored Harvard’s lead just 97 seconds into the second period, but Adam Dauda brought the Raiders level once again with a breakaway goal near the halfway mark of the contest to tie the game at 3-3.
The Crimson went ahead for the third time nine minutes into the third on a Tyler Moy tally, but Tylor Spink countered 38 seconds later to knot the game at 4-4, setting up Harvard’s late-game heroics.
Merrick Madsen made 26 saves between the pipes for Harvard. Bruce Racine finished with a career-high 27 saves for Colgate after replacing starter Charlie Finn in the first period.
Bottom Line
No. 13 Harvard 7, Colgate 4
Won-Lost Records
– No. 13 Harvard improved to 15-8-4 overall and 11-5-4 in ECAC action with the victory.
– Colgate moved to 8-22-2 and 4-14-2 with the setback
Key Raider Info
– Tyson Spink extended his team-leading point total to 31 with his assist on brother Tylor’s first-period strike. Spink took over the team lead in assists with 19 with the helper.
– Tylor Spink now has four goals in five games with his two-goal effort Saturday. The performance marked the fourth two-game of his career and the first since a two-tally evening at Quinnipiac on Feb. 22, 2014.
– Murphy tallied his seventh goal of the season with his first-period marker. Murphy is first among Colgate’s active players in career goals scored (47).
– Tim Harrison recorded two assists in a game for the first time in his career. Harrison finished with multiple points in a game for the fifth time in his career and third time this season.
– Peterson recorded his fourth point in five games with an assist on Murphy’s first-period goal. Peterson now has 12 points in his sophomore campaign (7g,5a).
– Racine established a new personal best for saves with his 27 stops against the Crimson.
Inside the Box Score
– Harvard out-shot Colgate, 41-30, for the contest. Harvard held the edge over the final two periods (10-7 & 17-9) after the two teams combined for 14 shots each during the first period.
– Harvard was 1-for-3 on the power play while Colgate was 0-for-3 with the man advantage.
– Vesey led all players with seven shot attempts while Willie Brooks paced Colgate with five.
– Colgate defensemen recorded assists on three of the Raiders four goals in the contest.
From the Source
Colgate Head Coach Don Vaughan
“I’m really proud of our effort tonight. I think that if we can gain anything from this tough loss, it’s that we can play with the best teams in the country.
“I can’t believe some of the bad luck we’ve had this season. That’s what it was tonight. It wasn’t anything other than that. The game-winning goal, we have a guy in the lane. He blocks the shot and it goes right to the guy in front of the net. It’s just bad luck.”
Up Next
– Colgate returns home Friday to host No. 17 RPI in a 7 p.m. contest in the second-to-last regular season contest at Starr Rink.
– Tickets are still available for the game. They can be purchased by calling 315-228-7600 or by visiting bleedcolgatemaroon.com.
– The game is also scheduled to air live on the Time Warner Cable Sports Network.
