CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (11/12/05) - Harvard scored six straight goals then withstood a late rally to defeat No. 17 Colgate 6-4 on Saturday, Nov. 12, at Bright Hockey Center. The loss snaps the Raiders’ five-game winning streak and sets their record at 6-2-1 overall and 3-1-0 in the ECAC Hockey League this season. The Crimson improve to 3-2-0 both overall and in the league.
Colgate entered the third period down 5-1. Harvard tacked on its sixth goal of the night 7:14 into the final session. The Raiders rallied though, and scored three straight power-play goals within a span of 2:50. But that was as close as they would come, as the Crimson clamped down on defense in the waning minutes of the game.
Colgate opened the game’s scoring for the eighth time this season, and for the second time, sophomore Tyler Burton (Langley, B.C.) got the Raiders the 1-0 lead. Burton picked up the puck along the left boards, skated toward center as he entered the zone, and passed it to classmate Jesse Winchester (Long Sault, Ont.) at the right wing. Winchester gave it right back to him, and Burton fired from the low slot into the back of the net 5:47 into the game. It marked the sixth straight game in which Burton has scored a goal.
Harvard capitalized on its second power-play opportunity of the night with 16:06 left in the opening period. Tom Walsh shot from the high slot, then Ryan Maki picked up the rebound and tried to put it in. The second rebound came to the right side of the net and the stick of Paul Dufault, who stuffed it past Raider goalie Mark Dekanich (North Vancouver, B.C.).
Just over one minute later, Harvard took the lead. Charlie Johnson took a shot from along the middle of the left boards, and the rebound came out to Steve Mandes in the right faceoff circle. Mandes’ shot dribbled under Dekanich’s right pad and into the net. It marked the first time since Colgate’s 3-2 loss at Lake Superior State that the Raiders trailed in a game.
During the second period, Harvard took over. The Crimson scored its first of three goals 32 seconds into the session on the power play. Harvard added another power-play goal 14:22 into the period, which chased Dekanich from the net. He was replaced by sophomore Justin Kowalkoski (Young America, Minn.). Kowalkoski allowed the first ECAC Hockey League goal of his career with just under two minutes to play in the second period and finished the period with one save. Harvard entered the second intermission with a 5-1 lead.
Following Harvard’s sixth goal of the game, the Raiders scored three straight power-play goals to turn a seemingly insurmountable five-goal deficit into a manageable two-goal deficit. With 9:05 left in the game, Winchester stuffed the puck past Harvard goalie John Daigneau through traffic to make it 6-2.
Colgate earned a five-on-three power-play opportunity just over the midway point of the third period. Junior Mike Campaner (Thunder Bay, Ont.) held the puck behind the goal line to the left of the net. He passed it to junior Marc Fulton (Vancouver, B.C.) in the left face-off circle, and Fulton one-timed it for his fourth goal of the season.
Forty-five seconds late, the Raiders were still on a five-on-four power play. They got another goal off a one-timer, this time from senior Kyle Wilson (London, Ont.) who shot it from the middle of the right faceoff circle.
The Crimson outshot the Raiders 37-25 on the night. Dekanich left the game after making 21 saves, and Kowalkoski finished his relief duties with 11 stops. Daigneau came up with 21 saves in the Harvard win.
Colgate begins a six-game homestand on Friday, Nov. 18, when the Raiders host Rensselaer at 7:00 p.m. The Silver Puck Weekend celebration continues on Saturday when Colgate takes on Union at 4:00 p.m. Tickets for all Raider home games are available by calling the Colgate ticket office at (315) 228-7600.
