Box Score

ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Cornell men's hockey team dropped a hard-fought 4-3 contest to Harvard on Friday night at Lynah Rink, falling to 12-11-3 overall on the season and 10-7-2 in ECAC Hockey play. The Crimson improved to 6-18-1 overall and 4-13-1 in league action.

Nick D'Agostino, Joe Devin and John Esposito each scored a goal for the Big Red, with Jordan Kary, Erik Axell, Tyler Roeszler, Dan Nicholls and Sean Collins each adding an assist. Mike Garman stopped 24 shots in taking the loss on the night. Cornell finished the evening scoreless in three power-play attempts.

For Harvard, Alex Killorn scored a pair of goals and Michael and Danny Biega each added one. Michael Biega and Chris Huxley also chipped in a pair of assists, with Danny Biega and Michael Del Mauro each adding one assist. Ryan Carroll made 27 saves in the winning effort, and Harvard finished the night 3-for-4 with the man advantage.

Cornell needed just 31 seconds to break into the scoring column, as the first shift of the game saw Nick D'Agostino rip a shot from the top of the circle to the right of Carroll that beat the senior netminder and set the Cornell crowd into a frenzy. Killorn quieted things down at the 7:28 mark of the period with his first goal of the night, a power-play goal, redirecting a pass from Huxley at the back post to knot the score at one.

The Crimson would add to the lead as Michael Biega scored with just under five minutes to play in the first period as Harvard took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission. Cornell would respond in the second though, as Joe Devin scored at the 8:55 mark, firing a one-timer past Carroll to tie the game at two. 

Harvard would again respond, though, this time with Killorn notching his second power-play goal of the night, controlling a loose puck at the top of the crease and lifting the puck over Garman to give the Crimson the 3-2 lead heading into the third period. 

Cornell again tied the score midway through the third, this time with Esposito finishing off a pass from Sean Collins, but the momentum gained by the equalizing goal immediately evaporated when the officials called a delay of game penalty on Cornell after several fish rained down on the ice surface following the goal. The Big Red killed off the ensuing power play for the Crimson - the only power play of the night the Big Red killed - but the shift in momentum was enough to turn the tide in favor of Harvard. 

Danny Biega then iced the game with his power-play tally at the 12:39 mark of the third period, taking a pass from his brother and ripping a one-timer from the faceoff dot to the right of Garman that would stand up as the game-winner.

Cornell returns to action on Saturday, taking on Dartmouth in a 7 p.m. contest at Lynah Rink. The Big Red enters the contest two points back of the Big Green in the chase for one of the four coveted first-round byes in the upcoming ECAC Hockey playoffs.