Box Score (PDF)
 
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Hockey coaches have a tendency to shorten their team's bench in games where media timeouts chop up the rhythm of a game. But history has shown Cornell Men's Hockey head coach Mike Schafer doesn't do that — and that tactic paid off in spades in Saturday's game against #13/14 Harvard.
 
The Big Red continued to roll its lines even as it trailed late, and freshman fourth-line forward Jared Fiegl eventually scored his first collegiate goal with 3 minutes, 59 seconds remaining in the third period to help Cornell salvage a 3-3 tie at Bright-Landry Hockey Center.
 
Harvard (13-8-3, 9-6-3 ECAC Hockey) scored with 5:02 remaining in the third period to take the lead, setting the stage for the dramatic tying goal just 63 seconds later. Senior defenseman Joakim Ryan started the play with a cross-ice pass to send junior forward Teemu Tiitinen up the right wing. Tiitinen drove wide on his defender and unleashed a shot toward the far post. Crimson goalie Steve Michalek could only kick the rebound back up the slot, and Fiegl converted with a one-timed shot over the goalie's blocker.
 
The point earned momentarily moves Cornell (10-11-4, 8-8-2) up to sixth place in the league standings with four games remaining in the regular season — though 10 of the circuit's 12 teams are in action later Saturday night.
 
Senior forward Cole Bardreau and sophomore forward Jeff Kubiak scored the Big Red's other goals, and sophomore goaltender Mitch Gillam turned in a stellar 35-save performance against the Crimson's vaunted offense.
 
The teams played a scoreless first period in a fashion you would expect — Cornell holding most of the possession and Harvard creating a handful of quality scoring chances in transition. Gillam kept the Big Red in the game early.
 
Just 45 seconds into the game, Kyle Criscuolo had a few whacks at a rebound laying in the crease, but Gillam was strong with his right pad to keep the puck out. Gillam then kicked his left pad out to make a stop on Sean Malone's one-timer from the right circle at the 4:53 mark.
 
The period took a twist with 2:29 to play when Harvard's Jimmy Vesey was assessed a five-minute major penalty for boarding. Cornell took a minor penalty in retaliation to set up two minutes of four-on-four, and Gillam made a miraculous save in the aftermath to keep the game scoreless after 20 minutes. The Crimson's Alexander Kerfoot picked off a pass toward his own blue line and sped away on a breakaway. Ryan caught up to him and hindered his shot, which Gillam kicked away with his right pad. But the other Cornell defender in pursuit accidentally directed the puck back on net, with Gillam swinging his back leg around to make an unbelievable stop.
 
Early in the second period, as Cornell went on the ensuing power play, Bardreau gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at the 2:08 mark. He switched positions with Ryan to set up a one-timer from the top of the left circle, which he buried inside the far post with the assistance of traffic provided by a would-be shot-blocker and the towering Christian Hilbrich on the top of the crease.
 
But the rest of the middle stanza belonged to Harvard, which entered the night ranked 13th and 14th in the two major national college hockey polls. Kerfoot tied the game by flipping a shot from the slot over Gillam's left shoulder at the 8:17 mark, then Criscuolo gave the Crimson a 2-1 lead less than three minutes later on a jam play to Gillam's right. Harvard had 18 shots on goal in the second period.
 
Cornell regrouped in the third period and tied the game on Kubiak's first goal of the season with 12:29 to play. Freshman forward Dwyer Tschantz made a pass toward the slot from behind the net as he was coming out of the right corner. Sophomore forward Matt Buckles got a piece of it, but the puck slid by and on to the stick of Kubiak. He beat Michalek with a shot through the Harvard goalie's legs.
 
The Big Red enjoyed a surge in momentum for the next several minutes, but couldn't pull ahead. Then, Harvard countered on a neutral-zone turnover and Vesey gave the home side the lead with 5:02 to play on a shot from the left circle on a two-on-one. Gillam got a piece of it with his catching glove, but the puck fluttered into the netting inside the far post. Fiegl later tied it, and the teams couldn't solve each other's goalies further.
 
With just four games left in the regular season, Cornell returns home next weekend for a pair of games. The Big Red will play host to Rensselaer at 7 p.m. Friday in Pink At The Rink night. Cornell will then hold its Senior Night around the 7 p.m. Saturday against Union, with a post-game ceremony honoring the four-year careers of Bardreau, Madison Dias, Joel Lowry, Jacob MacDonald, John McCarron and Ryan.