ITHACA, N.Y. – Harvard's Sean Farrell deposited his own rebound past Cornell goaltender
Ian Shane 1:11 into overtime to aid the No. 7-ranked Crimson to a 2-1 victory over Cornell in the latest installment of the bitter rivalry between the two Ivy League programs before a sold-out crowd of 4,267 at Lynah Rink on Friday night.
The victory for Harvard (8-1-1, 7-0-0 ECAC) snapped Cornell's four-game win streak.
Farrell and Matt Coronato each registered two-point nights for the visiting Crimson. Joe Miller scored the other goal for Harvard.
Mitchell Gibson made 22 saves between the pipes for Harvard, who has now won 14 of its last 16 ECAC regular-season games, dating back to last season.
Travis Mitchell scored the lone goal for Cornell with
Sean Donaldson and
Tim Rego being credited with assists. Shane made 21 saves in the defeat for the Big Red (6-5-0, 4-3-0 ECAC).
"It was a great hockey game. Give [Harvard] credit, we made a big mistake in 3-on-3 in overtime. Great save by Ian, the puck went way up in the air and landed in the crease right to the kid," said
Mike Schafer '86, the Jay R. Bloom '77 Head Coach of Men's Hockey. "We learned a lot about ourselves tonight. We had great scoring chances when it was 1-0 to make it 2-0, but we didn't capitalize and finish.
"Obviously, the guys are disappointed, we're disappointed, but we got to get right back at it tomorrow against Dartmouth."
How It Happened
Mitchell opened the scoring 2:14 into the first period when his shot from the point evaded traffic in front of Gibson, sending the Lynah Faithful into a frenzy early on.
Following a break in scoring for over 36 minutes, Harvard evened the game late in the second period when Miller picked up a rebound off a shot by Farrell.
Neither team was able to find the back of the net in the third period as both sides struggled to generate offense. Harvard outshot Cornell in the final 20 minutes of regulation, 5-1, which included a 15-6 ledger in shot attempts.
A turnover by Cornell in its offensive zone led to a Harvard breakaway attempt. Shane made the initial save on a shot by Farrell, but the rebound went high in the air and landed in the middle of the crease, leading to Farrell's game-winner.
Game Notes
• Friday marked the 160th all-time meeting between the Big Red and Crimson. Despite the setback in overtime, Cornell still controls the lead in the series, 79-68-13.
• Games between Cornell and Harvard have had a tendency in being close games and Friday lived up to expectation. The last four meetings between the two programs have been decided by one goal or less, including a pair of ties.
• Additionally, the last three meetings between the two programs at Lynah Rink have needed overtime, in which Cornell now has a 0-1-2 mark. Over the last three meetings in Ithaca, the teams have combined for just nine goals.
Looking Ahead
Cornell returns to the ice at Lynah Rink on Saturday when the Big Red hosts Dartmouth, another Ivy League rival. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. Game action will be broadcast on ESPN+, as well as WHCU (870 AM, 97.7 FM) with Jason Weinstein and Tony Eisenhut on the call.
