Cornell men’s hockey defeated Harvard 4-0 before a sold-out crowd at Lynah Rink on March 14, forcing a decisive third game in their ECAC Hockey quarterfinal series.
The win was led by Jake Kraft, who scored twice, and freshman goaltender Alexis Cournoyer, who recorded his first collegiate shutout with 16 saves. The victory means the third-seeded Big Red (21-9-1) and sixth-seeded Crimson (16-15-2) will play again on Sunday for a spot in the conference semifinals.
Kraft’s linemates Ryan Walsh and Caton Ryan each contributed two assists, as did Charlie Major. Cornell outshot Harvard 32-16, while Crimson goaltender Ben Charette made 28 saves. Nick DeSantis opened the scoring for Cornell early in the first period, followed by Kraft’s first goal less than three minutes later. Kraft added another goal in the second period, and Hoyt Stanley scored on a power play late in regulation.
The win improved Cornell’s all-time record against Harvard to 86-72-14 and marked their seventh win in the last nine meetings. In postseason games against Harvard at Lynah Rink, Cornell now holds a record of 10-1-1. This is the eleventh time since 1983 that Cornell will play a winner-take-all quarterfinal game under the current format.
Freshman Caton Ryan increased his season point total to 29, making him only the fifth Cornell freshman in forty years to reach that mark. Xavier Veilleux tied several program records for assists by a freshman defenseman with his nineteenth assist of the season. Cournoyer became just the second Cornell goalie to shut out Harvard in postseason play.
Cornell will face Harvard again on Sunday at Lynah Rink for Game 3. The winner advances to meet Princeton in Lake Placid for the ECAC Hockey Championship semifinals.
