It’s been a banner year for Harvard, except when the opponent is Ivy League rival Yale.
The Bulldogs beat the Crimson 4-1 at Madison Square Garden Saturday in the second Rivalry on Ice matchup between the teams. The four goals were the most Harvard has allowed this year, while the loss was only the Crimson’s second of the season – both defeats coming against Yale.
As for the Bulldogs, it was an encouraging result after Yale saw a 2-0 lead turn into a 3-2 loss Tuesday at Northeastern. Yale has a home-and-home series with Brown this weekend, and then heads to the North Country before back-to-back home series entering the season’s final month.
Mayor’s Cup goes to the Bears
Brown has struggled in virtually every facet of the game this season. But the Bears captured their first Mayor’s Cup since 2011-12 over cross-town rival Providence last weekend. The Friars won the first game 3-2 in overtime, but Brown took the second game 5-3 to win the cup based on goal differential.
It wasn’t easy, though. The Bears raced out to a 4-0 lead Saturday before Providence made it 4-3. But Matt Lorito scored at 13:43 in the third period to give Brown a cushion and the Mayor’s Cup. Sophomore Tyler Steel made 46 saves for the win, while the Bears chased Providence goalie Jon Gillies early in the second period.
Steel had a strong game in the series opener Friday as well, turning away 39 shots. But perhaps most encouraging for Brown was the top line of Matt Lorito, Mark Naclerio and Nick Lappin. The trio contributed two goals each night, and it would help the Bears tremendously down the stretch if they get going after a sluggish first half.
Colgate, Quinnipiac sweep
After being the subject of much of the preseason hype, Colgate is showing signs of putting together a strong second half. The Raiders won both games this weekend to extend their winning streak to four. They’ve given up three goals during that stretch, and sophomore Charlie Finn has a .933 save percentage on the year. It’s been a team effort, however, as Colgate hasn’t had a multi-goal scorer during any of the four games while holding its opponents below 30 shots each time.
At 10-2, Quinnipiac has a commanding six-point lead over second place Harvard. However, the Bobcats have played more league three games than the Crimson, and four more than the third-place Raiders.
With travel partner Princeton taking a break for exams, the Bobcats play a home-and-home series this weekend with Merrimack. QU has won seven of its last nine games dating to Nov. 29.
