Harvard Crimson Rout Northeastern in Exhibition Opener
The Crimson outscored the Huskies 4-1 in a 4-1 exhibition loss, with Harvard dominating early possession and net play.
By Elena Perry ·
The Harvard University Crimson defeated the Northeastern Huskies 4-1 in an exhibition hockey match on Oct. 23. The Crimson, who hold an empty season record, outplayed the Huskies, who have won two of their first three games. Northeastern fell to 1-1 in Hockey East play while Harvard remained 0-0 in the Eastern College Athletic Conference.
Harvard controlled the opening minutes of the first period. The Crimson outshot the Huskies 10-1 in the first eight minutes. Junior goaltender Ben Charette was pulled for an extra skater during a delayed penalty, allowing the team to maintain pressure. Junior forward Will Hughes passed to sophomore defenseman Matthew Biotti, whose shot was deflected by Justin Solovey for the first goal.
The Crimson extended their lead shortly after. Senior forward Ben MacDonald recovered a rebound and passed to Heikki Ruohonen. Ruohonen faked a shot and moved the puck to Aidan Lane, who scored the second goal. Northeastern responded in the fourth minute of the period. Sophomore forward Jack Pechar received a pass from Giacomo Martino and scored through the five-hole of Charette.
The second period saw continued dominance by Harvard. The Crimson fired six shots in the first five minutes, compared to one from Northeastern. Freshman goaltender Rudy Guimond recorded four saves for Harvard during this stretch. After 15 minutes, William McDonough passed to Sean Keohane, who scored the third goal for the Crimson. Northeastern attempted six shots in the final minutes of the period but failed to score.
The third period shifted momentum toward the Huskies. Senior forward Tyler Fukakusa won faceoffs, and the team generated more offensive chances. Northeastern players took two penalties in 10 minutes. Sophomore goaltender Matt DellaRusso entered the game for his first start of the season. He made 12 saves as the Huskies attempted to close the gap.
Harvard sealed the victory in the 14th minute of the third period. Senior defenseman Matthew Morden passed through four Northeastern skaters to Mick Thompson. Thompson fired the puck into the goal for the fourth and final score. The Huskies recorded seven additional shots without success. Northeastern will play the Boston College Eagles on Oct. 30 and 31 at the Conte Forum.
