In a thrilling game at Bright-Landry, the No. 19/15 men’s ice hockey team tied Princeton in their season opener. The Harvard team showed great resilience, with goals from Joe Miller, Marek Hejduk, and Ryan Fine, who scored his first career goal. Aku Koskenvuo, the Finnish netminder, had an outstanding performance, making a career-high 39 saves.
The game started with an early goal from Princeton’s Josh Karnish, but Harvard quickly responded with Ryan Fine’s first career goal. Assisted by Ben MacDonald, Fine’s shot deflected into the net, leveling the score. Joe Miller then scored his first goal of the season, giving Harvard the lead. This was also the team’s first power play goal of the season.
Princeton started the third period strong, scoring another early goal to regain the lead. However, Harvard fought back with goals from Cam Johnson and Marek Hejduk, tying the game once again. The third period was filled with excitement, as both teams exchanged goals. Joe Miller scored his second goal of the game to tie the score at four. Aku Koskenvuo made crucial saves in the final minutes of the third period, sending the game into overtime.
Despite their efforts, Harvard fell short in the shootout, with Marek Hejduk scoring the team’s only goal. The final score was 2-1 in favor of Princeton.
The Harvard men’s ice hockey team will be back in action tomorrow against Quinnipiac at 7:00 p.m.
Players mentioned in the game include Ryan Healey, Marek Hejduk, Aku Koskenvuo, Joe Miller, Ryan Fine, Cam Johnson, and Ben MacDonald.