BOSTON - Playing in its first non-conference home game of the season, the Boston University men's ice hockey team fell, 2-1, in overtime to No. 18 Harvard on Tuesday evening at Agganis Arena. Senior Pete MacArthur netted the lone goal for the Terriers, who doubled up the Crimson in shots, 40-20.
Sophomore Doug Rogers tallied the game winner 3:52 into overtime and classmate Kyle Richter made 39 saves in goal to lower his nation-leading goals against average to 0.99 and help the Crimson improve to 5-2-0 on the year. The Terriers fell to 3-7-2 with the loss.
The Terriers used the MacArthur goal to take a 1-0 lead less than nine minutes into the game and held onto the lead for more than period before the Crimson knotted things up at the 11:51 mark of the second. However, Richter stopped the final 33 shots he faced, allowing for Rogers late heroics.
Senior Karson Gillespie had an 18-save performance for BU. The Terriers went 1-of-4 on the power play, while Harvard came up empty on all six of its power-play chances.
For the seventh time this season, BU got on the board before its opponent. The Terriers took full advantage of the first penalty of the evening - a boarding call at 7:40 of the first on Harvard senior David MacDonald.
With the power play set up in the Crimson end, sophomore Brian Strait sent a pass from the left point along the top of the zone to freshman Kevin Shattenkirk on the right side. Shattenkirk made a short pass to MacArthur, who was positioned at the top of the right circle. The senior blasted a shot that Richter got a large piece of before the puck snuck by him and trickled past the goal line.
The goal was part of a dominant first period by the Terriers during which they outshot the visitors, 16-4.
The second period was much more even, but five Terriers were sent to the penalty box during the stanza. The penalty kill was up to the task, but the Crimson ended up taking advantage of a BU turnover at even-strength to knot the game.
With the Terriers moving forward in transition along the left boards, Harvard's Jack Christian corralled a loose puck and quickly sent it up-ice to senior Jon Pelle. Following a nifty move to get ahead of the BU defense, Pelle drew Gillespie out of the cage and lifted the puck over the goaltender's left leg with 8:09 left in the middle period.
BU held a 12-4 advantage in shots in the third period, but each defense made sure that the game would have to be decided in overtime.
The Terriers recorded the first two shots on goal in overtime, but Harvard converted on what would be its only shot of the extra session.
In the BU zone, a faceoff win by Harvard sophomore Alex Biega led to an awkward bounce behind the net. Rogers got a quick step to the puck and reached the right crease before Gillespie could close it off, sneaking the puck to the back of the net to end the game.
The Terriers, who are now 1-3-0 at home this season, will return to action on Saturday (Nov. 24) for one of their most anticipated contests of the season when they take on old rival Cornell at Madison Square Garden. The sold-out game, which will be broadcast live on CSTV, will begin at 8 p.m.