DURHAM, N.H. - Grayson Downing (Abbottsford, British Columbia) and Justin Agosta (East Meadow, N.Y.) both recorded multiple points, but the 20th-ranked University of New Hampshire men's hockey team was upended 6-3 by Harvard University in Tuesday night's non-conference game at the Whittemore Center.
UNH is now 7-7-1 overall while Harvard improved to 4-5-1 overall.
New Hampshire goalie Jeff Wyer (Reading, Mass.) made 15 saves while Harvard counterpart Raphael Girard recorded double-digit saves all three periods (13-10-10) to finish with 33.
Downing tallied a goal and an assist while Agosta finished with two assists. Dan Correale (Prince George, British Columbia) and Dalton Speelman (San Jose, Calif.) scored the other Wildcat goals.
The Crimson's attack was led by Kyle Criscuolo (two goals, one assist) and Patrick McNally (1g, 2a). Tommy O'Regan had a goal and an assist.
Following a scoreless first period, the teams combined to score five goals in the second stanza with the visitors holding a 3-2 lead. Harvard jumped out to a 1-0 lead at 3:36 when Tommy O'Regan collected Kevin Guiltinan's outlet pass near mid-ice on the left wing and sent a cross-ice pass to Luke Esposito. Esposito advanced through the right circle and flipped a backhander that eluded Wyer.
The visitors extended the advantage to two goals with a power-play tally at 9:23. From the left circle, Patrick McNally's centering pass was redirected into the upper-right corner by Kyle Criscuolo. Tyler Moy was also credited with an assist.
UNH battled back to level the score, 2-2, with goals at 15:59 and 17:28. Agosta snapped a diagonal pass through the neutral zone to Correale on the left side. Correale executed a toe drag to evade a defender in the circle and cut towards the slot, where he fired a wrist shot past Girard.
The Wildcats struck again 89 seconds later with a 4-on-4 goal when Downing rifled a shot from the slot into the upper-right corner. Kevin Goumas (Long Beach, N.Y.) and Agosta set up the tying goal.
Harvard regained the lead just 72 seconds later, however, on Kerfoot's goal at 18:40. Kerfoot advanced through the slot and shoveled a shot between Wyer's legs into the net.
UNH forged a 3-3 tie at 7:03 of the third period on Speelman's power-play goal. His initial shot at the right post was stopped by Girard, but he jammed in the rebound. Downing, with the pass from the slot, and Tyler Kelleher (Longmeadow, Mass.) were credited with assists.
Harvard scored goals 41 seconds apart to quickly build a 5-3 lead. Greg Gozzo initiated the scoring sequence on the game-winning goal on the left wing and centered a pass to the slot and McNally fired a shot wide right. Criscuolo gathered the puck behind the net and banked a shot off Wyer into the cage at 13:08. Then Luke Esposito, from the right corner, slipped a pass in front of the net and O'Regan redirected the puck into the net.
UNH pulled Wyer in favor on an extra skater at the start of a power play at 18:07 to gain a two-skater advantage, but McNally secured the victory when his shot from the defensive blue line went into the open net for a 6-3 advantage.
The Wildcats recorded a 13-5 shot advantage in the scoreless first period. One of the top scoring chances came at 12:30, when Kyle Smith (Lumberton, N.J.) carried the puck down the right wing and continued behind the net to the left corner, where he snapped a centering pass to the slot. Casey Thrush (Easton, Md.) blasted a low one-timer that Girard stopped with his leg pads. Two minutes later, Harvard generated a dangerous scoring opportunity. Criscuolo's wrister from the right circle went between Wyer's legs and deflected off the back of his left leg pad just wide of the far post. McNally corralled the loose puck and attempted to jam a shot inside the left post, but Wyer retreated into position for the save.
New Hampshire returns to action Nov. 29 (9:37 p.m. Eastern) at Colorado College. The teams face off again Nov. 30 (7:07 p.m. Eastern). The Wildcats' next home game is Dec. 7 (7 p.m.) against Boston College.