March 18, 2023
Crimson Out-Cornelled Cornell to Win 1-0 OT Semi
by Joshua Seguin/Staff Writer (@JoshSeguin24)
LAKE PLACID, N.Y. Harvard has a tendency and desire to play a run-and-gun, offensive style game. On Friday night against Cornell, however, when the tough got going and the trenches got clogged, the Crimson flourished anyway.
Finally, after regulation went scoreless in the nightcap of the ECAC semifinals, Alex Laferriere broke the deadlock four minutes, 28 seconds into the overtime to send the Crimson back to the ECAC Championship game with a 1-0 win.
“That was a really well-played game by both teams,” Harvard coach Ted Donato said. “What I think you saw tonight is two teams that know that defense wins this time of year. Both teams managed the puck well and I am proud of our guys because we knew it was going to be a battle tonight.”
Ultimately, this might be the reason Harvard has a chance to go far this year.
Harvard, which has won 11 league titles in its history, will look to add another to the mantle and its second consecutive. If it does, it would tie Cornell for most in ECAC history. The Crimson have never won consecutive Whitelaw Cups. It will face a Colgate team in the final that it split with during the regular season, losing in Hamilton and winning in OT at home.
Laferriere, an LA Kings draftee, has quietly been the Crimson’s best goal scorer this season with 21. He received a pass from Baker Shore in the low slot that really made the play. It just took one bounce, a split second of Cornell not being on its guard, and Harvard able to take advantage.
“That was a really exciting moment,” Laferriere said. “Joe (Miller) is a really good player who can find space. Everyone probably thought that Baker (Shore) was going to shoot that one, but he found me on the back door all alone and I was able to put it in.”
From the get-go Friday night, both Cornell and Harvard settled into a war of attrition. The teams both played extremely sound defensively, sound in the neutral zone, strong on the walls. Neither team gave an inch. In the first two periods, the teams combined for 18 shots. Cornell had Harvard playing the game it wanted to play, but despite being the talented group that the Crimson are, they proved they can play this way when they need to.
Henry Thrun, who returned to Harvard unexpectedly for a fourth year, leads a talented group of defensemen. Within the group are…
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