Crimson cruise at home
Harvard received goals from three different players and senior goaltender Merrick Madsen recorded his third shutout of the season as the Crimson blanked RPI, 3-0, in front of 2,006 chilled fans at Bright-Landry Hockey Center last night.
Madsen posted 32 saves in registering the 10th shutout of his career, moving him to No. 2 all-time behind Dov Grumet-Morris (11) on the school’s list. It was also career win No. 50 for Madsen, who vaulted into sole possession of third place on Harvard’s all-time list.
“Since coming back from break, I wanted to find that groove that we had at the end of last year. A lot of it is just mental, working hard in practice because that will carry over to the games,’’ said Madsen. “(Last night) I would say the big thing for me was their power play. They had us running around a bit but the defense played well and we also blocked a lot of shots.’’
The Harvard players could have been forgiven if they had marched into the wrong locker room considering that the game was their first at Bright-Landry Hockey Center in two months, dating to a 3-0 shutout victory over Brown on Nov. 4.
Nonetheless, Harvard (6-6-1, 5-3-0 ECAC) looked right at home, where it is now 20-1-3 since 2015, holding a wide territorial advantage in the first period and opened a 2-0 lead after the frame.
“I think our guys we’re excited to get back to playing in the comfortable confines of Bright-Landry,’’ said Harvard coach Ted Donato. “I don’t think the game had the same kind of energy, offensive chances and up-and-down play that we’re accustomed to playing in but, in general, I thought we did a pretty good job of limiting their opportunities. Sometimes, too, recognizing what type of play you’re getting from your goaltender is important and he played well.’’
Junior center Ryan Donato set the tone when he took a pass from Lewis Zerter-Gossage and snapped home a wrist shot from the mid-slot amid a maze of players. The goal was the team-high 13th for Donato, the National Player of the Month in college hockey as he extended his points streak to 13 games (13-8-21).
“Absolutely, that’s one thing you don’t want to change. You want to stay superstitious,’’ Ryan Donato said about not willing to alter any pregame ritual. “It helps when you have good linemates, too, like Lewis and Henry (Bowlby).”
RPI (3-14-3, 2-6-1) came close to knotting the score at the 13:30 mark when speedy right winger Patrick Polino rifled a shot that glanced off Madsen’s glove and pinged the crossbar. Madsen looked sharp in making 11 first-period stops on shots from a variety of angles.
Harvard increased its margin at 16:28 on a conversion in front by sophomore Ty Pelton-Byce, who swept in a backhand of an attempt by freshman Jack Badini.
Harvard padded its lead in the middle frame when Badini fired a shot over the glove of Engineers goaltender Linden Marshall (39 saves) at 1:52.
The Badini lamp-lighter proved valuable as RPI tilted the ice a tad while outshooting the Crimson, 14-13, in the second.
There was no scoring in the uneventful third period.