Cahill Nets Two as Yale Topples Harvard 5-1
Feb. 16, 2007
New Haven, Conn. - Chris Cahill had two goals and an assist and Alec Richards stopped 28 of 29 shots as the Yale men's hockey team defeated Harvard 5-1 before a sold-out crowd of 3,486 at Ingalls Rink. The win, Yale's second over the Crimson this season, completed the Bulldogs' first sweep over their historic rival since the 1997-98 season.
Yale (10-13-3, 7-11-1 ECACHL) won 5-2 when the two teams met earlier this year in Cambridge. Harvard (10-15-1, 8-10-1 ECACHL) entered Ingalls with a four-game league unbeaten streak and a 6-2-1 record in its last nine ECACHL games, but the Bulldogs proved too explosive for the streaking Crimson.
Yale outshot Harvard 32-29 and converted two of seven power play chances en route to the victory. The two teams combined for 74 penalty minutes, including three Bulldog misconducts, which at times slowed the pace of play.
Harvard got on the board first only 5:59 into the opening period when Jimmy Fraser (4th) received a pass from Steve Mandes coming across the blueline. Fraser made a quick move around a Yale defenseman and tucked it underneath Alec Richards' left pad.
Harvard would never score again.
The Elis took control of the game in the second period and never looked back. Yale scored four goals in just 9:13 to take a commanding 4-1 lead going into the final frame.
The Bulldogs tied the game 9:42 into the second period on the power play when Sean Backman took a slapshot from the top of the left circle. Brad Mills picked up the rebound and fired it off the post, before a streaking Chris Cahill (5th) batted the loose puck into the back of the net. It was Cahill's sixth point in the last five games.
Yale went up 2-1 when Cahill, falling to the ice, tied up the Harvard center on an offensive zone faceoff, allowing Mark Arcobello (10th) to swoop in and fire a quick snapshot over Richter's right shoulder.
Will Engasser (7th) made it 3-1 less than two minutes later on the power play when Robert Page batted a failed Harvard clear into open ice. Engasser picked up the puck and lifted it high over Richter's shoulder.
Jean-François Boucher (3rd) gave Yale's its fourth tally with 1:05 remaining in the second period. The play started when Greg Beller grabbed a deflected puck out of the air in the neutral zone, skated over the blueline, and tried to slide the puck to Michael Karwoski. The puck bounced off a Crimson skate and Beller scooped up his own pass, just in time to feed it across the slot to a streaking Boucher. Boucher one-timed the puck past Richter before he even saw the shot.
To begin the third period, Harvard coach Ted Donato pulled Richter and replaced him with Justin Tobe. The senior netminder, who made several clutch saves down the stretch, stopped all nine Yale shots he faced, but it was too late for the Crimson, who could not muster another goal.
Harvard struggled all night on the man-up, failing to score on eight power play chances.
Yale scored its final goal of the game when Tobe skated to the bench with 5:52 left in the third, giving Harvard a 6-4 man advantage. Cahill, who had taken the penalty, left the box just in time to pick up a loose puck in the neutral zone. Skating into Harvard's end, he made a shifty move around the sole defenseman and saucered the puck into the empty net with 3:41 left in the game to seal the victory.
With the win, Yale jumped from a three-way tie for tenth place to ninth in the packed ECACHL standings. The Bulldogs also improved to 6-2-1 in the Ivy League, remaining in first place. Cornell sits in second at 4-2-1.
The Bulldogs return to Ingalls on Sunday afternoon when they host Dartmouth in a rematch of the team's early season meeting, which Yale won 4-2. The puck drops at 4:06 PM and the game will be televised on ESPNU. If the Bulldogs can pull out a victory, they are guaranteed at least a share of the Ivy League title.
Report filed by Alex Kleiner '08, Yale Sports Publicity
