Postgame: Harvard escapes with 2-1 OT victory

Dramatic win by Harvard, with Rogers getting the gamewinner with 1:08 left in OT. 

1. There are a few ways of thinking about this game. Harvard stole this game, no doubt. BU outshot Harvard 40-20 and outworked Harvard. Harvard was 0-7 on the PP and didn't "deserve" to win. But being opportunistic is crucial to the success of any hockey team, and if there is a word that describes this year's Crimson squad it is opportunistic. By the same measure you could say that BU has incredible talent...how are they 3-7-2 on the year? As we observed with last year's Harvard team, if you can't finish, you won't win games. 

2. Richter continues to stand on his head in net. Amazing that he leads the nation in GAA and save percentage, especially after many observers had questions about Harvard's strength in net this year. 39 saves tonight, kept Harvard in the game in the first when BU outshot Harvard 16-4, despite allowing the early goal. One of the most impressive aspects of Richter's game this year has been his ability to bounce back after goals...we saw it from the outset of the year when Clarkson scored 60 seconds in, but Richter was able to respond and give Harvard a chance to win.

3. I said that we should get more visibility on this year's team after the Cornell/Colgate weekend, but I am back to being confused about where this year is going. Harvard is 5-2 overall, 4-2 in the ECAC, but it seems like Harvard has been fortunate to win most of its games. Play in the defensive zone has been shaky, there hasn't been much scoring up front, and PP has been mediocre. By most standards, Harvard shouldn't be over .500 right now. Obviously Richter has bailed out Harvard on a number of occasions, putting the Crimson in position to capitalize on chances, and they have. But how much longer can Richter carry this team?

More Harvard hockey coverage this weekend on WHRB. Tune in Friday at 7:00pm for Women's Hockey vs. Clarkson and at 4:00pm on Saturday for Women's Hockey vs. St. Lawrence. Alasdair Wilkins and Zak Kline have the call on 95.3 FM WHRB, streaming on the web at www.whrb.org

Our next game is November 28 @ Yale. The puck drops at 7:30pm, our coverage begins at 7:15pm.