No. 10 Eagles Hold Off Crimson, 3-2

Michael Biega scores on Milner for Harvard's second goal (photo courtesy Gil Talbot).

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—Michael Biega scored a goal in the third period to cut a Boston College lead to one goal, but the 10th-ranked Eagles held on for a 3-2 win against the Harvard men’s hockey team Wednesday night at Bright Hockey Center.

Biega also assisted on Daniel Moriarty’s power-play tally for the Crimson (1-8-2), while Ryan Carroll made 17 saves without allowing a goal in 36 minutes of relief goaltending. Three different players scored for BC, which got 25 saves from Parker Milner. Harvard held a 27-26 edge in shots and was 1 for 3 with the man advantage. The Eagles were scoreless in three power plays.

Harvard recorded the first three shots of the game, but the Eagles turned it around from there, registering two goals in less than three minutes. Cam Atkinson had the first at 8:39, finishing from the slot after Philip Samuelsson found him from the left point. Paul Carey made it 2-0, scoring high to the glove side after Ben Smith dropped it back to him on the left side of the ice. Moriarty trimmed the lead to a single goal at 14:34. He deflected Michael Biega’s point shot past Milner after Eric Kroshus won a loose puck at the top of the left circle. Harvard held a 10-7 advantage in shots in the period.

Boston College had the only goal of the second period, about three minutes into the frame. Jimmy Hayes banged in the rebound of Steven Whitney’s shot off the left post on the rush. The Eagles outshot Harvard, 8-3, in the period. Carroll entered after the third BC goal and stopped the Eagles’ final six shots before the intermission.

The Crimson started to pick up its play late in the second and took that momentum into the third, outshooting the Eagles by a 14-11 margin. Biega again cut the deficit to one about eight minutes in. After a BC defenseman lost control of the puck to the right of Milner, Biega swooped in to pick it up. He pulled the puck out of the reach of a Milner poke check and slid it between the goalie’s legs for his fourth goal and team-leading 12th point.

Harvard continued to battle back, but Milner and the Eagles hung on. The BC freshman stopped chances in succession by Moriarty and Colin Moore and saved shots by Alex Killorn and Alex Biega after Harvard coach Ted Donato pulled Carroll for an extra attacker with 55 seconds remaining.