Lyon Makes 30 Saves in 2-2 OT Draw

BOSTON, Mass. – it was college hockey's version of a tightly contested heavyweight title fight. Two highly ranked ECAC Hockey squads squared off at Bright-Landry Hockey Center in a 2-2 overtime contest between No. 9 Yale and No. 7 Harvard. Joe Snively's second goal of the game with 35.8 seconds left in regulation got him game MVP honors and the Bulldogs a hard-earned road point.

It was like a right hook from no where that floored the leading team and snatched victory from a bitter rival.

With Yale trailing 2-1 coming out of a timeout and a face-off in the Harvard end, the Elis lost the draw but managed to get the puck back behind the net. Mitch Witek moved it along the boards to John Hayden, who threw it out and across the slot to the rookie forward. Snively one-timed the feed into an open left side of the net. He was handed the Tim Taylor Cup on the ice after the game as the MVP.

"We worked on that play on Wednesday," said Witek, the Eli captain referencing the face-off before the equalizer. "But we lost the draw… but everyone knew their assignments."

Snively, who opened the night's scoring in the second period, knew the puck might be heading his way.

"We had a play drawn up, but it didn't work," said Snively. "I knew a puck would come out. He (Hayden) made a great pass and I had a whole net to shoot at."

The Bulldogs and Crimson, who combined for 21 goals last weekend, were in a classic defensive battle.

"It was a hell of a college hockey game, particularly for this early in the season," said Keith Allain '80, Yale's Malcolm G. Chace Head Coach.  

They scored the same number of goals in three 2015 conference playoff games combined. Yale and Harvard couldn't separate tonight.

"They (Harvard) came in as advertised, a very good team," said Allain, whose team had a 35-32 edge in shots after controlling the last two periods.

Alex Lyon, Yale's junior All-America goalie, who grabbed the Taylor Cup a year ago, was another Bulldog star tonight with 30 saves, including 18 in the first period.

The rivals skated an exciting, penalty-free first frame that had plenty of action at both ends, though most (18 to 8) of the shots on net came in the Yale end. Lyon, who used the pipe to thwart a Luke Esposito wrister midway through, made saves on numerous scrambles in the low slot.

The Elis got two shots each from Chris Izmirlian, Cody Learned and Andrew Gaus, whose toe-drag and wrist-shot from the right circle was snagged early in the frame by Michael Lackey.

The second period was a different story. Yale had a 12-5 shots advantage and notched the first tally at even strength. After stifling a Crimson power play and not allowing a shot, Joe Snively found the net on a backhander from the low slot at 9:24. It started with an Ismirlian shot that bounced off the back wall and came out to Ryan Obuchowski in the opposite circle. The defenseman slipped it over to the freshman forward and Snively, last week's ECAC Rookie of the Week, swooped into the slot before sending his shot inside the near post for his third goal of the year.

Harvard answered about five minutes later with a shot from the point that bounced off a Yale leg and found the net to send the game into the second intermission at 1-1.

The Blue, which saw the home team take the lead with 5:57 left, continued to pour shots on Lackey without finding a hole until pulling Lyon for an extra skater in the closing moments of regulation.

Yale had the only shot on target in the overtime.

"They are really an offensive team, and we are more of a defensive team," said Yale junior Mike Doherty. "There weren't many chances out there."

Round two is Feb. 6 at the Whale.

BULLDOG BITES

Yale heads to Hanover Saturday for a 7 p.m. game against Dartmouth. The Big Green beat Brown tonight… Stu Wilson led Yale with seven shots on goal… Snively had four on target… The broadcast of this game re-airs tomorrow after at 4 on NESN National and then on Nov. 11 at 3 p.m. on NESN (primary channel)… Secretary of State John Kerry '66 was in the house to root on his Bulldogs.

Filed by Steve Conn, Yale Associate AD & Sports Publicity Director

Joe Snively image by Steve Musco