Cavicchi went behind the net to move the puck along the boards, but Harvard captain Ben Coughlin intercepted the pass and centered the puck to senior Perry Cohagan, who tipped it into the open net with 1:05 left in the first.
Harvard doubled its lead on a power-play goal 7:02 into the second, when freshman Doug Sproule rebounded senior Steve Martins' one-time shot from the point past a befuddled Cavicchi. But that's all that would get by Cavicchi, as the netminder made the few saves when he had to, including one on junior Kirk Nielsen from point-blank range midway through the third.
"We couldn't sustain any offensive pressure after that second goal," Tomassoni said. "We're making some incorrect decisions, some incorrect reads."
And UNH capitalized--quickly.
Midway through the middle period, Wildcat Eric Flinton brought the puck into the Crimson defensive zone in a 4-on-4 situation. Flinton had a man on him, but the Wildcat was able to center the puck.
Mike Mowers, left unguarded in front of junior goalie Tripp Tracy, calmly deflected the biscuit over the netminder and in to cut the deficit to 2-1 just as sophomore Stuart Swenson's penalty had expired--the first shorthanded goal the Crimson has allowed this season.
"We had plenty of time left [when we were down, 2-0], and we had to get the next goal," UNH Coach Dick Umile said. "The next goal is an important goal. When we get within one, we're a pretty good team."
And it didn't take long for the Wildcats to even the score. The Crimson played very lethargically on its power play and the few shifts after the man-advantage expired.
The Crimson's passing wasn't on the mark, and Harvard had trouble clearing the puck out of its own zone. All of that culminated in Flinton's equalizer at the 12:34 mark.
Wildcat Nick Poole centered the puck from behind the Harvard goal, but it stayed untouched until Flinton could corral it. Flinton again was covered by a Harvard defenseman, but the Crimson player couldn't knock him off the puck, and Flinton back-handed a shot from the slot through Tracy's five-hole to even the game.
And the Crimson never got its level of play up to where it had been in the early stages of the game. It generated only eight shots on goal over the course of the final 30 minutes. In the same time span, the Wildcats lit the lamp five times. The Wildcats also took the body very effectively.
"We played well all night," Umile said. "It was a really important win for us, especially in terms of NCAA recognition."
The loss ends Harvard's seven-game home-stand, where the Crimson went a disappointing 3-3-1, including two defeats against non-ECAC schools. (Boston University won a 6-1 contest two weeks ago.)
The schedule doesn't get any easier for Harvard, as the Crimson will now play seven straight regular-season games on the road, beginning with Saturday's contest at Colgate. The two teams tied 3-3 back on November 19, when Harvard collapsed in the third period, allowing two goals in the first 1:04.
"We've got to put [the UNH loss behind us]--we have a huge game going up to Colgate," McLaughlin said. "To be honest, the way our team has been going so far this season, every game is a big one. We could be playing the Perkins School for the Blind, and it would be a big game." Read more in Sports
