In tight games, how a team’s defense and special teams perform often decides the winner.

That was precisely the one-two punch that carried the No. 18 Harvard men’s hockey team (4-2-0, 4-2-0 ECAC) to victory in its 1-0 win over No. 19 St. Lawrence Saturday night at Bright Hockey Center.

The most exciting part of the game for the Crimson defense came in the last part of the second period and carried through the intermission into the third. Harvard had committed two penalties and faced a 5-on-3 situation for 1:30. It was imperative for the defense to be perfect, as the Crimson’s one-goal lead left no room for error.

“That was a huge [penalty] kill,” said Harvard coach Ted Donato ’91. “Jim Fraser, Alex Biega, Chad Morin, and Matt Hoyle I think really dug down deep. They were blocking shots. That’s always a very nerve-racking two minutes when the other team pretty much has the puck the entire time. We did a good job.”

Hoyle was particularly impressive in the hot seat, as St. Lawrence increased the pressure on the defense and fired consecutive shots his way. The Crimson held the Saints scoreless overall on the power play, escaping from trouble. Harvard’s three defenders sacrificed their bodies and blocked several shots before they even reached Hoyle.

At regular strength, the four were helped by a critical performance from the rest of the Crimson defense, as their tenacity alongside Hoyle’s tough performance kept the Saints silent for the rest of the game.

“Our defense was really huge for us this weekend,” Donato said. “And obviously when you give up...as many power plays as we did, the old adage that your goaltender is your best penalty killer was certainly the case. [Hoyle] was very good in there, very calm, we’re very happy about how well he’s played this weekend.”

One goal was all the Crimson would need, as Hoyle kept the Saints’ offense silent for the entire game. The win marked Hoyle’s first career shutout, as he tallied 29 saves.

“It’s always hard to get the first shutout,” Hoyle said. “The team was great. They helped me the whole game.”

The New York, Ontario native’s resolve and prowess withstood a powerful St. Lawrence offense, which had yet to be shutout this season. Although he admits that he was nervous, Hoyle stayed calm and collected when the team faced the two-man deficit with the one goal lead on the line.

“I was just taking it each play at a time,” the rookie said. “Things worked out.”

Hoyle was not the only one who produced a strong showing between the pipes last Saturday. Saints’ goalie, Alex Petizian, kept the Crimson’s charged offense to just one goal, an impressive performance against a team that had scored five goals the previous night against Clarkson.

The strong performance made the seven penalties the Crimson incurred on the night that much costlier. Harvard is averaging more that eight penalties per game this season, a mark that has to change for the Crimson to continue to find success. Unless Harvard can find a way to avoid unnecessary penalties, Hoyle, the team’s excellent defense, and the penalty kill will be the team’s only hope at keeping winning streak alive.

“We have to recognize that just because we’ve had a penalty doesn’t mean the ref is less likely to call another one,” Donato said. “We have to make sure that, if we take a penalty, it’s because we are trying to negate a real dangerous scoring attempt, not hits into the boards or offensive zone penalties...We have to do a better job with that.”