With less than two minutes remaining in overtime of Tuesday night’s contest at Agganis Arena, Kyle Criscuolo muscled for a pass on the left side of the crease.

His first swipe at the puck sent it into the air. His next swipe sent it into the net.

With the junior co-captain’s second goal of the game, the No. 18 Harvard men’s ice hockey team (6-1-2, 3-1-2 ECAC) stunned No. 1 Boston University (9-2-1, 6-1-1 HEA) on the road in overtime, 3-2.

The game was the Terriers’ first since displacing Michigan Tech as the top-ranked team in the country. For most of Tuesday night, the hosts looked the part. Terriers coach David Quinn praised his squad following the team’s first overtime loss of the season.

“From start to finish, I thought that was as thorough a game as we’ve played in awhile,” Quinn said. “I thought we played better tonight than we did [in wins last weekend] against Maine and UConn. It’s a funny game.”

BU controlled the first and third periods and outshot the Crimson, 42-24. Another standout performance from junior goaltender Steve Michalek kept Harvard alive, and the team’s top scorers provided offensive sparks at key moments.

Terrier freshman center and top draft prospect Jack Eichel buzzed around Michalek all night but was held pointless for the first time in his college career. The Crimson, meanwhile, collected its fifth consecutive win over BU. 

BEST OF THE BEST

After the Crimson upset of then-No. 8 Boston College on Veterans’ Day, Crimson coach Ted Donato ’91 provided a simple observation: “Our best players were our best players.”

Two weeks later, the same held true as Harvard claimed another victory in the house of a Beanpot rival. Harvard’s top four scorers—first line forwards Alex Kerfoot, Jimmy Vesey, Kyle Criscuolo, and junior defenseman Patrick McNally—were on the ice for all three of the team’s goals on Tuesday. 

Each skater had an important hand in the overtime winner.

Kerfoot skated circles around defenders in the BU zone before cycling the puck to a teammate.

McNally kept the puck under the blueline and pushed it along the boards behind the net to Vesey.

Vesey flipped it back to Criscuolo.

Criscuolo took a couple of whacks in front of the crease.