Vesey’s 32nd and final goal of the season came on the left side of the crease, where the Nashville Predators prospect put back a rebound from junior defenseman Desmond Bergin.
Vesey finishes the year tied for eighth on the Crimson’s all-time single-season goal list, having recorded the most goals by a Harvard player since the 1990-1991 season. He will consider in the coming days his option to turn professional.
“Moving on, I think I’m going to sit down with Coach Donato and my family, as well, and just weigh my options and see where I’m at,” Vesey said.
Harvard threatened to equalize for most of the remainder of the frame but felt the burn of another untimely penalty as sophomore forward Luke Esposito boarded freshman forward Tyler Vesel with 2:30 to play.
Vesel capitalized a minute later, sliding in the first insurance marker of the night at 19:24 as Harvard skated 5-on-5 with an empty net. Sophomore forward Jake Guentzel put in another one from the neutral zone with four seconds left.
With the loss, Harvard concludes a season in which the team battled back from injuries to win its first conference championship since 2006.
“I couldn’t be prouder of this group—the perseverance and the toughness of just staying with it,” Donato said.
The Crimson enters the offseason with uncertainty. In addition to questions surrounding Vesey, it is unclear whether fourth-year players Patrick McNally, Max Everson, Blackwell, and Michalek will return next season.
Omaha, meanwhile, can look ahead to a bright future. Three freshmen scored for the Mavericks on Saturday in a landmark victory for the school.
“It’s a huge step for our program, but we’re not satisfied yet,” said Omaha co-captain defenseman Brian O’Rourke. “We are looking toward tomorrow, and the future, and the rest of the season as long as we can.”
The Mavericks will face the Rochester Institute of Technology tomorrow in the regional final. RIT became the first 16-seed to win an NCAA tournament game on Saturday, knocking off top-seeded Minnesota State, 2-1, in the first game of the day at Compton Family Ice Arena.
—Crimson staff writer Michael D. Ledecky can be reached at michael.ledecky@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @mdledecky.