LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – It took 33 grueling years, but Colgate finally returned to the peak of ECAC Hockey Saturday night, stopping Harvard 3-2 to claim its first Whitelaw Cup since 1990 and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
The Raiders got out to a quick 2-0 lead thanks to brothers Colton and Alex Young and added the eventual game winner in the second period en route to the win.
It’s the first conference title for head coach Don Vaughan, who has led Colgate for 30 seasons.
“Somebody along the way said, ‘good things come to those who wait,’” Vaughan said. “Well, it’s been 30 years for me, so I’m really thrilled to be in this position with a championship going back to Colgate and our great fans.”
The Raiders entered the ECAC Hockey tournament as the No. 5 seed, beating Dartmouth in the opening round, then completing a sweep of No. 4 St. Lawrence in the quarterfinals before punching their ticket to the championship game with a double overtime upset of top-seeded Quinnipiac Friday.
“The biggest thing about having a plan in place and a process is making sure the guys buy into that,” Vaughan said. “And our guys bought in all year long.”
Unlike the semifinal contests a day prior, Saturday’s championship game got off to a hot start. On the power play just over a minute into the game, Colgate forward Colton Young beat Harvard goaltender Mitchell Gibson, blasting a one timer high glove side.
“Coming out we wanted to put pressure on Harvard and make them defend us,” Colton Young said. “I think (the goal) was huge for us, just confidence wise, especially after scoring early last night.”
Alex Young doubled the Raiders lead with seven minutes to play in the period. A misplaced Crimson pass sprung Young on a two-on-one, where he drove to the net and pulled the puck back to outwait a sprawling Harvard defender and Gibson before sliding it into an open net.
The Crimson elevated their play in the period’s waning minutes, in part thanks to two Colgate penalties, but a stout Raiders defense committed to blocking shots and cutting off passing lanes shut down their offense until the second period.
A wrist shot from Harvard’s Henry Thrun at the blue line cut his team’s deficit to one early in the middle frame. But minutes later, Colgate junior Levi Glasman batted the puck out of mid air into the net on an odd-man rush to extend the Raiders’ lead back to two.
Glasman’s tally would prove fatal, as Harvard pulled the game to within one late in the third period thanks to Matthew Coronato, but could not find the equalizer.
“I’m proud of our guys,” Crimson head coach Ted Donato said. “They really persevered and stayed with it right to the final buzzer. We had opportunities but couldn’t find one behind the goalie. (It’s) disappointing but certainly proud of the effort.”
Colgate had five shots to Harvard’s 15 in the final frame, as the Crimson tried to claw back into the game, but the play of the tournament’s most outstanding player: Raiders goaltender Carter Gylander and blocked shots from up and down the lineup sealed the victory.
The Raiders had 36 total blocks in the game, a testament to desire to come out on top.
“I think that speaks to our desperation,” Colton Young said. “We knew in our heads this is the game that determines our season … (Harvard) won a championship last year, this was our tournament.”
Both Colgate and Harvard will advance to the NCAA Tournament, the Crimson as an at-large bid as a result of their PairWise standing. It’s the Raiders first time in the big dance since 2014, where they lost to Ferris State in the opening round.
“I remember in 2015, we were the last team out of the tournament that year,” Vaughan said. “I think Providence was the last team in and we know what Providence did that year. It’s possible, it’s been done. We’ll focus on our first opponent and go from there.”
ECAC Hockey All-Tournament Team
Forward: Ross Mitton (Colgate)
Forward: Alex Young (Colgate)
Forward: Alex Laferriere (Harvard)
Defense: Henry Thrun (Harvard)
Defense: Zach Metsa (Quinnipiac)
Goaltender: Carter Gylander (Colgate)
MVP: Carter Gylander (Colgate)
