March 3, 2007

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - The Yale men's hockey team can have no regrets after leaving it all on the ice in a season-ending, 2-1 loss at Harvard in game two of the best-of-three ECACHL playoff series. Senior goalie Justin Tobe stopped 28 of 29 shots to give the Crimson a two-game sweep and allow them to advance to the conference quarterfinals.

The Bulldogs (11-17-3) outshot Harvard 29-24, had the game's only power-play score and got a great outing from senior goalie Matt Modelski (22 saves). Modelski, playing his last game as a Bulldog, and the Elis blanked the ECACHL's best powerplay on all six chances and nearly pulled off an upset without the services of their top two scorers, Sean Backman and Mark Arcobello (non-healthy scratches).

"I don't like the result, but what you saw tonight was more representative of our team. We played very hard tonight," said Keith Allain '80, Yale's Malcolm G. Chace Head Coach of Hockey. "Either team could have won this game."

For the second straight night, the Bulldogs got on the board first, and it was the result of a pretty play by two Yale forwards. Freshman Chris Cahill got the Crimson scrambling by keeping the puck away from the defenders before sending it down to Jean-Francois Boucher in the right circle. Boucher quickly turned and sent a perfect feed toward the crease that teammate Brad Mills (2nd goal) easily one-timed inside the near post at 12:34 of the first.

Harvard got the equalizer 1:17 before the first intermission when Brian McCafferty carried to the net and got off a solid shot that was saved by Modelski. The rebound bounced a few feet away and Jimmy Fraser was following his teammate. Fraser (6th) one-timed the rebound inside the near post coming in from the side of the net and the puck barely squeezed past Modelski's pad to make it 1-1.

That was the last tally of a first period that included nine shots by each squad. However, the Cantabs had nine quality scoring chances (not on each shot) compared to a pair for the Blue.

The middle frame may have been the best of the weekend with end-to-end action, 26 shots on target and both teams getting plenty of grade-A chances (Yale 4, Harvard 3). Harvard, despite being outshot 15-11, got the only goal of the period. Steve Rolecek (2nd) carried across the Yale blueline and buzzed around a defenseman before snapping off a wrister that beat Modelski at 17:15 to make it 2-1.

Playing their best 20 minutes and coming out of the period down a goal could have been completely deflating for the Blue but the visitors continued to push the favored Crimson. Early in the third, Modelski came up with one of the game's best saves when he snatched a point-blank backhander out of the air after Mike Taylor skated in alone from the circle.

The Bulldogs had a few chances with under two minutes to play, and kept the puck in Harvard's end for about 40 seconds, but Tobe came up with the saves and then Yale's Matt Nelson was whistled for slashing with 1:12 left as the Crimson barely cleared the puck to center ice.

Modelski, who made just four saves in the third, went off for an extra skater to make it 5-on-5 with 63 seconds left, but the Bulldogs could not get a shot on goal.

"We had some great moments this year. We got tremendous leadership from the seniors, who have paved the way for the future success of Yale hockey."

report filed by Steve Conn, Yale Sports Publicity Director