CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Yale erased three one-goal deficits to force overtime, and Ronan O'Donnell turned a steal at the blue line into the game-winner with 31.3 seconds left to lift the Bulldogs past Harvard, 4-3.
It was Yale's first win at Harvard since Nov. 3, 2017, when the Bulldogs beat the Crimson, 5-2, in Cambridge.
Yale improved to 2-1-0 overall and in ECAC Hockey play, while Harvard fell to 2-2-0 overall and 1-1-0 in the conference.
First Period
- 4:23 | Harvard's Alex Huang opened the scoring. (Harvard 1, Yale 0)
- 6:37 | Just over two minutes later, Zachary Wagnon found Iisai Pesonen at the doorstep for the power-play equalizer. (Yale 1, Harvard 1)
- 14:43 | The Crimson answered with a power-play goal of their own to regain the lead. (Harvard 2, Yale 1)
- 17:39 | On a 5-on-3 power play, Ronan O'Donnell knocked the puck off the top of the net, setting off a scramble in front. Donovan Frias found the loose puck and buried it to tie the game again. (Yale 2, Harvard 2)
Second Period
- 4:58 | Harvard scored its second power-play goal of the night to take its third lead. (Harvard 3, Yale 2)
- 9:27 | Fresh off the bench, Kyle O'Leary took a short pass from Dylan Hunt at the point, charged into the circle and ripped a shot over the goaltender's glove. (Yale 3, Harvard 3)
Third Period
- Jack Stark stopped all 10 shots he faced in the third to send the game to overtime.
Overtime
- 31.3 seconds remaining | The teams traded chances before O'Donnell poked the puck away from a Harvard defenseman at the blue line. He skated in alone and lifted a shot over the goaltender's glove to end it. (Yale 4, Harvard 3)
Game Notes
- Jack Stark made 29 saves and earned the Tim Taylor Cup as the game's most valuable player. The award honors Tim Taylor, the longtime Yale head coach and former Harvard captain.
- Stark is the first Bulldog to earn the award since Justin Pearson shared it with Harvard's Nick Abruzzese in 2019-20. He is the first Yale player to win it outright since Robbie DeMontis in 2017-18.
- O'Donnell also scored the overtime winner the last time the teams met, on Feb. 14, 2026, in New Haven. That win was Yale's first over Harvard since 2018.
- The overtime winner was O'Donnell's fifth career game-winning goal.
- First-year forward Kyle O'Leary has scored in each of his first three collegiate games.
Hear from Hamilton
"Our guys faced significant adversity off the ice on back-to-back nights [both games were delayed], and the way they competed throughout such a big ECAC weekend speaks volumes about their character," said Jeff Hamilton, Malcolm G. Chace Head Coach. "Tonight was a hectic game with a lot of special teams play, but our guys found a way against a skilled, well-coached Harvard team. To come away with a win on a night honoring Tim Taylor made it even more special. I know he would be proud of this team. I know I am."
Looking Ahead
Yale's final two home games of 2026 are Nov. 13 against Colgate and Nov. 14 against Cornell. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. both nights at Ingalls Rink.
