Cole O’Hara has been a bright spot for the No. 20 Massachusetts hockey team this season, and he continued to be in its 5-3 win over the Harvard Crimson on Friday.
The junior played a part in four of the five goals for the Minutemen (6-5-2, 1-3-2 Hockey East) in his big night. Two of his points came on goals in the third period to help UMass keep momentum in the period.
His first goal of the period was less than two minutes into the final frame, tying up the score 2-2. Linden Alger passed to Kennedy O’Connor who sent a shot on Harvard (2-3-1, 2-2-1 Eastern College Athletic Conference) goaltender Aku Koskenvu. As the puck bounced off the goaltender, O’Hara was in front of the net to tap the rebound in.
After O’Hara’s goal, the Minutemen netted two more goals before the junior found himself back on the board with nine minutes remaining in the game. From the left side of the net, O’Hara sent a snipe past the goaltenders’ left shoulder to bring UMass up 5-2.
On top of his two goals, he was the one to start the Minutemen offense on Aydar Suniev’s goal on his pass to Lucas Mercuri.
O’Hara’s assist on Dans Locmelis’ goal also jumped out on Friday night, showing off his playmaking abilities. On the power play, O’Hara came streaking down the right side of the ice with Locmelis not far behind him on the opposite side. The Nashville Predators prospect shot the puck at the Crimson goaltender and Locmelis grabbed the rebound then quickly tapped it by Koskenvuo before he could react.
Alongside Locmelis, O’Hara is a crucial part to the first special teams unit, being a large part on the forecheck and backcheck. With two power plays, O’Hara was on the ice for a majority of the four minutes.
The four-point night for O’Hara was a career high for him and the most points totaled by a UMass player so far this season. Along with his four point night, he had seven shots, second on the team behind Suniev who had eight shots.
“[O’Hara is] a talented player, he’s become a very physically strong player,” head coach Greg Carvel said. “He’s playing with a ton of confidence, and it allows your skill to shine when you’re playing with confidence and you earn confidence and he’s earned it for two years.”
After an up-and-down first two years with the Minutemen, O’Hara has found consistency during the 2024-25 season. He currently leads HEA in points with 20 off six goals and 14 assists, averaging 1.54 points a game through 13 games played.
“He’s complete,” Carvel said about O’Hara. “He does everything the right way. He’s consistent in everything he does, doesn’t say a word, just shows up, plays hard and makes plays.”
O’Hara and his linemate Suniev have accounted for a majority of UMass’ points this season. Suniev’s 16 points is tied for the third most points in HEA alongside Harrison Scott of Maine and Ryan Leonard of Boston College. The two also play with Lucas Mercuri, who despite being quiet on offense, has been a large part of the physicality of the line.
“Playing with [Suniev] and Mercuri, I think we have good chemistry going,” O’Hara said. “We hold onto pucks down low, it’s easy to play with those guys.”
In the Minutemen’s last series against Providence on Saturday, the two led the team in points, each grabbing three in the win. When players like O’Hara play well, it bodes well for UMass as the team bounces off the junior’s momentum.
O’Hara and UMass will have a day of rest before taking on the Vermont Catamounts on Sunday, Nov. 24. Puck drop is set for 3 p.m. at the Mullins Center.
Kayla Gregoire can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @Kaygregoire.
