Alex Biega ’10 scored the winning goal and earned the first star of the game in his National Hockey League debut on Monday night.

The 26-year-old defenseman for the Vancouver Canucks became the 26th Harvard hockey alum to play in the NHL after learning hours before the Canucks’ home contest with the Minnesota Wild that he would make his first career start. Biega, who had played 313 games with three different teams in the American Hockey League following his graduation in 2010, made the most of the opportunity.

With less than nine minutes left in regulation and the Canucks leading, 2-1, Biega collected a stray centering feed from all-star teammate Henrik Sedin off the right boards and beat Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk through a screen with a blistering slap-shot.

Vancouver would go on to win, 3-2, and Biega’s even strength marker turned out to be the difference.

At Harvard, Biega served as the Crimson’s 116th captain in his senior season. The Montreal native led all Crimson defensemen in scoring in his sophomore year and was named to the ECAC All-Tournament team in 2008. Harvard honored Biega as the team’s most valuable player after each of his last two collegiate seasons.

Three other former Harvard players are currently playing for NHL teams: Alex Killorn ’12 (Tampa Bay Lightning), Dominic Moore ’03 (New York Rangers), and Craig Adams ’99 (Pittsburgh Penguins).

—Staff writer Michael D. Ledecky can be reached at michael.ledecky@thecrimson.com