Icewomen Deadlock Big Red

Harvard women's ice hockey Co-Captain Julie Sasner--the Crimson's leading scorer last year with 23 goals--hadn't found the back of the twines in her team's nine games.

But her two tallies Sunday afternoon helped the Crimson to preserve a 3-3 tie with Ivy powerhouse Cornell at Bright Center, despite the Big Red's late-game rally.

And if it hadn't been for a momentary lapse with less than two minutes left in regulation, the Crimson would have skated off with a victory.

"Our kids played a good game," Harvard Coach John Dooley said. "But we don't have the chemistry, the good hockey sense, right now."

When the game opened, it appeared that Cornell (5-3-1 overall, 1-0-1 Ivy) might dominate the initially sluggish Crimson (4-5-1 overall, 1-3-1 Ivy).

Freshman goalie Jennifer White--with eight first period saves--kept the Big Red off the scoreboard in the early action, however.

Despite only two first period shots, the Crimson capitalized first.

Midway through the stanza, Sasner made a beautiful move at the blue line and followed her own shot with a second blast that Cornell netminder Kathryn Lo Presti failed to cover.

Brita Lind was there to poke it home for the score.

The Big Red came out of the locker room yelling to open the second period. But the momentum quickly shifted to Harvard.

A Cornell roughing penalty with only 25 seconds gone in the period gave the Crimson a one-woman advantage, which Sasner exploited 33 seconds later for her initial goal of the season.

The Big Red answered with a power play goal of its own. After defender Molly Brown drove a long slapshot past a diving White at 3:24, it appeared that Cornell might live up to its pre-game billing by blowing by the Crimson the rest of the way.

But the scrappy Crimson failed to succumb to the swarming pressure.

And at 13:30, Sasner once again made a Cornell penalty pay instant dividends. Taking Christina Burns' pass from the right point, Sasner's slapshot found the high left corner of the Big Red net.

With a 3-1 lead, the Crimson were cruising again. But with less than a minute to go in the period, Cornell forward Regina Purtell put the brakes on the icewomen's momentum by stealing the puck from a horde of Harvard defenders and pumping it past White.

For most of the third period, the Crimson contained the Big Red and looked like it might put the game away when Cornell took a penalty with less than two minutes remaining in regulation.

But a lack of concentration on a face-off deep in the Crimson end led to a short-handed Cornell goal by Big Red Co-Captain Amy Stanzin, whose tally from the slot at 16:16 sent the contest into overtime.

A handful of Big Red penalties gave the Crimson several opportunites in the extra period. But neither team could score and the contest ended in a 3-3 tie.

"We played very aggressively," Sasner said. "We were taking the puck to the net much better than we have been. But it's a little frustrating--we have lots of individuals playing well, but we haven't come together as a team."

Crimson-Big Red, 3-3

at Bright Center Cornell  0  2  1  0-3 Harvard  1  2  0  0-3

First Period--1, H, Brita Lind 14:05.

Second Period--2, H, Julie Sasner 0:58. 3,

C, Molly Brown 3:24. 4, H, Sasner 13:30. 5, C, Regina Burtell 17:01.

Third Period--6, C, Amy Stanzin 16:16.

Saves--C, Kathryn Lo Presti 2-5-2-2--11; H, Jennifer White 8-5-8-3--24.

A-80 and I disgruntled band member

First Period--1, H, Brita Lind 14:05.

Second Period--2, H, Julie Sasner 0:58. 3,

C, Molly Brown 3:24. 4, H, Sasner 13:30. 5, C, Regina Burtell 17:01.

Third Period--6, C, Amy Stanzin 16:16.

Saves--C, Kathryn Lo Presti 2-5-2-2--11; H, Jennifer White 8-5-8-3--24.

A-80 and I disgruntled band member