Harvard Dominates Union Behind Balanced Effort

This weekend, Harvard women’s hockey team took time to evaluate the state of its union and to devastate Union.

The No. 10 Crimson (6-4-2, 4-2-2 ECAC) dealt the hapless Dutchwomen (2-8-0, 0-6-0) a pair of thorough beatings, while giving its reserve goaltenders the starts between the pipes and receiving goals from an unusual variety of sources.

The annual double dip with overmatched Union, which has now lost 28 straight conference tilts, afforded Harvard coach Katey Stone the chance to rest certain starters, experiment with the lineup, and build momentum heading into a crucial pre-vacation stretch.

“I’m just glad that the scoring was spread out,” Stone said. “And for us, to be honest, it’s timely. We changed our lines, did a few different things, and to get a little momentum heading into next weekend.”

HARVARD 7, UNION 0

Freshman Brittany Martin posted a shutout in her first collegiate start in goal and the Crimson cruised to a 7-0 victory over Union at the Bright Hockey Center Saturday afternoon behind two goals each from junior Liza Solley and sophomore Adrienne Bernakevitch.

Martin, the first-year keeper out of Florida, was the third starter in net for Harvard in as many games, taking a turn spelling senior Ali Boe, who was given the weekend off. Martin appeared poised in her first game action, on several occasions aggressively playing and covering pucks outside the crease, and finished with 16 saves.

“She’s a good goaltender,” Stone said. “She likes to stick her nose in it. We saw that today. We have three really good goalies in this program and it’s the first time that’s ever happened.”

Solley, returning to action after being assessed a game misconduct penalty the night before, provided all the offense the Crimson would need with the lone goal in a tentative first period. She has now notched the game-winning goal in half of the team’s victories this season, ranking her eighth in the nation in that category. Solley added a score in the third period to bring her season total to five.

“I think I was just well-rested if anything,” Solley said. “My two goals were other people’s work. They did the hard work and I was just in the right place. Everyone was grunting it in the offensive zone today.”

The offensive highlight, however, was the play of the squad’s third line of Bernakevitch, captain Carrie Schroyer, and sophomore Laura Brady. Bernakevitch registered a career high with five points, Schroyer scored a goal, and Brady added three helpers.

“This weekend was the best they’ve played,” Stone said. “They played with a lot of energy, with some speed and purpose. It’s a tribute to Carrie. She’s the right fit there. I think our lines are where we really want them to be right now.”

Bernakevitch also filled in admirably on the top power-play unit for junior Katie Johnston, out resting an injured groin, picking up a goal and an assist on the man advantage. Harvard converted two of its three extra-skater chances for the game.

Freshman Jodi Krakower, skating at times with the first line in place of Johnston, also tallied a goal, the first of her college career.

“We were rotating everyone, defense and forwards alike,” Solley said. “I think frankly switching it up like that is great because you have some new chemistry. We’re skating with the same people every day and it can be good to be familiar with them, but at the same time it can become habitual. So why not spark it up and have some new looks.”

Krakower’s score was one of four for the Crimson in the final period. Harvard finished with 56 shots in the contest.

HARVARD 6, UNION 0

The Crimson received goals from six different players and junior Emily Vitt was steady in net as the team easily captured the series opener over Union 6-0 on Friday night.

Although Vitt was forced to make only nine saves against a disorganized Dutchwomen attack, all were tricky chances and the backup netminder showed no signs of the rust accumulated while Boe played every single minute in net up to this point in the season.

“We want to see these kids get some playing time,” Stone said. “These are tough games to play. A lot of shots come through traffic because the defense is taking more away in shooting.”

“I’ve been waiting all season for this,” Vitt added. “I felt really comfortable out there even though these are tough games because there are so few chances.”

Equally impressive, though very different, was the performance of Vitt’s counterpart—Union’s Alex Zirbel. Zirbel faced relentless pressure from the Harvard offense and wound up with 51 stops, many of them sprawling or diving saves from close range.

“She’s really good,” Stone said. “She made some tough shots look easy by playing the angles very well. It helps that their head coach is a former goalie.”

The team’s six scores were evenly distributed throughout the three periods and among various members of the squads. Solley initiated the scoring just over seven minutes into the game off a nice feed from freshman Jenny Brine. It was a short evening for Solley, though, after she ejected on a game misconduct hitting from behind foul for flattening a Dutchwoman against the board late in the first.

“She was already going forward toward the boards and then I went to play her body against the boards with my top hand and she was already heading down and made a big bang,” Solley said. “They had to call it. If it had happened to us, we would have wanted it called. It wasn’t intentional. I don’t think it was malicious or I was playing too aggressively. Things happen and while I’m sorry that I missed the game and hopefully that girl’s okay, it was just an accident.”

The other opening period scorer—freshman Sarah Wilson—also sat out the final two-thirds of the game after taking a hard hit late in the first. Johnston, Brady, freshman Lauren Herrington, and senior Jennifer Raimondi also notched goals for the Crimson. Raimondi’s was the sharpest goal of the weekend: she connected on a one-timer off a cross-ice feed from sophomore defender Jessica Mackenzie on a power play late in the second.

Especially demonstrative of Harvard’s superiority was its statistical dominance in faceoffs. The Crimson controlled 66 of the 80 draws, with Schroyer (22-2) and Brine (14-1) serving as the standouts on the dot.

—Staff writer Jonathan Lehman can be reached at jlehman@fas.harvard.edu.