Big Red Catch Crimson Amidst Struggles

Following an uncharacteristic loss in the Beanpot championship to Boston College, the No. 10 Harvard women’s hockey team started its game versus Cornell at Bright Hockey Center on Friday night looking much different from the squad that had struggled against the Eagles.

Better control, faster pacing, and smarter play replaced the sloppy passing and lack of cohesiveness it had exhibited on Tuesday night. But the Crimson’s renewed vigor and heightened intensity nonetheless failed to put the breaks on a 4-3 defeat.

The Crimson (12-10-4, 8-5-4 ECAC), in trying to extend its win streak over the Big Red to 12 games, had sought to solidify its place in the conference standings in the regular season’s penultimate weekend.

“I thought our kids were ready to play,” Harvard coach Katey Stone said. “They played hard.”

Cornell (9-16-0, 5-14-0), however, proved a worthy adversary, matching the Crimson’s intensity in a contest that would not be decided until the final seconds.

With the clock dwindling late in the third period and Harvard trailing 4-2, Stone pulled the goaltender in favor of an extra attacker.

Harvard scored a goal with 20 seconds left in the game. Off a faceoff, Jenny Brine deflected a pass from Kati Vaughn past Big Red goalie Beth Baronick, preserving a glimmer of hope for the Crimson.

But the game-tying goal eluded Harvard, ending the game, 4-3, and delivering the team its second straight loss at home.

Despite the final result, the Crimson appeared poised to take the action to Cornell in the early going.

Five minutes into the first period, the Crimson overwhelmed Baronick on the power play.

After senior Jennifer Raimondi fired a slapshot from the point, freshman Jenny Brine cleaned up the rebound in the crease for her first of two goals on the night.

Unaffected by the deficit, Cornell maintained its pressure on the Crimson, seizing the lead.

After intercepting a pass, the Crimson botched a pass of its own, allowing the puck to sail free and into the clutches of the Big Red. Breaking away, Cornell’s Vicki Hodgkinson blazed towards the goal and provided the assist to teammate Sarah Johnston, who tied the score at 1-1.

After many unsuccessful shots on the goal during power play and several spectacular saves, the constant pressure applied by the Big Red wore down the Harvard defense.

Following a saved shot, the Crimson could not clear the puck beyond the Big Red attack. Cornell forward Emma Chipman hooked the puck around goaltender Brittany Martin to give the Big Red a 2-1 lead.

“We had a few defensive breakdowns and let the Cornell kids take a few more whacks at the puck than they should,” Stone said. “And good things don’t happen then.”

The struggle continued into the second period as each team jockeyed for the advantage.

With multiple possession changes and strong defensive pressure, the middle frame continued with neither Harvard nor Cornell taking control. The game flow stayed relatively constant—that was, until the Crimson broke through to even up the game at two goals apiece. Senior Jennifer Raimondi gathered the puck in the Harvard defensive zone and played a long pass ahead to freshman Sarah Wilson along the left side boards. Wilson tracked down the feed before wheeling and firing a pass back to Raimondi, who one-timed a shot into the net, providing the lone score of the second period.

Because of the offensive stagnation, the play between the two teams became noticeably rougher. Officials whistled four of the eight total penalties late in the meeting.

Entering the third period, it seemed as if the Crimson had grabbed the momentum, but the Big Red quickly regained the lead, striking on a 3-on-2 break at 3:31 into the third period. A great pass led to an easy goal for Cornell forward Caroline Scott.

Not allowing Harvard a chance to recover from that goal, the energized Big Red applied pressure deep in the Crimson’s defensive zone. Another intercepted pass by Cornell created the easy lane for Brittany Forgues and a 4-2 advantage.

The Crimson outshot the Big Red, 31-24, in the losing effort.

Several of those attempts ricocheted off the post in the game’s final minutes as few of Harvard’s shots on goal found their target.

“We’re in a streak of some bad luck,” Stone said. “We just got to change it and we can.”

“We’re going to get the bounces sooner or later,” Brine added.