UPSET OF THE YEAR: Defeat Of Saints Leads to NCAAs

Each time the Harvard women’s hockey team faced St. Lawrence during the 2005-2006 campaign, the Saints jumped on the Crimson in the opening frame.

And each time St. Lawrence managed at least ten more shots on goal than Harvard in those first periods, senior goaltender Ali Boe kept the Crimson within striking distance.

The third time that happened, however, proved to be Harvard’s charm.

With the season on the line and the ECAC title in play—the Crimson made its way to the semifinals, and was ranked just outside the top eight squads lined up for the NCAA Frozen Eight—Harvard took control in the final two frames of play and defeated the then-No.2 Saints, 3-1, at Appleton Arena on March 11.

“Even though we lost last time we faced them [on Feb. 24], we hit three posts and carried the play for two periods, and our girls remember that,” Stone said.

Entering the first intermission during the postseason matchup, the game was locked at one. While the Crimson had netted the first goal, St. Lawrence was only able to respond and beat Boe on a power play, resulting from a tripping call on the Crimson goalie herself.

The rest of the game belonged to Harvard as it managed to keep the pressure on the Saints’ defense and netminder Meaghan Guckian while limiting the quality chances on its own net.

“What I am most impressed about was that we were determined to go after the net, we were a threat in the offensive zone, we had solid defense and great goaltending,” said Harvard coach Katey Stone after the game. “A solid collective effort.”

But not until late in the third period was the final result decided and the playoff upset made a reality.

The middle frame saw back-and-forth play in which neither team could score. While the Crimson defense managed to limit the Saints’ prolific offense to only 11 shots, it saw its own chances on net dwindle to five. The defensive effort kept St. Lawrence, which entered the game with the second best offense in the country, off the board for over forty minutes.

“It’s a tough loss to swallow because we got more scoring opportunities even though we lost,” Saints captain Kate Michael said after the contest.

As the two teams entered the last twenty minutes of the crucial game, the Harvard offense finally began to click. The momentum built through the final period, culminating in two goals within the last six minutes of play.

Junior Liza Solley scored her second tally of the day just past the 14-minute mark of the final frame to provide the eventual game-winning goal. She received a pass from freshman defender Nora Sluzas at the blue line and after her first shot was blocked, picked up the rebound and swept it around the net to beat Guckian for the score.

The third and clinching goal was registered by junior Jennifer Sifers, who also assisted on Solley’s first score.

With the swin, Harvard extended an impressive run it had built against ECAC rival St. Lawrence. Entering the game, the Crimson had a bit of a mental edge on the Saints as it had not lost to St. Lawrence in 13 of the two schools’ last 14 meetings on the ice.

“It’s very disappointing, particularly playing at home after having a 30-win season, but at least we know we’re still going to be playing,” said Saints coach Paul Flanagan following the loss.

With the victory, Harvard moved onto the ECAC finals to face Brown with a spot in the NCAA championship tournament on the line. The Crimson earned the automatic bid with its 4-3 victory over the Bears.

While the season may have been 35 games long, the upset defined Harvard’s postseason and its run to the NCAA tournament.

—GABRIEL M.VELEZ