W. Hockey Avenges Loss to Huskies

The No. 2 Harvard women’s hockey team managed to maintain its perfect record with a 2-0 victory over No. 10 Connecticut (11-4-1, 4-2-1 Hockey East) Friday night at Bright Hockey Center.

The Crimson dominated the shot count, 42-14, and controlled the tempo of the game. The squad, however, had to battle to earn its goals, which both came in the last 10 minutes of regulation.

“We beat a good team and a great goaltender,” coach Katey Stone said. “We just found a way to win.”

With 7:07 left in the third period, junior Sarah Vaillancourt scored the first goal of the game—and her team-high eighth score of the season—by backhanding the puck past the right skate of Connecticut goaltender Jennie Bellonio.

The scoring play began when junior Jenny Brine fired a slapshot off Bellonio. Vaillancourt controlled the rebound, touched it around the goaltender, and slid the puck into the lower corner. Both Brine and freshman Liza Ryabkina were credited with assists.

“It was a huge effort from Liza and Jenny,” Vaillancourt said. “I was just there for the rebound.”

Brine added an insurance goal four minutes later. After Ryabkina attempted a wraparound shot, the puck was deflected in front of the crease, and Brine buried it into the back of the goal. Both Ryabkina and Vaillancourt recorded assists on the play.

But before scoring these two third-period goals, the Crimson had trouble finding the net.

“I said to [the team] in between the second and third that we needed to share the puck more,” Stone said. “We did a better job of that in the third period, so it paid off.”

Another reason Harvard struggled to score early on was the play of Bellonio, Connecticut’s goalie, who recorded 40 saves on the night.

“We had good looks at the net—the goaltender just played really well,” Stone said.

Although Bellonio contained the Crimson attack, it was goaltender Christina Kessler and the Harvard defense that wound up with the shutout, the fourth of the season. Kessler, a sophomore, leads the nation in save percentage and goals against average.

“We know if we make a mistake, she’s there,” Vaillancourt said. “There’s not much more we can ask of her.”

When Harvard and Connecticut met last season, the Huskies upset the Crimson, 3-2. Friday was a night of revenge for Harvard, and it showed in the physical nature of the contest.

A big moment in the first period came when sophomore Anna McDonald was ejected and received a game misconduct after checking a Husky from behind.

The Crimson had four power plays on the night but did not convert on any of them. Coming into the game, Harvard ranked first nationally in offensive power-play efficiency at 33 percent.

“UConn played almost perfect defense,” Vaillancourt said.

But it was the Harvard defense that came away with the win.