Late Goal Hands Crimson Draw

The Harvard women’s hockey team settled for a 1-1 draw on Friday against Rensselear Polytechnic Institute (5-5-1. 2-1-1 ECAC) after what proved to be an exciting three periods at the Bright Hockey Center. The game was marked by back-and-forth play and missed opportunities on both ends of the ice.

Coming off wins against Quinnipiac and Princeton, Harvard (3-0-1, 3-0-1) came into the game on a wave of momentum. Despite an aggressive offensive attack, the Crimson had trouble finding the back of the net on multiple attempts. Harvard appeared to have the win in the bag, but came up short after an RPI effort to tie the game in the last 18 seconds.

“We are struggling to find our identity, and it’s something we have to figure out in a hurry,” said Harvard assistant coach Joakim Flygh. “We just need to watch some game tape and get back out there.”

With a minute left in the game and the Crimson up 1-0, the Engineers pulled goalie Sonja van der Bliek and set up a six-man front around the Crimson net. Seniors Jamie Lynn-Stewart and Nicole McDonald rushed the net and a loose puck found its way between the posts off of a shot by junior Allysen Weidner to tie the game at one.

In overtime, the Engineers had three shots on goal compared with the Crimson’s one, but neither team could close it out before the final buzzer.

In the end, RPI out-shot Harvard 22-19. While both teams failed to score on their power play chances, the Crimson went 0-for-2, while the Engineers went 0-for-6.

“Overall we are disappointed,” junior goalie Christina Kessler said. “I think we have yet to put a full 60 minute hockey game on the ice.”

The first period was calm on both ends of the ice, with the Engineers out-shooting Harvard 6-1. Despite dominant Crimson play, RPI was able to capitalize on Harvard’s defensive mistakes to tally shots on goal.

Kessler carried the Crimson in the first and second periods to keep the Engineers off the score sheet, despite many open looks.

The second frame saw more action, as Harvard found a groove on offense and managed many shot opportunities against a faltering R.I defense. Sophomore Leanna Coskren set up the quick one-timer to freshmen Whitney Kennedy, but van der Bliek stopped it in the crease.

Van der Bliek continued to crush Crimson chances by blocking back-to-back shots and a slap shot from the point. Despite breakdowns in the Engineer defense, solid goaltending kept RPI in the game. Harvard had 11 shots on goal, while the Engineers struggled with two.

“They did a good job packing it in, but we had some good looks too,” Kessler said. “It’s just too bad we couldn’t finish on our opportunities.”

The Crimson got on the board at 13:49 in the second frame with a six-man drive after pulling Kessler. Junior Randi Griffin recovered a rebound and slammed the puck home to give Harvard a 1-0 advantage. The Crimson gained momentum off the goal and came out strong looking to close out the second, but van der Bliek halted any Harvard chances to make it a two-goal game. In the last minute of the frame, sophomore Liza Ryabkina found Kennedy on a break down the middle, but van der Bliek made the save to keep RPI within reach.

Despite precision offense in the second period, the Crimson could not carry it over to the third. The last frame was marked by disorganized play and a Crimson defensive breakdown. The Engineers quickly shifted the tone of the game, accumulating 11 shots on goal and holding Harvard to only six.

“Obviously it’s disappointing,” captain Jenny Brine said. “We went into the third after the second and were hoping that the Harvard hockey style of play would continue, but we ended up scrambling.”

Halfway through the third Kessler kept the Crimson’s hopes alive with a save on a slapshot from the point. She also tallied a stop with an acrobatic block of a close range shot with seven minutes left in the period.

“Our D zone was our bread and butter last year so we need to work on that,” Kessler said. “We need to keep focus on what we have to do.”