NOTEBOOK: Goalie, Freshman Shine in Shutout

Christina Kessler was back in business on Friday.

The sophomore goalie stopped every one of the thirteen shots that came her way in the No. 1 Harvard women’s hockey team’s 3-0 win over Clarkson in the semifinals of the ECAC Tournament.

The shutout was Kessler’s 12th of the season and the 15th of her career, a mark that places her in a tie with Ali Boe ‘06 on top of the Crimson’s all-time list. Kessler downplayed the significance of the achievement, focusing instead on the broader subject of Harvard’s playoff ambitions.

“Obviously it feels great to break records, but right now I guess I got my eyes on the ECAC Championship prize and the NCAA Championship,” Kessler said. “That’s all I’m gunning for right now.”

For Kessler, the most significant aspect of the shutout was that it indicated a return to normalcy after a pair of tough weekends for the Harvard netminder. Kessler—who has a 0.93 goals against average—had allowed two scores in each of her last four games. Her struggles were amplified by a sore knee that kept her out of practice on several occasions, throwing her off from her weekly routine.

“Two weeks ago I was almost out for the whole week,” Kessler said. “I think I practiced on Thursday then tried to jump in and play two games...I really needed to get back into that routine, practice every day, practice hard, you know, get my confidence back and play the way that I’ve been playing so far.”

Fully healthy, Kessler was back in top form on Friday. While the Golden Knights only managed thirteen shots, they crashed the net several times. But Kessler kept her cool.

“I expected a hard-fought game from Clarkson and I knew they were going to come after me as they usually do,” she said. “They usually have a few forwards in front of the net trying to jam the puck in. I think I was prepared for that.”

LEARNING CURVE

Liza Ryabkina flashed her undeniable talent and gave glimpses of what could be on Friday, although she also reminded everyone in attendance that she is still a freshman.

Ryabkina astounded the crowd 9:58 into the third period, spinning through a crowd of defenders before flicking the puck between Clarkson goalie Eve Grandmont-Berube’s legs for a highlight reel score.

“Never to be duplicated again,” Crimson coach Katey Stone said of the goal.

“I can’t really describe it because I surprised myself,” Ryabkina added.

But as impressive as Ryabkina’s tally was, she also made some rookie mistakes Friday, committing three penalties and providing fodder for postgame banter in the press room.

“It was kind of tough after having three penalties in a row,” Ryabkina said.

“You had that many penalties?” Stone retorted sarcastically.

Ryabkina has impressed in her short time with Harvard. After Friday’s contest she was averaging 0.84 points per game which placed her 11th in the nation among rookies. However, the Ukranian is still adjusting to the collegiate game after playing with boys’ teams for most of her life in her native country.

“I played a totally different style of play,” Ryabkina said. “It was all individual. It was just, grab the puck and go beat everybody, never like, try to pass it and create the play.”

CROWD CONTROL

After easily finishing on top of the ECAC standings in the regular season with a perfect 22-0-0 league record, Harvard came into the conference playoffs with the advantage of being able to play on its home ice.

A large and loud crowd of 1,727 came out to the Bright Hockey Center on Friday night, giving the Crimson an emotional boost as it advanced to the ECAC finals.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen that many people [at a game] so that was pretty awesome for me,” Ryabkina said. “I always get so much energy out of seeing how much people enjoy watching us play that it’s just unbelievable.”

Playing at home also meant that the Crimson did not have to make any alterations to its usual preparations for the weekend.

“I’m happy for our players that they can stay in their normal routine,” Stone said. “It’s always nicer when you can stay at home and not have to take the act on the road, for sure.”

Harvard is undefeated at home this season, and the team carries an understandable swagger when playing at Bright.

After the game, Kessler lauded the sensation of having “the crowd, the fans, the feeling of being at home and knowing that this is our house and that no one’s going to beat us in this rink.”

—Staff writer Loren Amor can be reached at lamor@fas.harvard.edu.