Crimson Splits New York Road Trip

Two come-from-behind rallies. Two different results.

“It could’ve gone either way,” was how senior goaltender Christina Kessler described the Harvard’s women’s ice hockey games against Colgate (1-6-1, 0-1-1 ECAC) and Cornell (2-2, 2-0 ECAC) this weekend. In fact, it went both ways, as the Crimson (1-1, 1-1 ECAC) lost to the Big Red, 4-3, on Saturday after defeating the Raiders, 2-1, on Friday.

Each contest was characterized by second-period Harvard rallies, but the Crimson was only able to seal the deal once, against Colgate.

“The playing field is so level,” co-captain Kathryn Farni added. “Every game is going to be a close battle.”

CORNELL 4, HARVARD 3

Harvard was able to rally after a slow start against Cornell, but it couldn’t close out the game as the Big Red’s Melanie Jue scored at 16:57 in the third period to give Cornell the win. The goal was the senior forward’s second of the day.

The final score overshadowed an impressive debut for the Crimson’s freshmen in their first weekend of college hockey.

“We’re asking a lot of them,” Farni said. “They’ve all done a great job. There’s a couple defensemen who are getting a lot of ice time and forwards being put in high pressure situations.”

One of those forwards is rookie Jillian Dempsey, who scored her first career goal Saturday.

“She’s tireless,” Stone said. “That goal came out of pure guts and tenaciousness. That’s what we were looking for when we recruited her, and that’s what we hope to get from her for the next four years.”

Dempsey’s goal came at 18:23 in the second period, giving Harvard a 2-1 lead. The Crimson had scored two goals in six minutes after being unable to find the back of the net for the first 32. Senior forward Anna McDonald had the first tally at 12:16 into the second.

“We’re growing,” co-captain Cori Bassett said. “It says a lot about the team that we were able to come back.”

The game sets Harvard back in the ECAC hunt, but the team is confident that it can overcome the early loss and right the ship against conference opponents.

“The way they celebrated after the game is something we don’t want to see again,” Kessler added. “When they come back, we’re going to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

HARVARD 2, COLGATE 1

Harvard emerged victorious from its Friday contest, putting together its first comeback effort of the weekend.

A pair of veterans—senior Anna McDonald and junior Leanna Coskren—gave the Crimson its scoring punch.

“The upperclassmen are setting an excellent example,” Stone said.

Unlike the Cornell battle, the game was a low-scoring affair, with all of the goals coming in the second period.

Colgate senior Evan Minnick was first on the board, scoring at 5:32 in the second period, but Kessler made 29 saves to prevent any further scoring from the Raiders.

“Kessler’s a great goalie,” Bassett said. “One of the [top] goalies in the country.”

Kessler downplayed her individual performance, crediting her defense for preventing Colgate from getting good looks at the net.

“All of the shots came from the outside,” Kessler said. “They didn’t have a lot of opportunities inside.”

Kessler and the defense gave Coskren and McDonald time to rally the Crimson. Coskren reached the back of the net first, scoring at 11:17 in the second period. Eight and a half minutes later, McDonald scored the game-winner.

Coskren and Farni, who had two assists against Cornell, are both defensemen.

“Everyone is going to need to contribute,” Farni said. “As the season goes on, I think you’ll see a lot of people putting up points.”

As the league schedule progresses, Harvard will have to adjust to a growing level of parity in the ECAC, in which traditionally middle-of-the-pack teams like Cornell can no longer be taken for granted.

“We just have to keep working on getting better,” Stone said. “Individually and collectively, getting better every week and every day.”