Golden Knights Squeak by Crimson

Being the underdog is a position Harvard women’s hockey isn’t terribly familiar with. But when No. 2 Clarkson (10-1-1, 4-0-0) came to Bright Hockey Center on Friday night, that’s what the No. 10 Crimson was.

Harvard stuck with the Golden Knights, scoring first, but couldn’t hold on as Clarkson rallied to hand the Crimson a 2-1 defeat in its home opener.

“I thought it was a hard-fought game,” Harvard coach Katey Stone said. “We played hard, we just hurt ourselves in situations.”

It was a third-period powerplay goal from Golden Knight assistant captain Carlee Eusepi that proved the difference. Senior forward Dominique Thibault, a recent transfer from Connecticut, won a faceoff in the Harvard zone and passed the puck to Eusepi, who launched a high slapshot through a screen that found the top left corner of the net.

“That second goal, we weren’t ready,” Stone said. “They were on their toes on that faceoff. They dominated that faceoff, the play after that.”

But the Crimson didn’t back down—a theme throughout the night, as Harvard kept pace with the more-seasoned Golden Knights.

It took both teams a period to find their footing, with each squad generating only six shots in the first frame.

The Crimson had its best opportunity midway through the frame, when consecutive checking penalties on Clarkson’s Gabrielle Kosziwka and Courtney Olson gave it more than three straight minutes of power play. But Harvard failed to create chances in front of the net, relying on long shots that couldn’t find their way through traffic.

“We played their style of game, definitely, for the first period,” senior goaltender Christina Kessler said.

The Golden Knights nearly got on the board just minutes into the second frame, when rookie Danielle Skirrow skated around the back of the net and flipped the puck inside the right post. But the referees declined the goal, as the net had come off its moorings.

With six minutes gone in the second, Harvard’s third line capitalized on a chance in transition.

Senior Randi Griffin found freshman Kaitlin Spurling streaking up the left side, and the rookie went top-shelf from long range for her first collegiate goal.

“It was pretty cool,” Spurling said. “I’ve always dreamed about playing college hockey, so getting my first goal was a pretty big deal.”

Spurling is tied for first on the team in points, with four through four games.

“She’s getting better every weekend, and stronger—understanding how to use her body to her advantage,” Stone said. “She’s got a good shot—I mean, she ripped that…She was one of those kids on the ice at the end of the game. That’s what you want.”

Clarkson leveled the score less than seven minutes later.

Thibault, who is leading her new team in points, took a pass from sophomore Juana Baribeau and put a shot on net. Kessler made the initial save, but despite her acrobatic attempt at a split save, Thibault’s rebound lit the lamp.

Tied 1-1 to begin the third frame, junior Kate Buesser was whistled for cross-checking just 2:30 into the period, giving the Golden Knights the power play that led to Eusepi’s game-winning goal.

“We had some costly penalties, and we just talked about the fact that we’re not a young team,” Stone said. “As soon as everybody in the locker room recognizes that and starts playing like they’re capable of playing, then we’re going to be in good shape.”

For the last 17:12 of the game, Harvard dominated play, outshooting Clarkson 12-5 in the third.

The Golden Knights were called for too many men on the ice with four minutes to play, and the Crimson generated a number of shots on net—including a long shot from co-captain Cori Bassett that hit the pipe before skirting wide—but couldn’t capitalize.

And with 45 seconds to play, Harvard made the move to pull Kessler off the ice in favor of an extra skater. But the sixth skater hit the ice before Kessler was off, and the Crimson had to finish the game on the penalty kill.

“We definitely dominated the third and we got our chances, but unfortunately the bounces didn’t go our way today,” Kessler said. “It’s always tough losing the home opener, but I think we definitely learned a lot from this game.”

—Staff writer Kate Leist can be reached at kleist@fas.harvard.edu.