Harvard Picks Up Win, Tie in Overtime Contests

Anyone expecting a letdown between Harvard’s exciting win over Northeastern and the hype surrounding the Crimson’s upcoming Beanpot finals matchup against Boston College was simply wrong.

Harvard (14-8-4, 13-4-3 ECAC) found itself on Friday and Saturday afternoons in overtime thrillers against ECAC opponents Clarkson (11-14-6, 8-7-4) and St. Lawrence (13-16-2, 8-11-0).

HARVARD 3, ST. LAWRENCE 2

In a weekend of big momentum shifts and up-and-down battles, no moment was bigger than sophomore Josephine Pucci’s goal with 14 seconds remaining in the second period that tied the game at 2-2.

This goal helped force the game into overtime, where Harvard would ultimately prevail, 3-2, in a big win for the Crimson Saturday afternoon at the Saints’ Appleton Arena.

Jillian Dempsey notched three goals for the weekend and netted the winning goal in overtime.

“She came up big for us this weekend,” senior Katharine Chute said.

“Obviously it wasn’t just me,” Dempsey added. “We did it together as a team this weekend.”

Bellamy had 20 saves for the day.

“It was nothing different [than what she usually does],” Dempsey said of her performance.

Liza Ryabkina scored Harvard’s other goal on a power play 11:23 into the second period, putting the Crimson up, 1-0.

St. Lawrence responded when Lauren Brozowski scored on a power play 16:31 into the same period to tie the game at 1-1. The Saints struck again with 40 seconds to go in the period, taking a very brief lead until Pucci was able to tie the game again.

While Harvard and St. Lawrence registered a total of 13 shots in the third period, neither was able to break through its opponents’ defenses, forcing the game into overtime.

Finally, after nearly five minutes of overtime, Dempsey broke the stalemate and scored the winning goal to give Harvard its 14th win of the year.

The win helped the Crimson maintain its hold on second place in the ECAC, just ahead of third-place Dartmouth.

HARVARD 3, CLARKSON 3

While emotions were very positive after Saturday’s win over the Saints, the Crimson left unsatisfied with its last weekend on the road after a 2-2 tie against Clarkson on Friday.

Coming off of a shoot-out win in the Beanpot over Northeastern, Harvard knew what it was in for heading to Cheel Arena to take on the Golden Knights on Friday afternoon, as Clarkson had just tied Cornell—a team that beat the Crimson 3-0 earlier in the season.

“We’re a little bit disappointed with the tie against Clarkson,” Dempsey said.

Harvard was down twice on Friday, but it fought back both times.

The most critical part of the game for the Crimson came after the Golden Knights’ Melissa Waldie’s goal just 1:52 into the third period put Clarkson up 3-2. Harvard was able to keep up the pressure, and Dempsey scored two minutes later to tie the game.

The Golden Knights struck first, when Hailey Wood scored on a power play, putting Clarkson up with 2:18 to go in the first period.

Dempsey would retaliate 10:14 into the second period. Two minutes later, freshman Elizabeth Parker scored to briefly put the Crimson up, 2-1, 12:31 into the second period.

This lead was lost when Jamie Lee Rattray scored 13 minutes into the second period. Despite outshooting the Golden Knights, 19-4, in the second frame, Harvard only outscored Clarkson by one in the period, and the two teams finished the second period tied at two goals apiece.

The Crimson’s inability to capitalize on its shot advantage proved costly, when Waldie was able to score in a big moment in the third period, not long before Dempsey scored the game-tying goal.

“We played a pretty strong game,” Chute said, though she did echo Dempsey’s disappointment with the inability to pick up a win.

Dempsey said she believes that the team’s three straight overtime games are giving it momentum.

Heading into a Beanpot final matchup tomorrow night with Boston College, who beat Harvard, 6-2, earlier in the year, the Crimson certainly does not seem afraid.

“We can fight back, so don’t count us out,” Dempsey said.

“Playing in overtime will be great preparation for Tuesday,” Chute added.

—Staff writer Christina C. McClintock can be reached at ccmcclin@fas.harvard.edu.