Women's Hockey Battles Back from Third-Period Deficit, Earns Tie

Playing on the second night of a back-to-back and facing a 3-1 deficit in the third period, things were not looking good for the Harvard women’s ice hockey team. But thanks to two goals in a six-minute stretch, the Crimson (9-5-1, 6-3-1 ECAC) managed to come back and earn a draw with Quinnipiac (13-8-2, 9-3-2), 3-3, Saturday night at the TD Bank Sports Center in Hamden, Conn.

Harvard boasted a balanced attack as three different players scored and three different players assisted in the Crimson’s come-from-behind tie.

“We were coming off a tough loss [Friday], and obviously would’ve preferred the win, but we are just taking small steps,” said sophomore defender Marissa Gedman, who notched the tying score for the Crimson in the third period. “It’s hard coming back after the break; we’re all just trying to get to know each other again. I’d say we are pleased, but definitely aren’t fully satisfied with the tie.”

After traveling to Connecticut following Friday’s 3-0 loss at Princeton, it seemed early on in Saturday’s matchup that Harvard just did not have enough energy to keep up with the speedy Bobcats. The hosts took advantage, as they jumped out to a quick lead and were up 3-1 by the end of the second period.

In the first frame, Quinnipiac wasted no time flexing the offensive muscle that led it to win seven of its last eight outings, scoring the first goal after only 3:48 had elapsed in the game. The Bobcats’ Erica Uden Johansson found the puck after teammate Megan Hugg missed wide and proceeded to put it in the back of the net, keeping alive the squad’s 12-game scoring streak.

Harvard junior forward Kaitlin Spurling came out firing in the second period, picking up where she left off after Wednesday’s game versus UConn. At the 1:47 mark, Spurling grabbed a rebound, putting back freshman forward Hillary Crowe’s blocked shot.

But the game’s first tie was short-lived as Quinnipiac dominated the remainder of the second. It was Kate Wheeler who regained the Bobcats’ lead less than four minutes later, scoring off of a pass from Chelsea Illchuk 4:29 into the period. With 4:46 to go in the period, Kelly Babstock turned a Harvard power play to the home team’s advantage as she stole the puck and, unassisted, made her way down the ice and found the back of the net to give her team a 3-1 advantage.

It was sophomore forward Lyndsey Fry who reduced the Crimson’s deficit to one after 3:41 of play in the third period. Fry received the puck from junior forward Jillian Dempsey, who drew the attention of several Quinnipiac players as she streaked from one end of the ice to the other. Before the Bobcat defenders could stop her, Dempsey left the puck off to Fry, and the sophomore knocked it in, at least according to the official scorer.

According to Fry, she was not the last player to get her stick on the puck before it found the back of the net.

“I actually don’t think I really scored that goal,” Fry explained. “I think it went off one other player, but they gave me credit for it. Somebody shot it towards the net and it came out on a rebound. Two of us were just crashing towards the net and from there it went off one other player’s stick.”

Harvard managed to draw even with the Bobcats at the 9:43 mark during its third power play of the game. The scoring sequence started with Fry firing a quick pass to freshman defender Michelle Picard, who then sent it to Gedman. The defender fired a shot amidst a throng of players that found its way into the goal and evened the score.

“We were definitely trying to bounce back from the previous power play, which hadn’t gone as well,” Gedman explained. “I just got it, took a shot from the point, and it got redirected into the net. I guess you could call it luck.”

Luck or not, Gedman’s shot was one of many timely goals for the sophomore so far in her career. This season, on both Oct. 28 and 29 Gedman scored the game-winning goal for the Crimson. During her freshman season, the defender also came up clutch, assisting or shooting on four game-winners.

Gedman described the team’s mentality in the break leading into the final period as a key reason for its strong finish.

“I think the time in between the second and third period was definitely vital for us,” Gedman said. “We had a decision whether we were going to go back out there and just coast for a loss, or fight back for the points for the weekend. I think the attitude and the spirit in the locker room definitely showed out on the ice, and that is a huge reason why we were able to come back.”

Fry also emphasized the importance of the break between the second and third periods.

“We had lost to Princeton the night before and we knew we didn’t want to be in that situation again,” Fry said. “Coach came in between periods and basically said that this was the time to figure out what kind of team we wanted to be. I think we all just came together and picked up on the momentum that we’re going to need for the entire second half of our season.”

Following Gedman’s goal, the remainder of the third was scoreless and, ultimately, so was overtime. Though the Bobcats out-shot Harvard six to two in the extra period, Crimson junior assistant-captain and goaltender, Laura Bellamy, earned six of her 32 saves in the period, leading her team to its first tie of the season.

“We’re just going to keep working hard,” Gedman said. “It is amazing that the first thing people said when the game ended was ‘Let’s work on this in practice this week,’ and ‘Don’t forget what happened this weekend.’ Our mentality is just moving forward and grinding to get to where we want to be at the end of the season.”

—Staff writer Juliet Spies-Gans can be reached at jspiesgans@college.harvard.edu