Women's Hockey Falls to Dartmouth, Snaps Winning Streak

When senior forward Kalley Armstrong scored to put the Harvard women’s hockey team up, 2-1, over Dartmouth with 10 minutes left to play, the goal set off one of the most raucous celebrations of the season.

Armstrong leapt into the arms of sophomore forward Syndey Daniels, and fist-pumping teammates soon surrounded the pair in front of a suddenly silent stadium in Hanover, N.H.

However, such exuberance did not last long. The Big Green (10-7-1, 6-5-1 ECAC) equalized one minute later, went ahead on a power-play score two minutes after that, and added an empty-net goal to skate off the ice with a 4-2 upset.

For the No. 5/5 Crimson (11-3-2, 9-2-1 ECAC), the loss snapped a 10-game winning streak that began in late November.

“Honestly, we had a much better third period than the first two, so I didn’t feel like the score reflected our play,” senior forward Lyndsey Fry said. “They had a few bounces go their way in the third, and that’s just how it goes sometimes.”

Dartmouth forward Lindsey Allen entered Saturday’s contest as the second-leading scorer in the ECAC, but for the first 51 minutes of action, the Harvard defense held her in check. The junior star made menacing cuts, hitting four shots on frame, but she did not score.

All that changed with nine minutes left in regulation. As the Crimson clung to a 2-1 advantage, Allen collected the puck and pushed a finish past Harvard goalie Emerance Maschmeyer.

Although the Crimson responded with three consecutive shots, an interference call on Daniels slammed this momentum to a halt. It was on the ensuing power play that the Big Green scored the game-winner.

Announced at 1,027, the attendance was the largest number of spectators to see Harvard play this season, and the atmosphere injected a special intensity into the game from the opening faceoff.

“I think the fact that we responded to them scoring their first goal so quickly demonstrated that we don’t let crowds get in our heads,” Fry said. “We love playing in front of a big crowd. Sadly it doesn’t happen enough in women’s hockey.”

The energy was already building in the first period, when the hosts conceded a late goal despite jumping out to a 15-6 shot advantage. Crimson forward Hillary Crowe gave Harvard the lead by receiving a cutting pass from senior forward Sami Reber near the crease and flipping the puck over the goalie.

The finish came just 12 seconds after Maschmeyer smothered a breakaway opportunity on the other end. The junior goalkeeper finished the match with 32 saves, her second-highest total of the season.

“I would’ve expected them to score more early on,” Fry said. “Emmerance held us in it.”

The shutout ended when the hosts scored seven minutes into the third frame to knot the score at 1-1.

Three minutes later, Armstrong responded with her finish and corresponding celebration.

After Allen’s goal, Dartmouth forward Brooke Ahbe scored a power play goal to regain the lead for the home team.

Despite holding the Big Green scoreless for almost two and a half stanzas, Maschmeyer was not even in goal for Dartmouth’s fourth goal. In the final minute, Allen added an empty-net finish to earn her second goal of the game and ice the victory.

The score, which arrived 20 seconds after Maschmeyer substituted off the ice, came on the heels of two power plays for the Big Green. The first led to the go-ahead goal; the second, the result of a roughing penalty on Crowe, forced a Crimson squad that desperately needed a score to play two minutes of defense.

The defeat dropped Harvard to third in the ECAC standings behind Quinnipiac and Clarkson.

“I think [Dartmouth] just capitalized on the few opportunities we gave them,” Fry said. “There weren’t many, but they took advantage.”

—Staff writer Sam Danello can be reached at sdanello@college.harvard.edu.