Women's Hockey Falls No. 6 Cornell on Senior Day in Front of Historic Crowd

When the final buzzer rang in front of the largest crowd in Cambridge in Harvard women’s hockey history on Saturday, the scoreboard read 6-1 in favor of No. 6 Cornell (15-4-4, 11-2-3 ECAC) and the Harvard Crimson (2-18-2, 1-14-1 ECAC) was handed another loss.

The Harvard team took to the ice in the Bright-Landry Hockey Center yearning for a win. After a devastating overtime loss against No. 5 Colgate on Friday, the Crimson strove for redemption against No. 6 Cornell.

For Harvard, the game marked an important battle against a league opponent and also an opportunity for the team to celebrate its seven seniors who are scheduled to graduate this spring.

Unfortunately for the Crimson, Cornell played a fierce game.

Less than a minute into the first period of play, freshman Lindzi Avar drew first blood for Cornell. After the goal, Harvard, caught with too many skaters on the ice, was forced to play a woman down. Merely five minutes after her first goal, Avar lit the lamp for a second time, capitalizing on the power play opportunity extending the lead to 2-0. The Crimson held the Big Red to two goals for the remainder of the period.

Harvard started the second period of play with a strong scoring chance, spurred by sophomore forward Angelica Megdanis. The New Canaan, Conn. native recently notched her first goal of her collegiate career against the Boston University Terriers in dramatic style during the semifinal game of the Beanpot.

After Megdanis’s initial push toward the net, the Crimson did an excellent job maintaining possession of the puck during a power play. The officials sent Cornell’s Beatrice Perron-Roy to the penalty box for tripping, giving Harvard a two-minute woman-up advantage. Although the home team failed to convert on the advantage, the Crimson stoutly passed the puck around Cornell’s zone, proving itself to be a threat.

While Harvard briefly attempted to ignite a comeback during the power play, Cornell responded quickly to the Crimson’s offensive pressure.

During an onslaught of Big Red shots, Harvard’s freshman goaltender Ainsley Tuffy made a beautiful save, sending a rebound barreling into the corner. Cornell won the battle for the puck against the boards, and Kaitlin Jockims dished the puck to her teammate, Katie Chan, who was waiting alone in front of the net. Chan deftly sent the puck flying over Tuffy’s shoulder and into the back of Harvard’s net.

Two minutes later, Cornell scored again. Tuffy made the first save, yet Delaney Fleming was able to overcome her defender and tap the puck behind Tuffy’s pads and into the net.

Cornell’s success continued throughout the rest of the period. With merely 24 seconds remaining on the clock, the Big Red tallied another goal. After 40 minutes of play, Cornell boasted a dominant five-point lead.

To begin the third period, Harvard’s Head Coach Laura Bellamy changed her goaltenders, choosing to let junior Emily Davidson wrap up the game. Harvard played with significantly more intensity in the final period, keeping Cornell to only seven shots on net.

The Big Red did score once more, but the Crimson did not slow down. With three minutes remaining in the game, Megdanis ripped a rocket of a shot over the shoulder of Cornell’s goaltender. The Harvard bench exploded in celebration alongside the 1,741 fans in attendance – the largest crowd recorded in Bright-Landry in Harvard Women’s Hockey history.

Megdanis’s effort, while impressive and inspiring for the fans, was too little too late to pose any real chance of a Crimson comeback. Harvard was out-played and out-hustled by the Big Red throughout the first two periods. Throughout the first 40 minutes, Cornell was able to get consistent one-on-one opportunities against Tuffy, a dream for any goal-hungry offensive skater.

In the final period, Harvard proved it could play with competitive teams, a theme seen throughout its many nail-biter games against similarly high-ranked opponents.

On Friday, Harvard fell 3-2 to No. 5 Colgate in overtime. Last week, the Crimson were defeated by No. 14 Boston University, yet the Terriers had to force an overtime period in order to win the game. These close calls, while they didn’t result in a win, established the Crimson as a team that can compete with the best when playing to its full potential.

That being said, the Crimson’s lineup against Cornell was very limited due to injuries and sickness. For a Harvard team looking to improve its record, its first order of business is to stay healthy.

The Crimson must also focus on staying out of the penalty box, preventing opponents from capitalizing on an extra-skater advantage and Harvard must do a better job of protecting the puck in the offensive zone.

This season, the team has proved it can score, as multiple players in Crimson jerseys can consistently put the puck into the back of the net when given a chance. In its upcoming games against No. 10 Quinnipiac and No. 13 Princeton, the team will hope to consistently test its opposing goaltenders.

Next weekend, the Crimson’s top-ranked matches against the Bobcats and the Tigers will both be challenging contests. Harvard looks to upset its opponents and rise in ECAC standings as the team leans into its final two weeks of the regular season.

—Staff writer Isabel Smail can be reached at isabel.smail@thecrimson.com.