Third-Period Goals Send Crimson Into Final
CAMBRIDGE, MA -- Freshmen Katharine Chute and Liza Ryabkina each tallied goals as No. 1 Harvard earned a 3-0 shutout over No. 9 Clarkson in the semifinals of the ECAC Championship, held at Bright Hockey Center.
With the victory, Harvard, the No. 1 seed in the ECAC Tournament, will hosts the winner of No. 6 St. Lawrence and No. 8 Dartmouth in the title game Sunday at 4 p.m. The Saints and Big Green faceoff later Saturday afternoon at Bright Hockey Center.
The teams played strong defensively in the first 20 minutes of action, as Harvard (30-1-0) and Clarkson had a combined seven shots on goal, including three by the Crimson. Harvard did have two scoring chances, as Ryabkina and Anna McDonald had back-to-back shots at the 13:30 mark. Ryabkina moved the puck from the left side and attempted a shot on Clarkson goalie Even Grandmont-Berube, but the puck squirted through the crease. McDonald's chance was an exact mirror of Ryabkins's opportunity, as she also moved the puck through the crease, narrowly missing the target.
Midway through the second, Clarkson (24-9-5) had a 2-on-1 as Brooke Beazer and Marie-Joe Gaudet moved into the Harvard zone. Beazer carried the puck towards Christina Kessler, the Harvard netminder, before passing to her left in an attempt to find Gaudet. However, the pass was a bit too long, skipping past Gaudet's stick and into the corner.
With 1:49 remaining in the frame, Chute took a pass from Vaillancourt at center ice. Chute skated over the blue line and fired a wrist shot from between the top of the circles. The puck fluttered over Grandmont-Berube's glove and into the net, giving Harvard a 1-0 lead heading into the second intermission.
Harvard earned its only power play of the game three minutes into the third, when Courtney O'Connor was called for interference. On the ensuing power play, Jenny Brine deflected a Caitlin Cahow slapshot from the point past Grandmont-Berube to extend Harvard's lead to 2-0. Defenseman Kathryn Farni also earned an assist on the play.
Less than six minutes later, Ryabkina stole the puck between the circles in the Clarkson zone. Ryabina then spun around a Golden Knight defender and moved the puck between the goaltender's legs for Harvard's third goal of the afternoon.
With her 12th shutout of the season, Kessler extends her NCAA Division I single-season record and tied the all-time Crimson career mark (15) with Ali Boe '06. Kessler concluded the game against Clarkson with 15 saves, while Grandmont-Berube turned aside 18 Crimson shots.
The Crimson finished the game 1-of-1 on its power plays, and held the Golden Knights 0-for-5. Harvard moves to 16-0-0 at home this season, including 14-0-0 against ECAC opponents.
