Kessler Sets Single-Season Shutout Record

Box Score

HAMDEN, CT -- Sarah Vaillancourt scored two goals, including one on a penalty shot, and goalie Christina Kessler set a new NCAA Division I single-season shutout record to lead the No. 1 Harvard to a 4-0 victory over Quinnipiac Saturday afternoon.

Kessler made 24 saves in net for Harvard (25-1-0, 20-0-0 ECAC Hockey), as she recorded her 11^th shutout of the year. 

With Harvard's 14^th consecutive victory Saturday afternoon, head coach Katey Stone (293-125-19) set another milestone in her storied career as she surpassed John Marchetti, the long-time coach of Providence and Yale, to become the third-winningest coach in Division I women's college hockey history.

Caitlin Cahow gave the Crimson a 1-0 advantage with her nation-leading 11^th power-play goal at 8:29 of the first period.  Harvard earned an extra-attacker advantage after Quinnipiac (5-22-5, 2-14-4) was called for too many skaters on the ice.  Jenny Brine and Vaillancourt moved the puck up the ice into the Bobcats' zone, finding Cahow who fired it past Quinnipiac's Jamie Miller for the score.

With three minutes remaining in the first, the Crimson was awarded a penalty-shot opportunity after a Quinnipiac defender covered up the puck in the Bobcats' crease.  Vaillancourt was selected as the Harvard player to take the shot and capitalized on the chance to make it a 2-0 game.  She took the puck from center ice, skated in on Miller and made a few fakes with her stick before sliding the puck into the right side of the goal. 

Harvard tacked on two goals within 90 seconds of each other, as Sarah Wilson and Vaillancourt found the back of the net to increase the Crimson lead to 4-0.  Wilson received a pass from Kati Vaughn inside the right circle and proceeded to take a turnaround shot that got through Miller at 7:29. 

Vaillancourt tallied her second goal of the afternoon at 8:59 on a wrister in front, as Liza Ryabkina collected an assist on the play.

Heading into the final 20 minutes, Harvard owned a 22-17 advantage in shots and was a perfect 4-for-4 on the penalty kill.   

In the third, Quinnipiac had some of its better scoring chances, including when Anny Kallum sent the puck in front of the net, However, Kallum's attempt went untouched and skipped away from Kessler.  The Crimson goaltender made seven stops in the final period to clinch the shutout record, while Miller turned away a total of 30 shots in the game for the Bobcats.

Vaillancourt completes the weekend with five points, including three goals, to increase her team-leading season point total to 48 (18-30).

With its 13^th shutout, Harvard ties the all-time school record for a season, set by the 2003-04 squad. 

Harvard remains on the road to face Colgate and Cornell in the final games of the regular season Feb. 22-23.