Boxscore

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Kati Vaughn and Sarah Vaillancourt each scored twice and Jenny Brine assisted on two tallies, as the top-ranked Harvard women's hockey team downed Cornell, 4-2, Saturday at Lynah Rink. The Crimson scored three times with an extra-attacker, including twice on a five-minute power play in the second period.

With the win, Harvard 26-1-0, 22-0-0 ECAC Hockey, 10-0-0 Ivy League) becomes the second team in ECAC women's hockey history to complete the regular season with a perfect record (Brown in 1996-97). Harvard also finishes the Ivy League season undefeated and untied, and enters the playoffs with a 16-game winning streak.

For the second time this weekend, the Crimson opened the game with a power-play goal early in the first period. Cornell was called for two penalties within 17 seconds of each other, and the Crimson set up its power-play unit in the Big Red zone. After passing the puck around the perimeter, Brine and Vaillancourt found Vaughn at the top of the right circle for a one-timer at 7:28. Vaughn's attempt flew past Cornell goaltender Jenny Niesluchowski's right shoulder to give the Crimson the 1-0 lead. Vaillancourt earned the 100th assist of her career on the play.

The Crimson almost tacked on another score with 90 seconds remaining in the first, but Sarah Wilson's wrister from the slot just missed the top of the net. Harvard managed 17 shots in the first, compared to only four for Cornell (12-15-1, 9-11-1, 3-6-1).

At 12:04 of the second, Harvard doubled its lead to 2-0 after the puck deflected off the skate of one of Cornell's defenders and into the net. The Crimson had moved the puck into the crease when it bounced off the defenseman for the goal. Vaillancourt, the nearest Harvard player to the puck, was credited with the tally, while Brine picked up her second assist of the afternoon.

Harvard earned a five-minute power play later in the second period when Cornell received a major penalty for kicking at 12:36. The Crimson converted twice on the ensuing extra-attacker advantage, as Vaughn and Vaillancourt each tallied their second goals of the game. Vaughn's score came on a blast from the blue line at 15:01, and Vaillancourt found an open left side of the net just 55 seconds later to increase the Harvard lead to 4-0 entering the second intermission. The two-goal effort was the first of Vaughn's Crimson career.

In the third, the Big Red, tallied its own power-play goal at 1:34 with a low shot by Amber Moore that banked off the left post and into the net. With seven minutes left in the game, Cornell cut the Crimson lead in half, making it 4-2 on a goal by Rebecca Johnston.

Brine finished the game 19-8 on faceoffs, as the Crimson led 30-23 in that category. Harvard also owned a 41-23 advantage in shots and was 3-of-7 on its power-play chances. Harvard goaltender Christina Kessler made 21 saves en route to her nation-leading 25th victory of the year.

Up next, Harvard will one again face Cornell, this time in a best-of-three ECAC Hockey quarterfinal series at Bright Hockey Center. The Crimson and Big Red will skate Friday, Feb. 29, at 7 p.m. in game one. The second contest is scheduled for Saturday, March 1 at 4 p.m., with game three slated for Sunday, March 2 at 4 p.m., if necessary. As the ECAC regular-season champion, Harvard is the top seed in the playoffs.

The Crimson was 2-0-0 against the Big Red in the regular season and won, 4-1, in the game played at Bright back on Jan. 5.