Harvard Rallies, Beats Princeton

Photo by DSPics.com

Box score

Cambridge, Mass. -- Another solid third-period performance vaulted the Harvard women's hockey team past Princeton, 3-2, Saturday at Bright Hockey Center.

The comeback win is Harvard's second in as many days and gives the Crimson a 2-0 conference and season record. Princeton falls to 1-3-1 in ECAC play and 1-3-2 on the season.

Junior Sarah Vaillancourt netted the game-winning goal, her first of the season, with 9:41 to play in the third period and added assists on the other two goals. Sophomore Cori Bassett got the Crimson on the board with her first goal of the year, and senior captain Caitlin Cahow was the third Crimson player to net a power-play marker. Sophomore goalie Christina Kessler recorded 16 stops in her second win of the season.

"Our tempo was really good," says head coach Katey Stone of her offense, "we out-shot them 41 to 18 and in the third period, the kids came out hard and made some adjustments."

Despite an early penalty on Harvard, the Crimson came out gunning to start the game, keeping constant pressure on Tigers goalie Kristen Young through the first 10 minutes.

Harvard nearly killed a second penalty when Jen Brawn was sent off for hooking with 7:18 left in the period. But with three seconds left in the Princeton power play, Annie Greenwood fired a chest-high bullet that a screened Kessler never saw, giving the Tigers a 1-0 lead.

A flurry in front of the visitor's net towards the end of the period looked hopeful as Katharine Chute turned a shot loose that took a dangerous ricochet off of a Princeton skater, but Young was able to clear the puck off her line.

The penalties turned in favor of the Crimson at the beginning of the second stanza, and Harvard took advantage of a 5-on-3 situation just three minutes in. Bassett took a cross-ice pass from Vaillancourt and one-timed a shot from the right point that squeezed in between Young's glove and the near post, knotting the score at 1-1.

The penalty bug bit again with 6:32 to play as Vaillancourt was sent off for a body check. Princeton needed all of 20 seconds to regain the lead as a Marykate Oakley drive kicked off the post across the goalmouth and Lizzie Keady cleaned up the rebound.

The Crimson continued to pepper Young through the first seven minutes of the third stanza but the best chance came after two hard Princeton penalties gave Harvard a 5-on-3 advantage with 8:39 left to play.

Vaillancourt received a pass at the left point, slid the puck to Jenny Brine down low who threaded a pass to a wide-open Cahow on the far post who stuffed home the equalizer.

Another hard check less than a minute later put Harvard on another 5-on-3 edge, and Vaillancourt got an open look from the left point and put away the game-winner with a one-time slapshot.

The Crimson does not return to the ice for nearly two weeks when Harvard travels to New Haven, Conn. to take on Yale on Friday, Nov. 16. Faceoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.