5-0 for 5-0: No. 5 Harvard Rolls Past No. 10 Clarkson

Box Score

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-The first of two opening-period goals by freshman Katharine Chute was all Christina Kessler needed, as the sophomore goalie posted her third straight shutout in  the No. 5 Harvard women's hockey team's 5-0 win against 10th-ranked Clarkson Friday night at Bright Hockey Center.

Junior Sarah Vaillancourt notched a goal and three assists to help the Crimson (5-0-0, 5-0-0 ECAC Hockey) become the nation's last remaining unbeaten team. Senior Caitlin Cahow assisted on three Harvard goals, as juniors Sarah Wilson and Jenny Brine also made the scoresheet.

The Crimson continued its power-play dominance, scoring on two of its three chances on the advantage and killing all five power plays by the Golden Knights (10-3-2, 3-2-0). Kessler made 22 saves for her sixth career shutout. Harvard has not allowed a goal in its last 206 minutes, 13 seconds of play.

Clarkson goalie Eve Grandmont-Berube stopped Harvard's first quality scoring chance, first stoning Vaillancourt on the rush, then extending her right leg to get a toe on Liza Ryabkina's rebound attempt. The Crimson, however, never let the puck leave its offensive zone after that flurry. Cahow kept the puck in at the point and got it to Vaillancourt down low. The junior fed it from left to right through the crease to Chute, who banged it in at 11:30 of the first period.

Chute notched her second goal of the night and third of the year with just under four minutes left in the period. Vaillancourt once again got the puck from Cahow and dropped it off to Chute before heading for a line change. From the goal line on the left wing, Chute threw the puck off the skate of a defender and in for a 2-0 lead. The Crimson outshot the Golden Knights, 9-4, in the period.

The top-rated power play in the country made the Golden Knights pay for a holding penalty early in the second period. Vaillancourt got a pass from junior defenseman Kati Vaughn and scored for her third goal of the year, third point of the game and a 3-0 lead for Harvard.

Kessler came up big on a Clarkson power play after that. Marie-Jo Gaudet came in alone from the left side, but Kessler got a shoulder on her high shot to keep the Golden Knights off the board.

Wilson registered Harvard's fourth goal. She started the play by getting the puck in the Harvard half of the ice and giving it up to sophomore Anna McDonald. Wilson rushed up the left wing, got the puck back from McDonald and roofed it over the right shoulder of Grandmont-Berube, who exited the game with nine saves.

Lauren Dahm entered in goal for the Golden Knights and stopped Harvard's last six shots of the period. Clarkson could not cut into the lead, however. At the start of a power play late in the period, Genevieve Lavoie got a clean shot off an offensive-zone faceoff, but Kessler made the stop and covered up.

Brine finished off the scoring in the third period by finishing off a nice sequence of passing by the Crimson. Vaillancourt passed from the left side of the ice to Cahow at the right circle. The senior captain fired the puck back across the goal to the right post, where Brine one-timed it past Dahm, who finished with 12 saves. Harvard held a 26-22 advantage in shots for the game.

The Crimson gets another test from a ranked opponent Saturday, as No. 3 St. Lawrence visits Bright at 4 p.m.