Weekend Update: Nationally Ranked Teams Flex Muscle in League Play

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ALBANY, N.Y. -- No. 6/7 ranked Harvard, No. 8/9 Dartmouth and Colgate all showcased solid defensive efforts last night earning league wins; Clarkson battled No. 2/2 ranked Mercyhurst to 2-2 draw; Cornell cracked the win column in league play for the first time this season;  and the Engineers fell in non-league action.

Dartmouth 2, at, Brown 0:  Sophomore forward Sarah Parsons and junior forward Maggie Kennedy each posted goals as Dartmouth shutout the Brown Bears, 2-0, to move its unbeaten streak to six games (5-0-1).  The Big Green got on board first with 4:04 remaining in the first period as Parsons netted a shorthanded unassisted goal for her third of the season to put Dartmouth on top 1-0, which turned out to be all they needed.  Dartmouth dominated the play in the first period, outshooting Brown 16-7. Brown goaltender Nicole Stock was up for the challenge as she stopped 15 of those shots  The Big Green outshot the Bears 40-22 and both teams were shutout on the power play as Dartmouth was 0-6 on the man advantage, while Brown was 0-5.  Dartmouth is now one win away from its 500th victory in program history.  Bears junior goaltender Nicole Stock continued to play exceptionally, stopping 38 shots for her fifth 30-plus save game in her last six contests. On Saturday, the Bears will travel to Cambridge for a showdown with No. 6/7 ranked Harvard at 2 p.m.

Harvard 3, at Yale 0:  No. 6/7 ranked Harvard remains undefeated with a 3-0 win over Yale Friday night at Ingalls Rink. The Crimson had a surge of three goals in the third period after both teams were held scoreless through the first two.  Harvard scored the deciding goal with a five-on-three power-play strike from junior forward Sarah Vaillancourt less than two minutes into the frame. It was her second goal of the season and sixth point. Junior classmates Jenny Brine and Kati Vaughn combined on the assist. A mere 15 seconds later Harvard would make it, 2-0, as junior forward Sarah Wilson found the back of the net for the first time this season.  Sophomore goaltender Christina Kessler stopped all 22 shots she faced to record her first shutout of the season. Kessler improves her personal mark to 3-0 and now has 63 saves on the year.  Yale wound up taking 13 penalties against a Crimson team that came in having converted five of 12 power-play opportunities. That would cost the Bulldogs (3-2-1, 3-2-1 ECAC Hockey) a chance at knocking off their long-time rivals in front of a large crowd at the Whale.

At Clarkson 2, Mercyhurst 2:  NY - Sophomore forward Britney Selina scored one goal and assisted on another as the Clarkson earned a 2-2 tie against No. 2/2 ranked Mercyhurst at Cheel Arena on Friday afternoon. The Golden Knights, who extended their unbeaten streak to six games (5-0-1), remain unbeaten at home with a 6-0-1 mark in Potsdam this season. Clarkson stands at 9-2-2 overall. Clarkson was outshot for the first time this season with Mercyhurst holding a 31-22 advantage, including a 12-6 margin in the third period. Freshman netminder Eve Grandmont Berube posted a season-high 29 saves, including three stops in the five-minute overtime session.

Colgate 5, at Quinnipiac 3: Colgate cruised to a 5-2 victory over Quinnipiac on Friday at TD Banknorth Center. The win keeps the Raiders unbeaten at 3-0-0 in ECAC Hockey play.  Four Raiders had multiple-point efforts, including junior forwards Sam Hunt, Elin Brown and defenseman Kiira Dosdall and sophomore forward Beth Rotenberg.  The Raiders outshot the Bobcats 27-17 in the contest, including a 24-13 differential in the first two periods.

Cornell 7, at Princeton 4:  The Big Red was down 3-0 to Princeton before scoring six unanswered goals to win, 7-4 over the Tigers Friday night. Cornell improves to 4-4-1 overall (1-1-1 ECAC Hockey) while Princeton fell to 3-4-2 (1-4-1 ECAC Hockey). Freshman Kayla Strong made 18 saves in net for the Big Red in the win.  Senior forward Sonja Novak scored twice for the Tigers in the loss.

At Wayne State 5, Rensselaer 3:  Engineers' junior defenseman Melanie Guillemette scored a team-leading sixth goal of the season in the loss last night.  These same two squads return to action today with a 3 p.m. face-off, which has been moved ahead from the original 3:30pm start.