Harvard Outburst Too Much for Cornell
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| Scoring Summary | |
|---|---|
| 2nd - 17:24 | Kathryn Farni (Harvard) |
| 3rd - 02:36 | Liza Ryabkina (Harvard) |
| 3rd - 10:44 | Jenny Brine (Harvard) |
| Cornell | Harvard |
|---|---|
|
G:
N/A
A: N/A Sh: 3 Players (#14, #16, #27 - 5) Sv: Jenny Niesluchowski - 31 |
G:
3 Players (#3, #8, #9 - 1)
A: Sarah Vaillancourt - 2 Sh: 4 Players (#9, #10, #16, #20 - 4) Sv: Christina Kessler - 36 |
| TEAM STATISTICS | Cornell | Harvard |
|---|---|---|
| Power Plays | 0 for 3 | 0 for 5 |
| Shorthanded Goals | 0 | 0 |
| Penalties (min) | 5 (10) | 3 (6) |
| Shots on Goal | 36 | 34 |
| Face Offs Won | 27 | 32 |
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - The seventh-ranked Harvard women's hockey team tallied three goals in a 13-minute span in the second and third periods and held off Cornell, 3-0, Friday afternoon in Game 1 of the ECAC Hockey quarterfinal series. Before her home crowd at Bright Hockey Center, Christina Kessler set a new career-high with 36 saves.
Kathryn Farni, Liza Ryabkina and Jenny Brine supplied the offense of the Crimson with a goal each, while Brine also contributed with an assist on Farni's tally. Sarah Vaillancourt handed out two assists for Harvard, which improves to 18-9-3.
In the first, Cornell outshot Harvard, 13-11, for the frame, but the Crimson had the best chance of the opening stanza. Around the eight-minute mark, Katharine Chute and Sarah Vaillancourt created a 2-on-1 chance, skating down the ice from the red line and into the Big Red zone. Chute, who had the puck near the right boards, declined on a pass and, instead, lifted a shot that clanged off the cross bar and into the left corner. The Big Red held a two-shot advantage after one, 13-11, as the teams headed into the locker room scoreless.
The Crimson managed 11 more shots in the second before getting on the scoreboard on a Farni blast from the left point at 17:24. After Harvard dumped the puck into the Cornell end, Vaillancourt outmaneuvered a defender in the left corner and played it up the boards to Brine. Brine controlled the puck for a moment before swinging a pass over to Farni, who faced the net and wound up for a slap shot. The puck deflected off a Cornell defender's stick and went five-hole through Jenny Niesluchowski, putting Harvard ahead, 1-0.
Through two periods of action, the Big Red (12-13-5) continued to lead in shots, 25-22, and both teams were held scoreless on two power-play attempts apiece.
Early in the third, Ryabkina grabbed a loose puck in the left corner of the Big Red end of the ice and carried it toward the front of the net. She attempted a quick backhand that found its way under Niesluchowski, lighting the lamp for the Crimson's second goal at 2:36.
Harvard tacked on its third goal of the game halfway through the period on a transition goal by Brine. After receiving passes from Chute and Vaillancourt, Brine wristed the puck from the center of the slot, hitting the back of the net at 10:44. Vaillancourt was credited with the primary assist after sliding the puck from the right faceoff circle directly to Brine who was crashing down the middle.
Kessler made 11 of her 36 saves in the final 20 minutes of play, while Niesluchowski finished the game with 31 stops. Harvard was kept off the scoreboard on three power plays in the third, going 0-for-5 for the game. The Crimson's penalty-kill unit, ranked fifth in the nation in its success rate, was a perfect 3-for-3.
The Crimson and Big Red will meet for the second game of this series Saturday at 2 p.m.
