October 30, 2009
Recap | Box Score

Harvard Staves Off Colgate

Final 1 2 3 Final
Harvard (1-0-0, 1-0-0) 0 2 0 2
Colgate (1-6-0, 0-1-0) 0 1 0 1
Scoring Summary
2nd - 05:32 Evan Minnick (Colgate)
2nd - 11:17 Leanna Coskren (Harvard)
2nd - 18:50 Anna McDonald (Harvard)
HarvardColgate
G: 2 Players (#10, #24 - 1)
A: 3 Players (#15, #17, #23 - 1)
Sh: Deborah Conway - 3
Sv: Christina Kessler - 29
G: Evan Minnick - 1
A: Marissa Dombovy - 1
Sh: Hannah Milan - 7
Sv: Lisa Plenderleith - 20
TEAM STATISTICS HarvardColgate
Power Plays 0 for 3 0 for 6
Shorthanded Goals 0 0
Penalties (min) 5 (10) 4 (11)
Shots on Goal 22 30
Face Offs Won 31 38
full stats

HAMILTON, N.Y. -- The eighth-ranked Harvard women's hockey team killed two Colgate power plays in the final four minutes of the third period to earn a 2-1 victory over the Raiders in the Crimson's season opener Friday afternoon at Starr Rink. Christina Kessler made 29 saves, helping Harvard (1-0, 1-0 ECAC Hockey) finish 5-for-5 on the penalty kill, while Leanna Coskren and Anna McDonald provided the scoring with a goal apiece.

Early on in the second period, Evan Minnick gave Colgate (0-3, 0-1 ECAC Hockey) a 1-0 lead as she fired the puck past Kessler at 5:32. Less than six minutes later, Harvard knotted the game, as Kaitlin Spurling and Randi Griffin earned assists on Coskren's first goal of the season, coming at 11:17 of the second stanza. After successfully killing Colgate's second power play of the game later in the second, McDonald netted an unassisted goal with 1:10 remaining in the frame, putting Harvard ahead, 2-1.

With 4:07 to play in the third period, Harvard was called for a roughing penalty and the Raiders pulled goaltender Lisa Plenderleith to give Colgate a 6-on-4 advantage. The Raiders fired three shots on goal, but Kessler stopped each one to keep Harvard in front. The Crimson later found itself down a skater with 56 seconds left because of a tripping penalty, but once again, Kessler and the Harvard defense stood tall, as the Crimson netminder made three more saves to preserve the victory.

Colgate had a 30-22 advantage in shots for the game, including a 16-4 lead in the third period. The Crimson continues its road trip at Cornell Saturday at 3 p.m.