Team Notes: Harvard Starts 2012 with Non-Conference Test at Connecticut
The Particulars
The Crimson kicks off the 2012 portion of its schedule with a
non-conference matchup against Connecticut in Storrs, Conn. The
Huskies represent the third straight non-conference opponent for
the Crimson.
Series History
The Crimson and Huskies have met in 15 games, dating back to the
1979-80 season, wtih Harvard holding a 12-3-0 record all time. The
first meeting saw the Crimson run away with a 12-2 win, and Harvard
went onto to take the first five games of the series. In recent
years, the games have been considerably closer as Harvard holds a
2-2-0 mark in the last four meetings, including three one-goal
games.
The last time the two teams met was Dec. 8, 2009 at Bright Hockey
Center, with Harvard skating to a 2-1 comeback win. Connecticut
jumped out to an early lead, scoring on a power-play less than
three minutes into the game and taking a 1-0 edge late into the
first frame. Harvard squared the score before the first break as
Kate Buesser '11 converted passes from Cori Bassett '10 and Liza
Ryabkina '11 to push the score to 1-1 heading into the second. Kaitlin Spurling (Byfield, Mass.) netted the
game-winner in the second period, putting home a rebound on a
power-play to seal the 2-1 win for the Crimson.
Last Time Out
Harvard closed the 2011 portion of its schedule in style, taking
down a pair of non-conference opponents, and extending its winning
streak to three games.
Against Providence on the road, Jillian Dempsey (Winthrop, Mass.) led an
offensive outburst that saw Harvard pour in five goals in a 5-1
victory. Dempsey got the guests on the board and followed with the
team's first shorthanded score of the season to make it 2-0. Elizabeth Parker (Milton, Mass.) made it 3-0
at the end of the opening period and after Providence closed the
gap to 3-1 in the second, Kalley Armstrong (Maple, Ont.) and Lyndsey Fry (Chandler, Ariz.) tacked on
tallies to cap the 5-1 win.
The offense continued to click the following night at Bright,
where the Crimson collected another quintet of goals in a 5-2
victory against New Hampshire. Freshman Samantha Reber (Edina, Minn.) scored a pair
of goals, including the game-winner, as Harvard dashed out to a 4-0
lead and held on for the win. Dempsey started the scoring early for
Harvard and Kaitlin Spurling followed with a first-period score to
make it 2-0 after one. Fry potted her second goal in as many nights
and Harvard ended its 2011 portion of the schedule with a 5-2 win
at home.
Three In a Row
For the second time this season, Harvard has put together a
three-game winning streak. The Crimson began the year with a
stretch of three straight wins, collecting road victories over St.
Lawrence, Clarkson and Colgate. In the current streak, two of the
wins have come on the road and two have come against non-conference
opponents.
Harvard Against Hockey East
Hockey East has become one of the strongest conferences in women's
college hockey, but the Crimson still holds a winning record
against Hockey East teams in recent years. Since 2009-10, Harvard
is 7-3-1 against Hockey East schools, bolstered by an undefeated
2009-10 campaign. Harvard tied New Hampshire, 1-1, and defeated
Connecticut and Providence, 2-1, at Bright in 2009-10. Harvard
hosted and won the Beanpot that season, downing Boston College,
5-0, in the first round and Northeastern, 1-0, in the championship.
Harvard is currently 2-0 against Hockey East teams, and will play
three more this season.
Speaking of Streaks
Thanks to the offensive outburst to close the first chunk of the
season, Harvard boasts three players currently on point streaks of
three games or more. Lyndsey Fry is on a three-game point-scoring
streak, scoring a goal in each of her last three games and adding
an assist against Providence and two against UNH. Sarah Edney (Mississauga, Ont.) has been
steadily scoring through her past four contests, collecting a point
in each on a goal and three assists. Jillian Dempsey continues her
stellar year as she comes back from the break on a three-game point
scoring streak.
Getting It Done In December
While the Crimson typically only plays a handful of games in the
month of December, Harvard has had success in those games. In the
past four years, Harvard has compiled a 6-3-2 mark in the month of
December, against primarily non-conference opponents. Harvard had a
tough December last year as it dropped games to ranked local foes
Boston College and Boston University, but took down New Hampshire
on the road. Harvard was undefeated the year before, beating and
tying then-No. 2 Minnesota and topping Connecticut, 2-1. In
2008-09, Harvard went 1-1-1 in December with a win at league rival
Dartmouth.
Comeback Crimson
Three of Harvard's wins this season have been comeback victories.
The Crimson conceded the game's first goal in the season opener
against St. Lawrence and went onto score seven unanswered to cruise
to a 7-1 win. In the second matchup with Clarkson, a second-period
Golden Knights tally put Harvard in a 1-0 hole, but Harvard goals
47 seconds apart later in the period allowed for a 2-1 Crimson win.
In its last game, Dartmouth broke a scoreless tie in the third
period, but Harvard goals 1:05 apart propelled the Crimson to a 2-1
win.
Strong in the Second
The second period has been Harvard's best in terms of goal
differential this season. 15 of Harvard's 40 team goals have come
in the middle stanza, making it the Crimson's most productive
period. Harvard has also allowed only eight goals in the second
frame, also a team-best mark.
Bring It On, Conn.
Harvard has seen some of its together games in recent years in the
state of Connecticut. Over the past four seasons, Harvard has
compiled a 6-3 record when playing on the road in the Constitution
State. Last season, the Crimson split a pair of games in
Connecticut, dropping a 4-1 contest to Quinnipiac and downing
archrival Yale, 5-3.
Home Team Has It
In the last five games of the Harvard-Connecticut series, the home
team has captured the victory in every contest. Harvard was the
last team to win on the road in the series, winning 5-3 in Storrs
during the 2004-05 season.
League's Elite
As a team, Harvard ranks among the top of the league in a number
of categories. The Crimson boasts the second-best scoring offense
in the league as one of just two teams averaging even or better
than three goals per game at 3.33 per contest. Harvard has
converted on 24.1 percent of its power-play chances, which also
ranks second in the ECAC, and its 12 power-play goals rank fifth in
the league, despite Harvard playing the fewest number of games of
any ECAC Hockey squad. Harvard has also allowed just nine
power-play goals this season, the third-lowest number in the
ECAC.
Everyday Dempsey
Junior Jillian Dempsey has been a consistent force for the Crimson
this season. Dempsey missed two games while suiting up for the U.S.
Women's National team, but in the 10 games she has played for
Harvard, she has logged at least one point in nine. Dempsey has six
multi-point games on the season, including five in her last seven
games.
