W. Hockey Explodes Past Yale, Princeton

The Harvard women’s hockey team’s 15 goal explosion in weekend victories over Yale, 8-2, and Princeton, 7-1, did not move the Crimson up to fourth place, but it did send a message to the Tigers, who will host the Crimson in next weekend’s best-of-three ECAC North quarterfinals.

The weekend doubleheader marked the final home games for seniors Alison Kuusisto and Vanessa Bazzochi. The weekend was highlighted, however, by the number one line of freshman left winger Nicole Corriero, junior center Kalen Ingram and sophomore right winger Mina Pell racking up 18 points, including eight goals. Freshman winger Kat Sweet joined Corriero and Ingram on the powerplay, contributing with four goals and an assist of her own.

Harvard 7, Princeton 1

The Princeton lineup includes defender and captain and Aviva Grumet-Morris, sister to Harvard men’s freshman goalie Dov, and sophomore forward Lisa Rasmussen, Pell’s childhood friend from Washington, D.C. Nonetheless, the Tigers’ welcome to Bright Hockey Center was hardly friendly, as the Crimson put forth a 39 shot barrage in the 7-1 rout.

“I have a lot of animosity towards Princeton,” Corriero said. “I’m not exactly sure why. Maybe it’s because they beat us earlier in the year.”

Harvard’s strategy was even more aggressive than usual, wth Crimson attackers crashing the net, literally.

Ingram opened the scoring in the first period after a collision involving herself, Tiger’s senior defenceman Wanda Mason and sophomore goalie Megan Van Beusekom. Ingram got a stick on the puck and popped it up in the air and over Van Beukesom’s shoulder for the goal.

Kuusisto, playing in her final home game, had a much easier time in net, losing her shutout bid with just a minute left in the game.

“It feels good to come up with a big win like that,” a teary Kuusisto said after the game. “It’s a great way to end my career, on a big high. I’m going to miss this team.”

Bazzochi, a three-year Harvard player who walked onto the team sophomore year, made her last game at Bright one of her best.

“Tears, tears,” the senior forward said. “But [the season] is not over yet.”

It was all business in the Crimson’s dismantling of the Tiger defense.

“It was important that we came out strong right off the bat,” Harvard Coach Katey Stone said. “It was clearly emotional out there, and by taking control right away right away, we took that element out of it.”

Harvard dominated the first period despite scoring only once, 18 minutes in to the game. The Crimson returned from the intermission even more agrressive, refusing to give Van Beusekom a break.

Crimson freshman winger Ali Crum scored on a weak shot after a minute and a half. Thirty seconds later junior center Tracy Catlin collided with Van Beusekom, setting up a goal for linemate Kat Sweet.

The collisions were too much for Van Beusekom, who was pulled from the game after Sweet’s goal. Junior Sarah Ahlquist held the fort for the remainder of the period, but was subject to similar pressure in the third.

Princeton freshman defenseman Eliza Golden lost the puck to the side of her own net, accidentally sending it by the skates of an unaware Ahlquist. Pell poked the puck into the goal before sliding into the goal, sending Ahlquist a nice Harvard welcome.

Pell’s goal opened the floodgates for Harvard, who scored twice more before Princeton’s Jessica Fedderly ended Kuusisto’s shutout bid with a breakaway powerplay goal with a minute remaining.

Kat Sweet responded with a final Crimson goal on the powerplay with five seconds remaining.

“We were all over them,” Ingram said. “We handled the puck cleanly in the defensive zone and we were breaking out very well.”

The Tigers looked totally bewildered in the third period, giving up the puck repeatedly in the neutral zone and allowing 17 shots.

The Crimson will need a similar effort at Princeton next weekend.

“They’re gonna be raring to go,” Ingram said. “Things were going our way [this time], we can’t expect the same kind of outcome next time.”

Stone isn’t ruling out further Harvard domination.

“[We need the same] aggresiveness on offense, relentless forechecking, tenacious defense. It could end up [the same way],” Stone said. “We could be in for some exciting March Mandess around here.”

Harvard 8, Yale 2

The Crimson’s 8-2 drubbing of the hated Elis was a fine display of Crimson offensive firepower.

Corriero scored four times and tallied one assist, while Ingram recorded four assists of her own. Sweet added a pair of goals and an assist.

Corriero’s natural hat trick came in the first period, scoring three goals in a row after Crum opened the scoring a minute into the game.

Corriero would add her final goal midway through the second.

Ingram, for her part, assisted on Corriero’s first two goals and combined with her freshman linemate to assist Sweet’s goal in the third.

Second period goals from Sweet and Pell would force Yale goalie Katie Hirte from the game. Her replacement, Nicollete Franck, would only allow one goal.

Kuusisto needed to make only eight saves in Yale’s 10-shot effort. The Crimson recorded 44 shots in the blowout

“It just proves that there isn’t any dropoff from last year. A lot of people said that we were a one or two person team,” Stone said referring to Canadian Olympians Jennifer Botterill ’02-’03 and Tammy Shewchuk ’00-’01. “These kids aren’t buying it. Everyone’s contributing here.”

Ingram and Corriero were especially up to the challenge of replacing the Olympians. Ingram leads the nation in assists per game with 1.11. Corriero leads all freshmen in goals and points, and is second in the nation in goals per game with 2.21.

“For a freshmen to do that kind of damage is incredible,” Stone said.

W. HOCKEY 7, PRINCETON 1

At Bright Hockey Center, Allston, MA

Harvard (16-10-2, 9-5-2) 1 2 4 7

Princeton (15-9-3, 10-6-0) 0 0 1 1

First period: H Ingram (Corriero) 18:27. Second period: H Crum (Van Reesema) 1:27. H Sweet (Corriero, Catlin) 1:52. Third Period: H Pell (unassisted) 2:52. H McAuliffe (Banfield) 11:28 (pp). H Pell (Banfield) 15:09. P Fedderly (Rasmussen) 18:59 (ppg). Sweet (Corriero, Ingram) 19:55 (ppg). Shots on Goal: H 9-13-17 39, P 4-6-4 14. Power Play: H 2-6, P 1-4. Penalties: H 4-8. P 6-12. Goalies: H Kuusisto (14-13), P Van Beusekom (11-8), Ahlquist (28-24). A: 567.

W. HOCKEY 8, YALE 2

At Bright Hockey Center, Allston, MA.

Harvard (15-10-2, 8-5-2) 4 3 1 8

Yale (9-16-3, 3-11-1) 1 0 1 2

First period: H Crum (Bazzochi, McAuliffe) 1:16. H Corriero (Pell, Ingram) 2:52. H Corriero (Ingram, Banfield) 4:54. H Corriero (Sweet) 14:55. Y McDevitt (Wick, Hirte) 15:42. Second period: H Corriero (Hagerman, Banfield) 9:55 (ppg). H Sweet (McAuliffe) 14:41. H Pell (Ingram) 15:22. Third period: Y Finger (Wood, LeClair) 0:21. H Sweet (Corriero, Ingram) 11:56 (pp). Shots on Goal: H 18-19-7 44, Y 2-2-6 10. Power Play: H 2-3, Y 0-4. Penalties: H 4-8, Y 3-6. Goalies: H Kuusisto (10-8), Y Hirte (33-26), Franck (11-10). A: 423.