Harvard Edges Friars to No. 10 Spot

PROVIDENCE, R.I.—In what could have been labeled the battle for No. 10, both Harvard and Providence were far from perfect. But last night at Schneider Arena, the No. 10 Crimson (4-4-2, 3-2-2 ECAC) was a little less unpolished and managed to down the Friars (8-4-2, 5-1-1 Hockey East), who as the top unranked vote-getters hover just outside the national polls in the de facto No. 11 spot, by a final score of 6-3.

In this match-up of the two non-conference foes, the defense was porous, the fouls were frequent, and even the offensive misconnections abundant in a game which saw a total of nine scores.

“It was a little ugly,” Harvard coach Katey Stone said. “But it was very hard-fought and it was great to put six goals.”

The win snapped a six-game winless streak for the Crimson and marked its first victory on the road this season after dropping three games and tying one away from home on the year.

“We have to get used to every situation,” junior Jennifer Sifers said. “We’ve had the opportunity to try different things and tonight it finally came together.”

Harvard struck first in a busy, penalty-plagued opening period. Skating at 4-on-3, freshman Jenny Brine tracked down a loose puck in the corner and centered for junior Katie Johnston.

As Johnston’s backhand offering slid through the five-hole of Providence goalie Jana Bugden, Brine snuck back in to poke it home for the first of her two goals.

The Friars quickly regained the edge, scoring twice inside of 40 seconds in the seventh minute. First, Katy Beach cleaned up an easy rebound in front of the vacated goal mouth.

Then, Erin Normore intercepted a puck in the Harvard end, eluded junior defender Lindsay Weaver and juked senior goalie Ali Boe for the go-ahead score.

With the final ticks winding off the clock in the opening frame and the Crimson with the man advantage yet again, Johnston let a shot rip from the left circle and her slapshot flew over Bugden’s left shoulder and into the back of the net with just 2.7 seconds remaining in the frame. Her goal tied the contest at 2 and provided the Crimson some momentum.

“We had good chances tonight,” Stone said. “We made good passes, looked good in transition.”

Brine gave Harvard the lead for good in the early stages of the second period. She corralled the puck deep between the circles but had her initial shot rebuffed.

Brine stayed in the play, gathered the rebound, and patiently waited for the off-balance Bugden to topple before flicking a backhander over the fallen netminder.

“She’s got good hands,” Stone said of Brine. “And she’s very good around the net.”

“The offense finally stepped up,” Sifers said. “The team goal was to get quality shots on net, at every opportunity to throw pucks on net.”

Providence had a response, getting a powerplay score from Kristin Giglotti, but the late game-tying goal that gave them a draw in Cambridge last season never materialized.

Instead, halfway through the middle period, as if by the flip of a switch, both goaltenders elevated their game and began to brush aside the chances that had gone for goals in the first 30 minutes. Bugden, who finished with 27 saves, stonewalled Johnston, freshman Sarah Wilson, and senior Jennifer Raimondi all from point blank range.

Boe, meanwhile, stifled several odd-man rushes and a strong drive from Friars captain Karen Thatcher. Boe totaled 28 stops on the night.

“Down the stretch, things tighten up, become more defensive-minded,” Stone said.

“I think [Boe’s] a little tired. She doesn’t know it yet, but she’s getting a breath this weekend,” she added.

The bright spot for Harvard was its stellar effort on the penalty kill, but the preponderance of whistles against it remains a cause for concern. The Crimson allowed only one power-play score, but afforded the Friars ten extra-skater chances.

“It’s one of the big issues for us,” Sifers said. “We can’t let the referees dictate the game. But we battled through [the penalties] and got good experience on the penalty kill.”

Harvard returns home for a pair of clashes versus conference doormat this weekend at the Bright Hockey Center.

­—Staff writer Jonathan Lehman can be reached at jlehman@fas.harvard.edu.