Kessler Posts Another Shutout in Easy Victory

There was no post-holiday sluggishness for the No. 5 Harvard women’s hockey team on Friday night.

The Crimson defeated No. 10 Clarkson (10-4-2, 3-3-0) by a 5-0 count at Bright Hockey Center.

Freshman Katharine Chute had two first-period goals and junior Sarah Vaillancourt added four points of her own on a goal and three assists, but the real star of the game was sophomore goaltender Christina Kessler.

Kessler recorded 22 saves in notching her third consecutive shutout. She last allowed a goal on Nov. 3 against Princeton, a span of more than 206 minutes.

“[Kessler] is doing an incredible job,” senior tri-captain Caitlin Cahow said. “It’s really impressive to see how she’s come along as a goalie.”

Thanks to Chute, Harvard gave Kessler an early cushion.

“We played a strong first period which set the tone for the game,” assistant coach Joakim Flygh said.

After three unsuccessful power plays—two for the Crimson—Chute found the back of the net with 8:30 left in the first period. Less than five minutes later, she scored again, giving Harvard all the breathing room it would need. Vaillancourt and Cahow assisted on both goals.

Harvard kept the pressure on in the second period, as a Clarkson penalty led to a power-play goal for Vaillancourt less than three minutes into the frame.

Junior Kati Vaughn assisted on the goal, the 10th for the top-ranked power play in the country.

Two minutes later, Vaughn took a turn in the penalty box. The Golden Knights threatened the Crimson net, but Kessler made a series of good saves to preserve the shutout.

Sophomore Anna McDonald fed junior Sarah Wilson for Harvard’s fourth goal at the 6:34 mark. Clarkson freshman goalie Eve Grandmont-Berube was then pulled in favor of classmate Lauren Dahm, who had more success against the Crimson offense. Although both teams had scoring opportunities towards the end of the second period, neither could convert.

After a slow start to the third period, junior Jenny Brine found the back of the net with just over five minutes to play to bring the score to 5-0.

Vaillancourt and Cahow recorded their third assists of the night on the power-play strike.

Harvard’s balanced offense and dominant defense were once again key to the team’s success.

“We started from the drop of the puck and played a pretty complete game,” Cahow said.

The Crimson outshot the Golden Knights, 26-22, and capitalized on two of its three power-play opportunities while holding Clarkson scoreless through 10 minutes of penalty kill.