Crimson Bests McGill in Exhibition Matchup, 4-1

Though the warm rain outside was a memory that it’s still fall in Cambridge, fans of Harvard women’s hockey got their first taste of winter Saturday afternoon.

The Crimson took the ice against collegiate competition for the first time this year, defeating McGill, 4-1, in exhibition action at Bright Hockey Center.

Co-captain Kathryn Farni led the team with her four-point effort and six Harvard rookies made their Crimson debut.

“We learned a lot this week,” Harvard coach Katey Stone said. “I was most impressed with the increase in effort over last weekend[’s scrimmage]. Part of the challenge of having a young team is getting them to work hard and to understand that they’re capable of more than they think they are—and that was good.”

Farni, a defenseman, set the tone for the Crimson with a first-period shorthanded goal.

Near the end of the Martlets’ first power play, Farni intercepted a pass in the neutral zone and found open ice, charging forward to slip the puck inside the right post.

“You could kind of tell that she was looking to pass far side,” Farni said of her steal. “I got lucky, I guess. She did what I thought she was going to do, and there wasn’t anybody between me and the goalie, so I had a chance to put it in.”

Harvard doubled its lead with 8:30 to play in the first period. Rookie center Jillian Dempsey won a faceoff, passing the puck off to Farni.

The co-captain connected with junior Kate Buesser, who was waiting between the circles. Buesser launched a high slapshot that found the top left corner of the net.

“Buess is just a great kid—she’ll put the puck away if you get it on her stick, and same with Katharine [Chute],” Farni said. “They’re both big, strong skaters, and if they have the chance in front of the net, they’ll put it away.”

Farni went on to orchestrate Harvard’s third goal as well, which lit the lamp at 6:21 in the second. The blueliner sent a shot in from the outside, and Buesser was waiting in front of the net to slam the rebound past McGill netminder Taylor Salisbury.

“[Farni’s] playing with confidence, and she’s picking her spots of when to jump into the offense,” Stone said. “But one of the big things is that she got her shots through today, and that was the key to three assists also.”

In a 3-0 hole, the Martlets were not discouraged, and with under seven minutes to go in the second frame, McGill found an opportunity in transition.

Martlet captain Vanessa Davidson got the puck on her stick at the top of the Crimson zone, and her wide-open slapshot sizzled over goalie Christina Kessler’s shoulder.

Rebecca Martindale was credited with the assist on the score, which brought McGill within two.

But with just a second remaining in the second period, junior Katharine Chute put the final nail in the coffin.

Martlet Victoria Wells was in the box for tripping, giving Harvard a power play for the balance of the frame. The Crimson, as it did all afternoon with a man up, kept the pressure on in the McGill zone but couldn’t break through Salisbury’s wall.

As the clock wound down, freshman defender Hilary Hayssen put the puck on Farni’s stick. Stepping into the role of playmaker once again, Farni found Chute right in front of the net.

With 1.2 seconds on the clock in the third frame, Chute chipped the puck over Salisbury’s left shoulder, giving Harvard a 4-1 lead that proved insurmountable.

Though the Martlets got more shots off in the final frame—10—than in any other, Kessler held strong. She finished the game with 22 saves, while Salisbury recorded 29.

The Crimson was 1-for-5 on the power play and a perfect 5-for-5 on the penalty kill.

“We’re playing a little bit more of a pro style on the penalty kill,” Stone said. “And with a small squad, I think it saves us a little bit.”

As Harvard prepares to open its regular-season slate on Friday at Colgate, perhaps the most encouraging part of the game was the performance of its freshmen. Dempsey and Hayssen tallied assists, while forwards Margaret Chute and Kaitlin Spurling and defensemen Josephine Pucci and Kelsey Romatoski also saw significant playing time.

“This is like the land of opportunity for these freshmen, because they’re all getting an opportunity to play right off the bat,” Stone said. “And with that comes a lot of responsibility, and I think they felt it pretty heavy last weekend. Hopefully they can just go out there and play light and let their instincts take over.”

—Staff writer Kate Leist can be reached at kleist@fas.harvard.edu.