Harvard Shreds Ancient Eight Opponents

In a season in which the traditional power structure of the ECAC has been upended and upstart programs have challenged the dominance of perennial powerhouses, the Harvard women’s hockey team reminded its followers of the good old days this weekend.

The Crimson (5-3-1, 5-3-0 ECAC) hit the road and plowed through conference bottom-feeders Yale and Brown in convincing fashion, shutting out the Bulldogs (1-7-1, 1-7-0), 5-0, and trouncing the Bears (1-6-3, 0-5-3), 5-1.

Freshman Jillian Dempsey and junior Kate Buesser each scored three points against Yale, while senior goaltender Christina Kessler made 21 saves to notch the clean sheet on Friday in New Haven, Conn.

On Saturday, Harvard continued its offensive tear against Brown in Providence, R.I., with both veterans and rookies making solid contributions in an easy victory.

The two wins were a refreshing change of course for the Crimson, which came into the weekend feeling short-changed after a 1-1 tie with No. 4 New Hampshire on Wednesday. Harvard was the underdog in that contest, but felt it outplayed the Wildcats and was less than satisfied with the draw.

“People not on the team, like fans that would come to the game, they were saying, ‘That’s great you tied the No. 4 team.’” Dempsey said. “Obviously the tie is okay, but it was a little bit disappointing just because we realized that we could have won that game, and we should have—that we were the better team.”

There were no such mixed feelings after this weekend, one that harkened back to the days when the Crimson could count on easy wins against certain opponents.

“It’s great to win both games in a weekend,” Kessler said. “We’re pretty happy with the way we played.”

HARVARD 5, BROWN 1

After Yale failed to muster any sort of serious challenge against the Crimson on Friday, Harvard appeared to be in for more of an even battle on Saturday against Brown.

The Crimson got on the board first when freshman Kaitlin Spurling lit the lamp 3:37 into the first period off assists from linemates junior Ashley Wheeler and senior Randi Griffin.

But the Bears held Harvard scoreless for the rest of the first frame and struck back 6:43 into the second with Alena Polenska’s goal.

That would be the last that the Crimson would hear from the Brown offense. Harvard reclaimed the lead less than four minutes later on the power play, when co-captain and defenseman Cori Bassett took a pass from junior Leanna Coskren and blasted a shot into the Bears net to give her team a 2-1 lead.

From then on, it was all Harvard. The Crimson poured in three consecutive goals, including two more with the man advantage. Harvard went 3-for-7 on the power play, a marked improvement in an area in which the squad had been struggling.

“I think that really set the tone for the rest of the game,” Kessler said. “We were successful on our power play. That’s something we haven’t been able to do much this season.”

On the defensive side, the Crimson continued its strong play, with Kessler making 26 saves to build on what has been a very solid season for the senior netminder.

“Kessler, she’s unbelievable in net,” Dempsey said. “We rely on her a lot. She comes up with some amazing saves.”

HARVARD 5, YALE 0

The Bulldogs had no answer for the Crimson offense on Friday, as Harvard struck early and often in a contest that was over shortly after it began.

The rookie-veteran duo of Dempsey and Buesser led the way for the Crimson, collaborating on three of Harvard’s goals and combining for six points in the game.

“[Dempsey’s] a great player,” Buesser said. “She’s just a great hard worker. That’s all you could ask for in a linemate. She’s just easy to work with.”

Dempsey echoed Buesser’s sentiments.

“I love working with Buesser,” Dempsey said. “We kind of have, I wouldn’t say the same style of play, but we complement each other really well. I always know that she’s going to go out there as hard as she can and be in the right spots at the right time”

Dempsey was just one of several freshmen to contribute to the Harvard scoring effort this weekend. The short-staffed Crimson has been forced to rely on its rookies this season, and the young skaters have responded to the challenge.

“We’ve had to have them grow up really quickly,” Buesser said. “We say they’re not freshmen anymore because we can’t afford it. They’ve done a great job of transitioning [to the college game].”

Harvard’s weekend sweep provides it with momentum as it looks to climb up the ECAC standings, but with an unprecedented level of parity in the conference, the Crimson knows that future wins won’t come as easily.

“I think the fact that no team has gone undefeated [in ECAC play] so far this season really proves that the league is getting a lot more competitive,” Kessler said. “There’s going to be a battle to be the top spot.”

—Staff writer Loren Amor can be reached at lamor@fas.harvard.edu.