LIVE BLOG: Women's Hockey vs. Cornell ECAC Playoffs Game 2

END OF GAME - Harvard wins an easy one, 4-0. The Crimson moves on to the semifinals of the ECAC Tournament, in which it will face either Dartmouth or Colgate, depending on who wins in the rubber match of that series tomorrow. Thanks for reading the live blog and goodbye from Bright Hockey Center!

19:00 - Harvard almost adds another one for good measure. Vaillancourt received the puck at the post and tapped it to Brine who missed putting in a goal by inches.

17:14 - HARVARD GOAL. Cornell didn't stand a chance on the 5-on-3. Harvard pounded the net and Ryabkina eventually put in a rebound. Assists from Vaillancourt and Brine.
HARVARD 4, CORNELL 0

17:01 - This is bizarre. After a Cornell penalty, center Catherine White tried to puck on the ensuing faceoff. She then got sent to the box as well.

16:31 - Harvard has been totally in control since the second. The band is calling for Cornell to "warm up the bus." Sound advice.

12:43 - Harvard penalty on Ryabkina. I guess she got a little too excited after her goal. But it doesn't really matter. With seven minutes left, 3-0 should do it.

12:28 - HARVARD GOAL. Liza Ryabkina confused the hell out of the Cornell defense with a series of jukes and then just fired a shot past Mazzotta with deadly accuracy.
HARVARD 3, CORNELL 0

11:10 - Cornell is pressuring the net but Kessler remains solid between the pipes.

9:10 - Harvard penalty. The Big Red really needs to score here if it has any aspirations of coming back in this game.

8:20 - Nifty play between junior Rani Griffin and junior Amy Uber. Griffin was in front of the net and worked a slick backhanded pass to Uber who almost scored a goal.

3:06 - HARVARD GOAL. Sarah Vaillancourt is like T.I. She can have whatever she likes. After stealing the puck, Vaillancourt had a 2-on-1 with Chute. Vaillancourt never rushes. She just held on to the puck until Chute was in the perfect location and then put the puck right on Chute's stick. Everyone knows what a lethal scorer Vaillancourt is, but it's the way her passing game has developed over the last two years that makes her arguably the best player in the country (although very persuasive arguments could be made for Mercyhurst's Megan Agosta).
HARVARD 2, CORNELL 0

0:43 - The teams are at even strength. Faceoff in the Harvard zone.

Beginning of Third Period - I'm sure the Crimson would like to create some space. 1-0 is far from comfortable. Play hockey!

Intermission -I often find myself thinking of weird things during intermissions. Like, did the first person who made a pizza include a crust? The band is playing the alma mater, "Fair Harvard." I don't know the words to this. The first person to e-mail me the lyrics gets a free gift certificate to Redline.

Intermission - Some dude in a sideways baseball cap tries to make shots from center ice. He misses all three and loses out on a gift certificate to Redline. I feel like there's no reason to waste a good gift certificate. I'm going to investigate who's in charge of these giveaways and see what I can do.

End of Second Period - Harvard's up 1-0 and playing a more aggressive brand of hockey. It's a good time to note that Crimson goalie Christina Kessler had a career-high 36 saves yesterday and is perfect so far again today, with 12 saves at this point. She's been on a hot streak yesterday, showing why she's the goalie for Team Canada's U-22 team.

18:30 - Questionable cross-checking call on Vaillancourt. Cornell gets a power play to end the period.

16:35 - Both penalties are killed and Cornell is still very much alive in this game.

14:35 - Cornell commits another infraction. Goalie Mazzotta pulled a Roger Clemens and threw her stick. Harvard will have a 5-on-3 for 23 seconds.

12:58 - Yet another Cornell penalty. The Big Red is playing sloppily this period.

12:40 - Sophomore Kate Buesser got a breakaway off a faceoff and and had a one-on-one shot against Mazzotta, but the puck was knocked out of harm's way.

10:06 - The Crimson had a couple of nice chances but couldn't come through on the power play.

9:06 - Harvard is a different team than it was in the first period. The Crimson is attacking the net and completely controlling the tempo of the game right now.

8:20 - Another Cornell penalty. This time on center Kendice Ogilvie.

6:59 - How did that not go in? Vaillancourt took a shot that forced Mazzotta to leave the entire right side of the net open in order to save it. Sophomore defenseman Leanna Coskren had an open look but couldn't get it in.

4:43 - Junior Randi Griffin almost doubles the Harvard lead but Mazzotta stops her.

2:50 - HARVARD GOAL. Beautiful give-and-go between junior Anna McDonald and Vaillancourt. McDonald took the puck at the left circle, passed it to Vaillancourt, and then charged the net. Vaillancourt fed a slick pass down low and McDonald sent it home.
HARVARD 1, CORNELL 0

1:43 - Penalty on Cornell's Karlee Overguard. Let's see how Crimson power play 2.0 does.

1:10 - Kessler makes a nice save. Cornell almost puts back the rebound, but the puck sails just wide.

0:42 - Harvard starts off aggressively. Brine and Vaillancourt cruise down the ice and combine on a 2-on-1. Vaillancourt's shot just goes wide.

Start of Second Period - I'm sure Harvard coach Katey Stone had some stern words for her team during intermission. Let's see if the Crimson can turn around its sluggish play in the second frame.

Intermission - In other ECAC news, besides Harvard's 3-0 win over Cornell last night, all three tournament games ended in overtime. The big sleeper in the conference this season RPI, upset Princeton in extra minutes. That program has really improved since I've started covering this beat. Two years ago, whenever Harvard played RPI, the question was how many Crimson players would get a hat trick. This season, the Engineers tied Harvard in their first meeting.

Intermission - Dartmouth and Colgate are tied right now at 1 during the first intermission. The struggling Big Green lost last night, so the team is fighting to extend its season. Whoever wins this series will likely be Harvard's next opponent, should the Crimson advance.

Intermission - A couple of youngsters are running down the ice, putting on Harvard hockey gear. The girl in the No. 2 jersey gets to the puck first and sends it into the net to the tune of the theme song from Super Mario Bros.

End of First Period - Nothing doing for either team. Both squads seem hesitant and there have been very few solid scoring opportunities on either side. Cornell is outshooting Harvard 8-3. Stick around for intermission, where I'll regale you with banal observations about what the band is playing and between-period gimmick contests.

19:04 - The Big Red kills the penalty pretty easily. Sophomore Liza Ryabkina was at the right circle and had Brine wide open at the far post, but couldn't thread a pass past a Cornell defender.

17:04 - Cornell penalty on standout freshman defenseman Amanda Young. This is a golden opportunity for Harvard. Let's see what the team can do.

16:43 - Cornell forward Chelsea Karpenko tries to stuff a rebound past Crimson goalie Christina Kessler, but Kessler closes up a hole on the left side of the net.

15:26 - In a pretty uneventful game so far, Crimson staff writer and resident Scotsman Allen Padua added some excitement by wolfing down a vegetable pizza slice in the press box, exhibiting some ruthless efficiency yet still somehow managing to maintain his Old World dignity.

13:57 - Another penalty killed by the Crimson. Cornell better take advantage of its opportunities before the Harvard offense wakes up.

12:10 - Brine almost puts home a shorthanded goal. Charging down the ice, she flicked a shot that was redirected off a Cornell defender and nearly got past Big Red goalie Amanda Mazzotta.

11:57 - Another Harvard penalty, this time on junior defenseman Kati Vaughn for hooking.

9:45 - Harvard's second line is out, and it's missing senior Sarah Wilson, who has the flu. Replacing her is tri-captain Kirsten Kester.

7:57 - The Cornell power play is over and Harvard returns to full strength.

5:57 - Sophomore Katharine Chute gets called for cross-checking. Time to test out the Harvard penalty kill, which has been flawless of late.

5:50 - A shot by tri-captain Jenny Brine gets deflected and just misses the net.

3:15 - The teams have been playing back-and-forth hockey, with no one really taking control. It should be noted that despite shutting the Big Red out, 3-0, last night, Harvard was outshot and didn't really find its rhythm until the second half of the game.

Start of First Period

Welcome to The Crimson's live blog of the first round ECAC Tournament matchup between the Harvard women's hockey team and Cornell. The Crimson took last night's contest, and hopes to come away with a sweep in the best-of-three series.

—Staff writer Loren Amor is live on the scene at Bright Hockey Center