NOTEBOOK: Kessler Shuts Out Cornell Twice Over Weekend

On a winning weekend including seven Harvard goals and attacking contributions from no fewer than seven players, you wouldn’t expect the goaltender to be grabbing the headlines.

But then again, we’re not talking about any regular goaltender.

In an awards-laden collegiate career, replete with All-Ivy League, All-ECAC and All-America team honors, junior Christina Kessler’s latest achievement saw back-to-back shut outs against Cornell in the ECAC Hockey Quarterfinal series—her fifth and sixth of the season.

Impressive enough, even without taking into consideration a personal record-breaking 36 saves on Friday, a total of 62 saves over both games and a string of crucial interventions to keep the Big Red at bay.

For her team-mates, it proved an ideal foundation for the Crimson’s offensive play.

“When you have a goaltender in net who’s playing well and is full of confidence, she just gives confidence to the rest of the team,” said senior tri-captain and forward Jenny Brine. “Once we see her make a few big stops, it really inspires the rest of the team to pick up their game.”

With Harvard out-shot in the first period of both games, Kessler was forced into action as the Crimson withstood early Cornell onslaughts; the Team Canada Under-22 goaltender didn’t disappoint.

“She did very well, she did everything she needed to do,” Harvard oach Katey Stone said. “She was solid through some screens and played well when the puck was behind the net. She did a really good job.”

Kessler’s performance also left the Crimson with a sense of déjà-vu; the junior set her previous career-high of 35 saves against the Big Red in a 5-2 win earlier in February.

STRENGTH IN DEPTH

With the end of a goalless second period in the first game of the ECAC Hockey Quarterfinals minutes away, Harvard looked set to enter a tense finale against a stubborn Big Red team.

That was about to change, courtesy of third-line junior Kathryn Farni.

Receiving the puck from Brine on the left, just inside Cornell’s zone, the defenseman drilled a shot towards goal which, upon taking a deflection off a defenseman’s stick, somehow found its way into the net.

In a tight game, it proved to be a significant turning point in the Crimson’s favor.

“I would say it was [after] Farni’s goal, that we were like, ‘Okay, now we can do this,’” Brine said. “We’ve got a goal under our belts; it’s time to take it to them.”

While Farni’s finish was not her first decisive intervention this season—the junior scored the only goal in a win over Yale in January—it did reflect the influence of lower string players.

Despite senior Sarah Wilson’s absence due to illness, Harvard drew strength from a robust third-line performance; Ryabkina enjoyed a three-goal weekend, with an assist apiece for junior Randi Griffin and sophomore Amy Uber.

Including goals from second line McDonald and first line Brine, the points were evenly spread around for the Crimson in a genuine team effort.

“I think that’s one of the trademarks of our program—if someone’s not able to play in the lineup, someone else steps up,” Stone said. “It’s a great opportunity.”

DISHING IT OUT

She may have been accustomed to finding the back of the net, but this weekend saw senior tri-captain Sarah Vaillancourt emphasize her prowess as a playmaker.

Five assists over two games fail to explain the forward’s full repertoire of passes—setting up teammates incisively, spraying the puck around the rink and breaching the Cornell defense.

For Harvard, it was as indicative of its “team first” mentality as it was of Vaillancourt’s exceptional qualities.

“She’s always a key to any of our games,” sophomore Liza Ryabkina said. “She plays for the team – she could have shot for herself, but she sets up other people because she wants to win. That is her ultimate goal.”

Vaillancourt’s vision made the breakthrough in the closely-fought second period of Saturday’s game. Shrugging off two Cornell defensemen on the left wing, Vaillancourt threaded a pass for unmarked junior Anna McDonald to finish, giving the Crimson a vital advantage.

With 27 assists in a 52-point season thus far, it is the development of the 2009 Patty Kazmaier nominee’s distribution game over the last two seasons that particularly pleases Crimson coach Stone.

“She’s incredibly unselfish,” Stone said. “Players like Sarah have the puck at their stick a lot, but when they dish it, they dish it appropriately and in a timely fashion.”

—Staff writer Allen J. Padua can be reached at ajpadua@fas.harvard.edu.