Harvard Beats Brown, Earns First Win of Young Season

After a 3-3 tie against Yale on Friday, the No. 9 Harvard women’s hockey team garnered its first win of the season against Brown Saturday afternoon. The 4-2 victory over the Bears (0-3-0, 0-2-0 ECAC) was the product of a team-wide effort by the Crimson (1-0-1, 1-0-1 ECAC), which controlled the ice from the starting whistle.

“I think we came out with much more intensity than [Friday] night,” Harvard coach Katey Stone said. “We possessed the puck really well and dominated the majority of the game.”

In the first period alone, the Crimson outshot Brown, 13-7, and recorded a 41-15 advantage on the game, forcing Bear goalie Aubree Moore to make an impressive 37 saves.

Moore was able to protect the cage throughout most of the first period, shutting her opponent out until Harvard, with the stick of sophomore Josephine Pucci, put one into the back of the net with just over a minute left to play.

Pucci, from a great individual effort, was able to stop a Brown breakaway at the blue line and weave through the Bears’ defense until finally putting the puck into the top corner of the net, securing the first goal of the game.

The long wait for a finish in the opening period proved to be trying for the Crimson.

“It gets frustrating when [a scoring opportunity] is right there, because you know you’re doing the right thing and making the right plays,” sophomore Jillian Dempsey said. “We did a really good job of staying composed and keeping up the attack. It’s all about how you capitalize on the next chance.”

The second period was a continuation of Harvard’s domination, in which it posted two back-to-back goals halfway through the frame. The Crimson again outshot Brown, keeping the Bears to only two shots.

Tri-captain Liza Ryabkina struck first for Harvard, taking advantage of a pass from sophomore Kaitlin Spurling and one-timing it past the reach of Moore.

Dempsey echoed the effort only 58 seconds later, finishing the rebound of a shot from freshman Gina McDonald, which came off the foot of an overworked Moore.

“We just talked about it being big to come right out and get after them right away,” Stone said. “It was important that the kids don’t try to finesse plays, just get to the net and bang it home.”

Although the Crimson allowed only two shots in the second period, Brown was able to put itself on the board with the help of a power-play man advantage. Erica Kromm narrowed Harvard’s 3-0 lead off a shot just beyond the crease, taking control of a pass from teammate Alena Polenska. The goal was Kromm’s second of the season and Polenska’s second assist.

The Bears took a lesson from the Crimson and upped the intensity from the start of the third period, notching another goal in the opening five minutes of play. Polenska pulled her team within one from a close-range goal off passes from Samantha Woodward and Laurie Jolin four minutes in.

“I got a little nervous for a second—anyone in a 3-2 game would be,” Dempsey said. “You’re ahead and next thing you know, you’re tied, and there’s a huge momentum shift.”

But rather than crumbling under the pressure, Harvard responded with a goal of its own following back-to-back penalties committed by Brown. With a 5-on-3 advantage, tri-captain Leanna Coskren gave her team an insurance goal, securing the Crimson victory.

“You can either demoralize yourself of you can just say, ‘Hey, let’s go, let’s go get ourselves another goal,’” Stone said. “We just have to keep playing our game...it’s just a matter of staying focused for the entire time it takes to win the game.”

This is the second straight game in which Harvard has recorded over 40 shots while keeping its opponent to under 20, a straightforward formula for victory.

Despite the help from her defense, sophomore goaltender Laura Bellamy made 13 saves on the night, many coming at key moments in the game.

The undefeated opening weekend—with a tie on Friday and win on Saturday—gives the young Crimson team a positive start from which to assemble a successful season.

“I hope [the weekend] is something to build on,” Stone said. “We have a lot of young kids in a lot of key spots...but, as a result [of this weekend], we’ve gained a lot of confidence.”

—Staff writer B. Marjorie Gullick can be reached at gullick@college.harvard.edu.