Fast and Furious

The second period of Game 2 of the ECAC quarterfinals ended with questions. Would Harvard squander a four-goal lead? Would St. Lawrence rally to force a third game?

It only took Crimson tri-captain Kate Buesser 15 seconds to answer those questions with a resounding “no.” And in case the Saints didn’t get the message, sophomore Jillian Dempsey scored 45 seconds later to make the point clear and propel Harvard (17-10-4, 14-5-3 ECAC) to an 8-3 victory over St. Lawrence (16-18-2, 11-11) Saturday afternoon at the Bright Hockey Center.

“The kids answered the challenge we gave to them between the second and third period that said ‘Hey…What are we going to be?’” Crimson coach Katey Stone said. “They came out bang-bang right away.”

Like the third period, the first period was Harvard’s from the beginning. The Crimson came out with more speed than the Saints and was able to dominate the puck early. Katharine Chute was effective intercepting pucks and creating plays in the middle of the ice. While the senior forward was not able to score on her solo rushes, she put St. Lawrence’s skaters on the defensive early. Five minutes into the game, Chute’s efforts paid off when she was able to find classmate Ashley Wheeler, and Wheeler sent the puck to Buesser, who one-timed the puck past Saints goaltender Maxie Weisz, a grad student.

Two minutes later, sophomore defenseman Josephine Pucci hit Wheeler on the left side of the net, and the senior forward was able to capitalize for the game’s second goal.

“Our first period lately has been very good, and I think that just means we’re ready to play,” Buesser said. “We want to get out from the gates very fast and get them on their heels.”

With a two-goal lead, the Crimson played with poise. Rather than forcing shots, Harvard had time to look for opportune moments.

Freshman Gina McDonald found one 16 minutes into the period. Sophomore Whitney Kennedy fired the puck from the middle of the offensive zone. The puck bounced off a St. Lawrence defenseman and McDonald was able to slam it home to make it, 3-0.

With one minute remaining in the frame, Buesser took advantage of a five-on-three scenario and tipped in her second goal of the game off an assist from Pucci. The tri-captain’s score would be the Crimson’s last for 21 minutes of ice time.

For the first few minutes of the second period, Harvard seemed to maintain its first-frame momentum, but the tides turned quickly. The Saints picked up their tempo and were able to seize control of the puck and put pressure on Crimson sophomore goaltender Laura Bellamy.

For the first half of the period, Bellamy had stopped all the shots that came, and Harvard’s defensemen were able to clear the puck. But 12 minutes into the frame, St. Lawrence’s persistence paid off when senior Karell Emard fired the puck across the net to junior Josee Belanger, who one-timed it into the cage.

Two and a half minutes later, first-year Rylee Smith struck on a solo rush down the ice. Only Chute was able to keep up with Smith, but the Saints’ forward was able to outmaneuver her Crimson counterpart and earn a one-on-one with Bellamy for an easy goal.

St. Lawrence’s third goal, scored by junior Vanessa Emond, came off a Bellamy save. The sophomore netminder had stopped the initial shot by Saints’ junior Alley Bero, but the puck bounced right to Emond, who fired into the open net.

“We kind of sold our goaltender out a few times,” Stone said. “She’s kept us in a lot of ball games, so we need to do a better job taking care of the puck and taking care of her.”

After starting the period ahead by four, Harvard finished the second frame ahead by one.

“We made things a little closer than they needed to be with turnovers and not the smartest plays,” Stone said. “They’re a highly skilled team. They played well. They weren’t going to go away—we had to beat them.”

But it didn’t take the Crimson long to right the ship. In the opening seconds of the third period, Buesser received the puck in the middle of the ice right next to her own bench. The tri-captain skated past all of St. Lawrence’s skaters and fired the puck past Weisz.

Following Buesser’s, sophomore forward Jillian Dempsey scored at the one-minute mark on a nearly identical rush. Like Buesser, Dempsey received the puck next to Harvard’s bench and skated across the ice, outmaneuvering all the defensemen in her way. Unlike Buesser, though, Dempsey released the puck in the center of the offensive zone.

“It was huge, just to set the tone right off the bat,” Stone said of the two goals. “[We] came out with more energy and all of a sudden it was right back up where it needed to be.”

Nine minutes later, Dempsey struck again off a cross-cage assist from tri-captain Liza Ryabkina.

Down four goals, the Saints pulled Weisz to try to even the scoreboard. But the plan backfired when Harvard freshman Marissa Gedman scored from behind the Crimson’s own blue-line to put Harvard ahead by five.

While a second-period slump seemed to put the game in jeopardy, the Crimson was able to dominate play at the game’s crucial moments.

“We’re a team where if we try to do too much, it doesn’t work,” Stone said. “We keep things simple and use everyone, play a team game, we’re in good shape.”

—Staff writer Christina C. McClintock can be reached at ccmcclin@fas.harvard.edu.