Women's Hockey Nabs Share of ECAC Regular Season Title

UPDATED: February 23, 2015, at 4:17 a.m.

It was a weekend of lasts for the No. 3/4 Harvard women’s ice hockey team. This weekend’s series marked not only the closing games of the regular season, but also the last regular season games this year’s senior class will play at the Bright-Landry Hockey Center.

Following a string of wins last weekend over Cornell and Colgate, the Crimson (21-5-3, 16-4-2 ECAC) came into the weekend with a three-point lead in the ECAC conference. But after a tie on Friday night and a loss on Saturday, Harvard finished the regular season tied with Clarkson (22-9-3,16-4-2) for the top seed.

CLARKSON 1, HARVARD 0

The Crimson fell to the Golden Knights after Clarkson freshman forward Brielle Bellerive netted a goal eight minutes into the first period. Despite having the same number of points as Harvard in the ECAC, the Golden Knights clinched the top seed for the coming conference tournament given their 1-0-1 record against the Crimson.

After being outshot 10-7 and 9-7 in the first and second period, respectively, Harvard came away with 14 shots on goal in the third period. Despite the loss, Harvard coach Katey Stone remained positive about the Crimson’s effort.

“I thought the first period we were on our heels a little bit more than we have been in the past,” Stone said. “I felt like we played a little tight early and then got ourselves moving. There’s just very little margin of error in a game like today, but back and forth, the pace was great.”

Both teams failed to convert on power plays, with Harvard putting up only two shots on goal on three power plays, while Clarkson put three shots on goal on four power plays. Despite a strong push in the last period, the Crimson was unable to come out with the win.

“I thought we came out a little bit shaky and then turned it around [in the] second and third period,” junior co-captain Michelle Picard said. “We just couldn’t put the puck in the net, but I thought we worked hard.”

The loss left the two teams tied for the ECAC title, but given the Golden Knights' winning record against Harvard, it was ultimately Clarkson that took the highest seed going into playoffs.

The spirits of the Crimson squad were not dampened for long, as the team celebrated senior night immediately after the game. Senior forward Lyndsey Fry was nostalgic when reflecting on her past four seasons with the team.

“They have been probably the most impactful four years of my life mostly because of Harvard hockey and everything I’ve learned whether that be [from Coach Stone] or being part of the team,” Fry said. “It truly has changed me as a person for the better, and it’s something I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.”

HARVARD 1, ST. LAWRENCE 1

Despite the fact that the Crimson was able to put up 45 shots on goal, only one found the back of the net in a 1-1 tie with St. Lawrence (18-10-5, 12-5-4).

After a goal by the Saints three minutes into the second period, Harvard rallied with a goal from sophomore forward Sydney Daniels off the assist from co-captain Kalley Armstrong. It was a stalemate for the rest of the game, largely in part to another strong performance from junior goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer, who had 31 saves on the night.

The Crimson failed to convert on three power plays, including one in overtime after St. Lawrence was penalized for having too many players on the ice. Harvard struggled to take advantage of the power play with the game on the line, as Saints' goalkeeper Carmen MacDonald saved all seven shots on goal that came her way in the overtime frame.

With a win, the Crimson could have clinched the regular season conference championship, but instead, Harvard walked away with a tie on Friday, heading into a game that would decide the fate of the ECAC. As the second seed in the tournament, the Crimson will host Yale in a best-of-three series this weekend for the second consecutive season .

“At this point it’s playoff hockey, so [we have to make] sure we come out and not [wait] for a goal to get scored to turn on the switch," Fry said.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

CORRECTION: February 23, 2015

An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the weekend's series were the last games the women's hockey team's senior class would play in the Bright-Landry Hockey Center. In fact, they were the last regular season games the seniors will play there.