Women's Hockey Starts Season With Victory Over Dartmouth, 5-1

Getting back to regular season action, both teams tried to find their strides in the first period at Thompson Arena in Hanover, NH. After the first 20 minutes went scoreless, a flurry of goals went in favor of Harvard as they went on to beat Dartmouth , 5-1.

The past two seasons, the Crimson (1-0-0, 1-0-0 ECAC) and the Big Green (0-2-0, 0-1-0) had split their season series and defended their home ice. But Harvard’s strong start Sunday afternoon broke with recent history, as a hat trick by Harvard captain Sydney Daniels and stellar net minding by senior goalie Brianna Laing did in Dartmouth.

“I thought it was a really good start to the season, especially playing away at Dartmouth,” junior forward Haley Mullins said. “We’ve had trouble playing at their rink, with their heavy fan base sometimes.”

The Crimson got off to a rocky start in the first period as it was outshot 10-4 and sent to the penalty box three times. Despite the lackluster start and errors, Harvard came out of the first period unscathed.

Just 3:50 into the second period on a power play, Mullins fed Daniels, who was standing to the side of the goal mount and knocked in the puck for the season’s first score.

A few minutes later, Dartmouth went on its own power play, where sophomore forward Tess Bracken converted her team’s only goal. This power play goal was the only blemish to an otherwise excellent shorthand effort for the Crimson, as they burned off five out of six woman advantages.

While the penalty kill was successful, the play that created these situations provide some cause for concern.

“I don’t think that our team wants to take penalties that are bad penalties,” sophomore forward Audrey Warner said. “I think the refs have really cracked down this year. We’re just playing tough hockey and going to take smart penalties.”

Harvard responded in stride, as junior forward Lexie Laing carried the puck from inside her own zone, slotting a backhand as she crossed in front of the net minder. The Crimson found success in its power play, capitalizing on two out of seven woman advantage situations.

The game would remain close going into the third period with Harvard leading 2-1, with both teams trying to convert opportunities at both ends of the rink. The Big Green generated several changes as they sought a goal to tie the game up. Its prime opportunity came 6:49 into the final period after an interference penalty led to a Dartmouth power play.

A strong penalty kill pulled the Crimson through that critical juncture and it went its way from there. Another slick backhand, this time from freshman forward Val Turgeon, went five-hole on Dartmouth’s senior goalie Robyn Chemago to put Harvard in a commanding position that it would never relinquish. This was a day to remember for Turgeon, who got her first collegiate goal in her first career start.

“Our freshmen are great,” Audrey Warner said. “I think that they’ll definitely be a big part of our team this year.”

Daniels topped off the afternoon contest with two late goals, with the last wrist shot goal from the point marking the second hat trick of her career. Daniels came into the season as the Crimson’s top offensive threat and shows no sign of slowing down in her senior year.

“She a really high-energy player so when she scores it gets the whole team pumped up,” Mullins said. “She opens the door for more scoring.”

This rivalry game is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the entire season, which goes at least until late February. But this strong start gives hints of a high-powered offense with young talent.