Kate Buesser had the game-winning goal and an assist in Harvard's upset of Dartmouth (Gil Talbot).
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Harvard women's ice hockey team capitalized on two quick strikes in the second period to defeat No. 9/10 Dartmouth Friday night at Bright Hockey Center. With the score tied 1-1 in the second period, the Crimson took control, netting two goals within a minute of each other, an outburst that proved too much for Dartmouth to recover from.
Harvard (3-2-2, 3-2-2 ECAC) drew first blood at 7:42 into the first period when Kalley Armstrong found Marissa Gedman for a quick shot that ricocheted off the far post into the net. Ashley Wheeler also assisted on the goal. The Crimson limited the Big Green (6-2-0, 5-2-0 ECAC) to six shots while accumulating 10 on Dartmouth goalie Whitney Woodcox.
Dartmouth came out firing on all cylinders in the second period, knotting the score at 1-1, just 1:54 into the period when Jenna Hobeika scored on a deflection. Margaux Sharp and Lauren Kelly assisted on the goal. Dartmouth sustained its intense play for the entire period, racking up 11 shots. Despite this barrage and a two-man disadvantage, the composed play of Harvard's freshman netminder Lauren Joarnt kept the score at 1-1.
With 1:27 remaining in the period, Kate Buesser and Katharine Chute assisted on Liza Ryabkina's goal to put Harvard up 2-1. Less than a minute later, Elizabeth Parker earned her first collegiate goal on a breakaway set up by Lyndsey Fry and Gedman. Despite being outshot 5-11 in the second frame, the Crimson finished the period on top, 3-1.
The momentum continued in Harvard's favor in the third period with Buesser's breakaway goal at the 13:48 mark. Josephine Pucci, playing in her first game since representing the United States in the Four Nations Cup, and Kelsey Romatoski assisted on the goal. The nation's leading scorer, Sasha Nanji quickly answered for the Big Green with 12:29 left in the game, closing the gap to 4-2. Hobeika assisted on the goal, Nanji's eighth of the season.
With 2:23 remaining, Geneva Kliman's power play goal, assisted by Hobeika and Nanji, narrowed the score to 4-3. With under a minute remaining, Dartmouth pulled Woodcox for an extra skater, but failed to capitalize, as Katharine Chute added an empty-netter with 10 seconds on the clock to secure a 5-3 win for Harvard. Harvard outshot Dartmouth 25-23, with Woodcox and Joarnt making 20 saves apiece.
The Crimson completes the home-and-home series tomorrow afternoon when it travels to Hanover, N.H., for a 4 p.m. game.
