CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Harvard women's hockey wraps up the first half of its season this weekend with a challenging ECAC series against No. 5 Clarkson and No. 8 St. Lawrence. The top-10 matchups will take place at the Bright-Landry Hockey Center this Friday (Dec. 1) and Saturday (Dec. 2) at 6:00 PM and 3:00 PM, respectively.
The Crimson will face top-10 teams in back-to-back contests for the fifth consecutive season as it looks to pick up its first conference win of the season before the month-long break for finals and the holidays.
Playing better every game, Harvard is coming off its most competitive four-game stretch of the season that included a win over B.U. and close battles with No. 4 Minnesota and St. Thomas.
This stretch begins a six-game homestand for Harvard that spans over six weeks. The stretch will run through January and end with the first round of the Beanpot that is set to be held on the Crimson's home ice on Jan. 16, 2024.
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
The unbeaten Clarkson Golden Knights come into the contest on a three game-winning streak, two of which came in a home-and-home series with Syracuse last week. The fourth-highest scoring team in college hockey will come to the Bright looking to climb up the ECAC ladder. Nicole Gosling and Haley Winn lead the team with 18 points each while Michelle Pasiechnyk has stonewalled opposing offenses with her .943 save percentage and 1.13 GAA. The Golden Knights have allowed the third-fewest goals in the nation (18) for an average of just one per game.
The St. Lawrence Saints are off to their best starts in recent memory, taking their no. 8 national rankings with them into this weekend. The 12-5 Saints are coming off back-to-back shutout defeats at the hands of top-ranked Ohio State, who outscored St. Lawrence 17-1 in the series.Senior captain Julia Gosling leads the Scarlet and Brown with 11 goals and 13 assists for 24 points on the season.
LAST TIME OUT
Harvard played two of its best games of the season in the D1 in DC Tournament a week ago, battling to close losses against the No. 4 Minnesota Golden Gophers and St. Thomas Tommies. The Crimson took Minnesota to the final buzzer, creating chance after chance but falling short in an eventual 3-1 defeat. In the Saturday tilt with the Tommies, Harvard took an early lead before falling behind 4-1 going into the second intermission. The Crimson battles back down the stretch, netting two powerplay goals to cut into the deficit. The Crimson's comeback attempt fell short in the 4-3 loss.
POWERING THE POWERPLAY
The 11th ranked Crimson powerplay unit had a strong showing in DC, posting three goals in the tournament.
Gwyn Lapp netted the goal in the first game, while
Maria Pape and
Eva Dorr recorded the PP goals in the third period against St. Thomas.
Gwyn Lapp leads the team with three powerplay tallies this season while
Maria Papes two goals is a close second. Lapp's total is good for 13th most in the nation and eighth most in the ECAC.
POINT LEADERS vs. CLARKSON/ST. LAWRENCE
vs. CLARKSON
E. Bayard - 1p - 1g -0a
E. Dorr - 1p - 0g - 1a
S. Hollands - 2p - 0g - 2a
J. MacDonald - 2p - 1g - 1a
E. Winges - 1p - 0g - 1a
vs. ST. LAWRENCE
E. Bayard - 1p - 1g -0a
M. Biotti - 3p - 3g - 0a
H. Chorske - 1p - 1g - 0a
S. Hollands - 2p - 0g - 2a
NOTES AND STORYLINES
- BIOTTI A BEAST vs ST. LAWRENCE
- Junior blueliner Mia Biotti has scored a goal in three of the four games she has played against St. Lawrence dating back to 2021-22. Biotti tallied the game-winner in the first matchup against the Saints last season with under a minute left before notching the game-tying goal in the second battle against St. Lawrence. Biotti leads all active Crimson skaters with three goals and three points against the ECAC foe.
- HOLLANDS/BIOTTI LEAD THE WAY vs. RPI
- Veteran leaders, Shannon Hollands and Mia Biotti had a strong weekend against Union and RPI, combining for seven points in the matchups. Hollands scored goals in both contests and added the primary assist on Biotti's late game-tying goal against RPI which sent the game to overtime. Both Biotti and Hollands scored a goal and had two assist against the Engineers, marking the first time Harvard has had two skaters hit three points since the 2021-22 season.
- GETTING IN THE WAY
- Mia Biotti and Maria Pape have been fearless in their defensive zone this season, blocking a team high 28 and 26 shots, respectively, this season. Biotti's total is good for T-20 in the nation.
- BETWEEN THE PIPES
- Junior captain Alex Pellicci has began to find her groove in the crease, posting a .921 save percentage in her last four games. Her 41 saves against Minnesota was a seaosn-best and also was a big reason why the Crimson hung in the game against one of the nation's best.
