CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard women's ice hockey went toe-to-toe with one of the nation's best teams on Thursday night, battling No. 5 Cornell in a hard-fought matchup at Bright-Landry Hockey Center. Despite a strong performance, the Crimson (2-1-0, 0-1-0 ECAC) ultimately fell to the Big Red (3-0-0, 1-0-0 ECAC) by a final score of 5-2 in their ECAC opener.

"For October 24, that's a great hockey game," said Laura Bellamy, the Landry Family Head Coach for Harvard Women's Hockey. "In a lot of ways it didn't feel like a 5-2 game — it felt close throughout. There was a lot of good for us, but there's also a lot we need to learn quickly, especially as a young group. I loved our effort, but we'll keep working on the execution as we continue to get better."

The Crimson showed continued growth as a team, controlling long stretches of play and creating sustained offensive pressure against one of the ECAC's top defenses. Harvard held the advantage in shots on goal until the final minute and dictated possession for much of the contest. After falling behind by three early in the second, the Crimson offense began to click — sparking renewed energy on the Harvard bench.

"I really liked our responses tonight," added Bellamy. "Getting the goal from [Emily Hamann] to make it 3-1 and the goal from Emi [Biotti] to make it 4-2 was huge. It gave us a lot of momentum, and both goals were definite highlights for us."

Hamann continued her strong start to the season with the team's first goal, while first-year defender Emi Biotti netted her first career tally in the third period.

"It felt unreal," said Biotti of her first collegiate goal. "I just remember getting the puck and seeing [Emily Hamann] screening the goalie really well, so I stepped up and took the shot."
Harvard will look to rebound tomorrow afternoon when it hosts No. 9 Colgate at Bright-Landry.

How It Happened

The Crimson returned to its home rink tonight to host the No. 5 Cornell Big Red in its first ECAC and Ivy League contest of the 2025-26 season. The Landry Family Head Coach for Harvard Women's Ice Hockey, Laura Bellamy, turned to first-year goaltender Izzy Whynot who made her career debut between the pipes tonight.
 
It was a fast start for the Crimson, who recorded five shots on goal in the first six minutes of the contest. Harvard continued to pressure the Cornell defense, working the puck in deep and creating chances in dangerous situations. Despite the solid start for Harvard – who led 13-6 in shots on goal in the first period - the Big Red took advantage on a pair of counter attacks, recording two goals in the period to take a lead into the first intermission.  
 
Cornell worked quickly after the intermission, scoring its third goal of the game after an early second period faceoff. The Crimson fought back later in the period, getting its first tally on the board after Emily Hamann tipped in a shot on the doorstep after a great pass from Ella Lucia. The Big Red got the last laugh in the second period, restoring its three-goal advantage with a goal in the final minutes. After 40 minutes, Cornell held a 4-1 lead but Harvard still maintained the advantage in the shots department at 20-15.
 
Emi Biotti gave the Crimson a huge boost early in the third period, scoring her first career goal to make the score 4-2. Her goal - which came just seconds after a powerplay expired – was a screamer from above the right circle, coming in just under the crossbar and into the back of the net. The team kept fighting in the third period, putting eight more shots on goal but could not find the back of the net. The Big Red withstood the barrage of chances from the Crimson and added one more tally to escape Boston with a 5-2 win over the Crimson.
 

Harvard Highlights

• Emi Biotti scored her first collegiate goal and added her first career assist for a two-point night.
• Emily Hamann netted her second goal of the season.
• Ella Lucia notched two assists, marking her first multi-point game of the year.
• Kaley MacDonald recorded an assist on Hamann's tally.
• Morgan McGathey led the team with 11 faceoff wins.
• The Crimson penalty kill went a perfect 3-for-3.
• Izzy Whynot made 27 saves in her collegiate debut.

Up Next

Harvard returns to Bright-Landry tomorrow to face another nationally ranked foe in No. 9 Colgate. Puck drop is set for 3:00 PM, with coverage streaming live on ESPN+.