CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – After a thrilling win in the 2026 Dunkin' Women's Beanpot Semifinal, Harvard women's hockey is set to return to ECAC action this weekend with a key series against two ranked opponents. The Crimson (10-8-1, 5-6-1 ECAC) will first head to Hobey Baker Rink on Friday (Jan. 16) to take on the No. 9 Princeton Tigers (15-4-0, 10-2-3 ECAC) before taking on the No. 6 Quinnipiac Bobcats (17-5-2, 7-4-1 ECAC) at M&T Bank Arena on Saturday (Jan. 17). Harvard will look to continue its strong play and gain ground in the ECAC standings when it hits the road this weekend.
The Matchup
Harvard has a busy weekend ahead, as it makes the trip to New Jersey and Connecticut to take on two of the ECAC's top squads. The first matchup of the weekend will see the Crimson and the No. 9 Princeton Tigers clash inside Hobey Baker Rink in an Ivy League clash. Puck drop is set for 6:00 PM on Friday night with all the action streaming live on ESPN+.
On Saturday, the Crimson will head to Hamden, Connecticut to take on No. 6 Quinnipiac at M&T Bank Arena. Game time is set for 3:00 PM in the first meeting between the ECAC foes this season.
Last Time Out
Harvard women's hockey put together a thrilling win in its last contest against Boston College in the semifinal round of the 2026 Dunkin' Women's Beanpot on Tuesday (Jan. 13).
Kaley MacDonald's third period goal lifted Harvard to a 2-1 result over BC and advanced the Crimson into the Beanpot Championship game next Tuesday (Jan. 20) night. A stellar goal from
Morgan McGathey and a masterful effort from
Ainsley Tuffy – that included 40 saves and only one goal allowed – helped Harvard earn the win.
Series History Against Princeton and Quinnipiac
- Harvard and Quinnipiac have met 42 times in series history dating back to the 2005-06 season.
- The Crimson owns a slight lead in the matchup with a 20-19-3 record against the Bobcats.
- Harvard is looking for its first win over Quinnipiac since the 2021 season as the Bobcats have won the past nine meetings.
- Princeton and Harvard have clashed on the ice 100 times in the series history that dates back to the 1979-80 season.
- Harvard owns a 51-42-7 record in the rivalry over Princeton
- The Tigers have won the past three matchups and own a 7-2-1 advantage in the last 10 meetings.
Player History Against Princeton and Quinnipiac
- Brooke Manning and Gwyn Lapp lead the Crimson with three points each against Princeton. Manning has logged three assists and Lapp owns two goals and an assist in the rivalry.
- Both Ainsley Tuffy and Emily Davidson have seen action against Princeton, owning .925 and .875 save percentages.
- Gwyn Lapp is the only active player with a point against Quinnipiac, holding one assist in her career against the foe.
- Davidson has started three games in goal, posting a 3.38 GAA and a .902 save percentage.
- Tuffy started one game against the Bobcats last season, making 40 saves and allowing just one goal in a narrow 1-0 loss.
Biotti Beats the Buzzer
First-year defender
Emi Biotti scored the latest game-winning goal in Harvard Women's Ice Hockey history last Friday night, beating the buzzer and putting the puck in the back of the net with just 0.2 second remaining in overtime against Brown (Jan. 9). It was Biotti's third goal of the season and sent Harvard off with its first win over Brown in four years.
Success at the Friendship Series
Harvard is coming off a stellar run at the 2026 Friendship Series in Belfast, Northern Ireland this past weekend. It was the Crimson's first ever appearance in the event that saw four teams compete for the Belpot Trophy at SSE Arena, the home of the Belfast Giants (EIHL).
The Crimson was matched up against No. 5 Minnesota Duluth in the first-round game on Friday (Jan. 2) that saw over 3,000 fans pour into the arena to cheer on the teams. After memorable goals from
Kate Kasica – her first career goal that came short-handed – and
Ella Lucia, Harvard found itself tied with the national power, Duluth at the end of regulation. Carla McSweeneny broke the tied with under a minute left in overtime to send the Crimson to the finals with one of the biggest upset wins the program has had in the past 10 years.
Ainsley Tuffy posted 55 saves – the third most in a game in program history and the most by a goalie in a winning effort in team history – to stonewall the Bulldogs and earn the ranked win.
In the final against BU, the Crimson battled against its Beanpot rival for 60 minutes, falling just short in a 2-3 defeat.
Carla McSweeney struck again in the championship game and
Elle Sproule also scored a goal in the matchup to aid the Harvard offense.
Standing Tall
The Crimson defense has been outstanding in 19 games played this season, allowing just 39 goals and holding opponents to just 2.05 goals per game. That number makes Harvard the 11th best scoring defense in the NCAA heading into the weekend. The defense has allowed two or fewer goals in 12 of 19 games and has secured three shutouts on the year.
Off to a stellar start in the 2025-26 season, Tuffy ranks first nationally with a .956 save percentage in her eight starts. She has allowed two or fewer goals in seven of her eight outings and ranks 7th in the nation with a 1.606 GAA.
Tuffy put together one of the best goaltending performances in Harvard Women's Ice Hockey history this past Friday (Jan. 2) against the No. 5 University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs. The Duxbury native made 55 saves – the third most in a single game in program history – to stump the national power and lead Harvard to a 3-2 victory in the Friendship Series semifinal. The effort saw her make 23 saves in the third period which is the most saves in a period by a Harvard goaltender since at least the 1981-82 season.
The sophomore netminder finished the weekend with 80 saves, a .941 save percentage and just five goals allowed in the Friendship Series Tournament.
Down a Skater, Up for the Challenge
The Harvard penalty kill has been on an excellent run this season, stopping opponents on 37-of-43 penalties. The team's penalty killing percentage of .860 ranks fourth in the ECAC heading into the weekend. The Crimson had a season-best 16-kill streak snapped against Brown on Nov. 15.
Youth Movement
The Crimson offensive resurgence has been led by its undergraduate players, who account for 76 of the teams 116 points this season. Harvard's undergraduate points percentage of 66 is the highest in the ECAC after passing St. Lawrence (63-percent) and Brown (61-percent) last semester.
Nine of the team's 11 points in win over Maine were scored by undergraduate players which was the most points by the group in a game this season.
The Crimson Climb
The Crimson showed rapid improvement from its 2024-25 season in just the first semester of 2025-26. The team posted seven wins, which tied the program's wins total from the last two seasons combined. Harvard also scored 36 goals in the first semester schedule which was more than the team's 2024-25 season total of 35 goals.
Double Digits
Through 19 games, the Crimson has five players in double figures in the points column.
Angelica Megdanis and
Ella Lucia lead the way with 11 points each, while the first-year trio of
Morgan McGathey,
Carla McSweeney and
Elle Sproule each own 10 points on the season.
McClutch
One of the hottest players in the ECAC heading into the weekend,
Carla McSweeney lived up to her "McClutch" nickname in the Friendship Series, scoring the game-winning goal against No. 5 Minnesota Duluth in the semifinal round of the tournament. Already her second game-winner of the season, her first came in the final minutes of the team's contest against New Hampshire (Oct. 18) on opening weekend.
A Chicago native, McSweeney's goal scoring ability has made an immediate impact on the Crimson. She is currently tied for the team lead with six goals on the year and just had a six-game point streak snapped in the contest against Yale (Jan. 10). It was the longest first-year point streak for the Crimson since Kristin Della Rovere '23 in the 2018-19 season (7 games).
Keeping it Clean
One of the least penalized teams in college hockey, the Crimson is averaging less than six penalty minutes per game this season. At 5.16 penalty minutes per game, Harvard's total is third-fewest in the NCAA and its total of 98 penalty minutes is the lowest in the nation.
