CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – After a trip across the pond, Harvard women's ice hockey has returned home to the Bright-Landry Hockey Center where it is set to host a pair of ECAC and Ivy League rivals. The Crimson (8-7-1, 4-5-1 ECAC) will first host Brown (11-7-1, 7-4-1 ECAC) at 5:00 PM on Friday night before hosting No. 14 Yale (12-7-0, 7-5-0 ECAC) on Saturday afternoon at 3:00 PM. The team will also welcome back a number of former student-athletes for its Alumnae Weekend that will feature an alum skate and program dinner on Saturday.
 

Last Time Out

The Crimson is coming off a strong weekend of hockey at the 2026 Friendship Series in Belfast, Northern Ireland (Jan. 2-3). Harvard first upset the No. 5 ranked Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs before narrowly falling to the Boston University Terriers in the Belpot Championship Game.
 

Series History Against Brown/Yale

• Harvard leads the all-time series with Brown, 52-38-7, a rivalry that began back in the 1978-79 season.
• The Bears have the advantage in the last 10 meetings, holding a 7-3-0 mark that has included seven consecutive wins dating back to 2022-23.
• In the first meeting between the two sides this year, Brown escaped with a 4-3 win in overtime against the Crimson.
• The most familiar opponent in Harvard women's hockey history, the Crimson and Yale have met 103 times in series history dating back to 1978-79.
• The Crimson owns a 81-16-6 lead in the all-time series but Yale owns an 8-2-0 record in the last 10 meetings.
• Harvard knocked off the No. 10 Bulldogs at their home rink, 4-1, in the first meeting between the two sides this season.  

 

Player History Against Brown/Yale

• Six skaters own points in their careers against Yale, with Gwyn Lapp leading the way with two goals and one assist.
• Four skaters – Morgan McGathey, Emi Biotti, Annie Sun and Emily Hamann – scored in the first game against Yale, joining Lapp, Antonina Dinges and Scout Oudemool on the scoring list against the Bulldogs.
• Emily Davidson is 2-1-0 in her career against Yale, posting a 1.67 GAA and a .956 save percentage (108-for-113).
• Morgan McGathey and Gwyn Lapp are tied for the team lead in goals against Brown with two each. Both of McGathey's goals came in the only game she has every played against the Ivy foe on Nov. 15 of this season.
• Davidson (0-2-0, 4.00 GAA, .889 SV), Tuffy (0-1-0, 2 GA, 44 Saves) and Whynot (0-1-0, 4 GA, 18 Saves) have all started games against the Bears in their careers. 

 

Scouting Brown

• The Brown Bears have posted a 11-7-1 record through 19 games this season and are fresh off a two-game sweep RPI and Union this past weekend (Jan. 2-3). The squad has spent time in the USCHO Top 15 throughout the season and currently finds themselves receiving votes in the national poll.
• Brown's signature wins have come against No. 7 Quinnipiac (Oct. 25), RV St. Lawrence (Nov. 22) and No. 15 Yale (Dec. 6).
• The Bears score an average of 2.4 goals per game and allow 2.2 goals per game on the other side of the ice. Brown also is not afraid to shoot the puck, averaging 30.9 attempts on target per contest.
• On special teams, Brown holds a 17.2-percent powerplay percentage and a 73.5-percent penalty-killing percentage which is fifth-worst in the NCAA at this point in the season.
• India McDadi leads the team with 17 points and 10 assists while Margot Norehead owns the team lead with nine goals on the season.
• Brown has platooned a duo of goalies this season in Anya Zupkofska and Rory Edwards. Zupkofska started the first game against Harvard and has posted an 8-3-0 record with a 1.52 GAA and a .939 save percentage in 12 games played.

 

Scouting Yale

• With a 12-7-0 record this season, Yale finds itself ranked No. 14 in the national polls and currently slotted fifth in the ECAC standings with 18 league points. The Bulldogs were ranked as high as No. 10 in the nation earlier this season.
• Yale's signature wins this season include a 4-3 win over ECAC leader Princeton (Oct. 25) and a 3-0 shutout of No. 6 Northeastern earlier this week (Jan. 6).
• The Bulldogs offense is off to a hot start this season, posting 63 goals for an average of 3.3 goals per game, the seventh best total nationally. On defense, Yale allows just over 2.2 goals per contest and have held opponents to just 23.0 shots per game.
• The second best powerplay in the country, Yale has scored at a 34-percent clip this season (18-for-53). On the penalty kill, Yale has held opponents on 31-of-39 opportunities for a kill percentage of 20.5-percent.
• Carina DiAntonio has been the team's leader offensively this season, notching 27 points with 14 goals and 13 assists. Jordan Ray leads the team with 16 helpers on the year.

 

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.
 

Taking Home ECAC Weekly Awards

For her spectacular play in net, sophomore goaltender, Ainsley Tuffy earned the ECAC's MAC Goaltending Goalie of the Week award. The sixth weekly award for the Crimson this season, Tuffy earned the nomination after posting a 55-save win over No. 5 Minnesota Duluth in the Friendship Series Semifinal this past weekend. It is the first ECAC weekly honor in Tuffy's career and the first Goaltender of the Week award since Emily Davidson in the 2024-25 season.
 

Standing Tall

The Crimson defense has been outstanding in 16 games played this season, allowing just 34 goals and holding opponents to just 2.1 goals per game. That number makes Harvard the 13th best scoring defense in the NCAA – and fifth best in the ECAC - heading into the weekend. The defense has allowed two or fewer goals in ten of 16 games and has secured three shutouts on the year.
 

The Tremendous Ainsley Tuffy

Off to a stellar start in the 2025-26 season, Tuffy ranks second nationally with a .950 save percentage in her six starts. She has allowed two or fewer goals in five of her six starts and ranks 12th in the nation with a 1.83 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 34-of-40 penalties. The team's penalty killing percentage of .850 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 66 of the teams 100 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.
 

Lucia Leading the Way

Sophomore center, Ella Lucia, kicked it into high gear in her second season with the Crimson, leading the team with 11 points through 16 games. A Michigan native, Lucia has notched seven points in her last eight games and secured a point in each game of the Friendship Series. The forward has also been reliable in the faceoff circle, winning 53.3-percent of her draws.
 

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 currently leads the team with six goals on the year and finds herself on a four-game goal-scoring streak entering the series against Brown and Yale.
 

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 5.38 penalty minutes per game, Harvard's total is third-fewest in the NCAA and its total of 86 penalty minutes is the lowest in the nation.
 

The Battle for Boston

Beanpot season is officially here as Harvard and the three other Boston-based schools are set to hit the ice at Walter Brown Arena this Tuesday (Jan. 13) for the semifinal round of the 2026 Dunkin' women's Beanpot Tournament. The Crimson will take on the Boston College Eagles in the first round of the tournament with the puck set to drop at 4:30 PM. All the action from the Beanpot will air live on NESN.