PRINCETON, N.J. – Harvard women's hockey used a three-goal second period to power itself past Princeton in game two of the ECAC Championship Quarterfinals and tie the series at 1-1. The Crimson (16-14-3, 8-11-3 ECAC) secured a 3-1 result over the Tigers (22-9-0, 16-6-0 ECAC) to force a decisive third game in the series.
Morgan McGathey,
Carla McSweeney and
Angelica Megdanis each scored in the second period to help lift Harvard to the victory.
How it Happened
The Crimson and the Tigers met for game two of its quarterfinal series this afternoon at Hobey Baker Rink as Harvard looked to extend the series with a road win. Leading in the series after a 1-0 victory in game one, Princeton looked to put the pressure on the Crimson on its home ice.
The teams battled over every inch of the ice in the opening period, with the defenses controlling the game.
Ainsley Tuffy made 11 saves in the period to hold Princeton off the board and the Tiger netminder countered with five saves of her own as the game went into the first intermission scoreless. The best chance of the period came for the Tigers late in the period but a pair of stops by Tuffy and a series of strong defensive plays helped the Crimson keep the game locked at a 0-0 tie.
It was all Harvard in the second period, with the Crimson getting the first goal across the line and on the scoreboard just two-and-a-half minutes into the period.
Morgan McGathey started the scoring with an impressive backhand shot that was lifted over the outstretched blocker of the Princeton goalkeeper and into the back of the net. Just three minutes later, her linemate
Carla McSweeney was sprung for a breakaway opportunity, The first-year threw a shot through the Tiger goalkeeper's five-hole to put another tally on the board.
Angelica Megdanis capped off the scoring run with a quick shot off a faceoff win by
Antonina Dinges, beating the goalie to the far post with a snap shot to put the Crimson up, 3-0.
Princeton was on a mission to counter in the second half of the period, throwing shot after shot at Tuffy and the Crimson net. The Tigers tallied 18 shots on goal in the period but was shut down by the sophomore netminder. Harvard's defense also stepped in to block eight shots in the period to give the team a three-goal cushion heading into the intermission.
Princeton finally got past Tuffy early in the third period to make the score 3-1 with over 13 minutes remaining in the period. The Crimson defense stood tall for the remainder of the game, blocking nine shots and getting another 12 saves from Tuffy to hold the lead. The final stretch also featured over four minutes of 6-on-5 action for the Tigers, who pulled their goalie in the closing sequences. Even with the extra skater, Harvard weathered the storm and held off the late push to secure the 3-1 victory and force a game three tomorrow afternoon.
Harvard Highlights
- Morgan McGathey tallied the first goal for Harvard, her team-leading 11th of the season.
- Carla McSweeney scored the eventual game-winning goal in the second period, her fourth GWG of her rookie campaign. The first-year also added an assist to finish with two points.
- Angelica Megdanis capped off the scoring run with her seventh goal of the year.
- The three Harvard goals were scored in 5:53 seconds of game time.
- Ainsley Tuffy anchored the defense with another strong game in goal, making 41 saves in the win.
- Alex Paulsen, Keira Ley, Elle Sproule and Antonina Dinges all added assists.
- Ley led the team with six blocked shots. Kaley MacDonald tallied five blocks of her own in the action.
- Harvard blocked 27 shots as a team.
Up Next
The Crimson and the Tigers will meet in the rubber match tomorrow afternoon at Hobey Baker Rink to decide who will move on to the Semifinal Round and earn a trip Lake Placid. The win-or-go-home battle between the Ivy foes is set to begin at 3:00 PM at Hobey Baker Rink and the contest will also air live on ESPN+.
