CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard women's ice hockey posted a statement win this afternoon, upsetting the No. 7 Princeton Tigers on its home ice. The Crimson (13-12-3, 7-10-3 ECAC) once again came through in the clutch, scoring a late third period goal to drop the No. 7 Tigers (20-7-0, 15-5-0 ECAC) on the program's senior day. Two goals from Morgan McGathey and the eventual game winner from Ella Lucia helped the team send its senior class off with a massive victory over its Ivy League rival.
 

How it Happened

The No. 7 Princeton Tigers made its way to the Bright-Landry Hockey Center this afternoon to battle the Crimson in front of a season-high 1,406 fans. The game served as the Crimson's senior day and its third annual National Girls and Women in Sports Celebration game.
 
The Crimson brough the energy in the opening minutes, quickly putting four shots on the Princeton goalie. The Tiger netminder made all the saves necessary to calm things down and spring a push for Princeton. The Tigers turned the pressure into the game's first goal, putting a tally on the board after a loose rebound was put into the back of the net. The Crimson powerplay came through in a big spot to tie the game midway through the period. Morgan McGathey used a series of moves to set herself up on the doorstep. McGathey lifted a backhand shot above the crossbar and into the back of the net to tie the score at 1-1. The Tigers responded quickly, retaking the lead. Princeton held onto the lead through the period to go into the first intermission with a 2-1 advantage.
 
Once again, it was Morgan McGathey who answered for the Crimson, scoring another equalizing goal early in the second period. The first-year's second goal of the night came off a shot through the five-hole that dribbled across the goal line to tie the score at 2-2. Tuffy made saves on all 12 shots that she faced in the period to help keep the game tied going into the second intermission.
 
The Crimson came out hunting in the third period, quickly working to create a number of high danger chances. Tuffy continued to roll through the third period, making another 15 saves in the frame to stump one of the nation's best offenses. With just over four minutes remaining in the period, Ella Lucia received a perfect pass from Emily Hamann on the wing and did not miss her chance, scoring the go-ahead – and eventual game-winning – goal. The Tigers made one final push, pulling its goalie to play 6-on-5, but once again the Harvard defense was up to the task, holding off the Tigers to secure a 3-2 victory.
 

Harvard Highlights

• Morgan McGathey recorded her second career multi-goal game.
• The first-year is up to nine goals on the season to tie the team lead.
• Ella Lucia scored the eventual game-winner, her fourth goal of the season.
• Elle Sproule, Carla McSweeney, Emily Hamann and Emi Biotti each picked up a point with assists.
• The Harvard special teams units were perfect in the contest, going 1-for-1 on the powerplay and 1-for-1 on the penalty kill.
• Ainsley Tuffy made 38 saves between the posts to anchor the defensive effort.
• Harvard blocked 22 shots in the matchup and was led by Zoe Boosamra's four blocks.

 
 

Up Next

Harvard will close out the regular season next weekend with a pair of games in New York against RPI (Feb. 13) and Union (Feb. 14). Currently one point behind eighth-place, the Crimson will look to clinch a home playoff game by taking more points on the road. Both contests are slated for 3:00 PM with all the action streaming live on ESPN+.