This was the week of the blowout in NC Women's Ice Hockey, as several contests ended in routs. Thankfully, there were plenty of games that had us biting our nails, including Harvard's back-and-forth with eighth-ranked Cornell, and Brown keeper Monica Elvin's 40-save attempt against Yale.
Check out these stories and more below!
[divider]OFFENSE OF THE WEEK: Northeastern[divider]
Against New Hampshire, Northeastern jumped out to an early start, netting the game’s first goal just 39 seconds into the contest. Senior Hayley Scamurra was credited with the tally.
With the lead in hand, the Huskies never took their foot off of the gas pedal. Denisa Krizova lit the lamp on a power-play opportunity late in the first frame, giving her team a 2-0 lead as they went into the first intermission.
Despite trailing 2-0, New Hampshire led Northeastern in shots on goal 9-8, but to no avail, failing to solve the puzzle that netminder Brittany Bugalski presented.
As the second period wore on, neither team was able to score, with both goaltenders racking up double-digit saves. Again, New Hampshire outshot Northeastern, 16-10, but it was the Huskies that wound up finding the back of the net, this time on a Kasidy Anderson shot.
Five different Huskies netted goals in the contest, with two for Anderson, who gave her team a 3-0 lead going into the third, and then quickly scored again in the final frame. Even after netting their fourth goal just a minute into the third period, Northeastern didn’t slow up, recording 13 shots and two more goals as regulation ticked to a close.
Matti Hartman and Halle Silva had the fifth and sixth tallies for their team as Northeastern sprinted to a 6-0 win over their Hockey East opponent.
Bugalski earned her eighth career shutout with the win, making 29 stops to accomplish the feat. At the other end of the ice, New Hampshire’s Hilary Cashin had a 26-save outing, allowing six goals, and receiving little help from her teammates to make up the difference.
With the win, Northeastern moves to 16-9-3 while New Hampshire goes to 11-14-1.
[divider]DEFENSE OF THE WEEK: Brown[divider]
Courtesy Brown University Athletics
Over the weekend, Brown visited Yale for a chance to beat an ECAC opponent on its own ice.
The contest started slowly, with both teams failing to net a goal during the first period, though it wasn’t for lack of trying. Yale recorded 16 shots on goal but failed to find a way past Bears netminder Monica Elvin.
In the second period, a team finally got on to the scoreboard when Yale’s Kaitlin Gately tucked one home six minutes into the frame. Despite the goal, Elvin racked up another double-digit save count in the second, bringing her total up to 30 by the second intermission.
The final period of the contest saw Yale score another tally, this time on a Phoebe Staenz shot, just past the mid-way mark.
With less than five minutes left in regulation, Brown finally got on the board with a Bridget Carey goal to bring the score within one, but it was too little, too late, and Yale earned the victory by a mark of 2-1.
The contest’s most impressive performer was Elvin, who despite the loss made 40 stops in 60 minutes, allowing just two goals to keep her team in the fight despite their offensive woes.
[divider]UPSET OF THE WEEK:
Syracuse over Robert Morris[divider]
Courtesy Syracuse University Athletics
Seventh-ranked Robert Morris came to visit Syracuse looking to complete the weekend sweep after beating the Orange 3-1, with designs on another victory.
But CHA opponent Syracuse didn’t plan on making it easy. Syracuse scored first with an early Emily Costales goal, grabbing a 1-0 lead just four minutes into the contest’s opening frame.
Despite a cumulative 21 shots on goal by the two teams in the first period, Costales’ goal remained the only tally scored, as the two goaltenders held strong in net. Robert Morris’ Jessica Dodds made 10 stops while Abbey Miller was perfect with 11.
In the second, Robert Morris quickly added a lamplighter of their own, netted by Jaycee Gebhard. The scoreboard stayed knotted at 1-1 until midway through the frame, when Syracuse’s Alysha Burriss tallied what would become the eventual game-winner.
Syracuse’s offense exploded in the penultimate period, netting three goals. Stephanie Grossi scored twice in under two minutes to help lift her team to a 4-1 lead going into second intermission.
Although the team netted its only goal in the second period, Robert Morris’ offense stagnated, getting off only three shots to Syracuse’s 12.
The third period featured plenty of opportunities but not a lot of goals as Robert Morris, attempting to spark a comeback, racked up 15 shots on goal. Despite the offensive flurry, they failed to find the back of the net, and after an empty-net score by Brooke Avery, Syracuse won, 5-1.
[divider]GAME OF THE WEEK:
Cornell at Harvard[divider]
The most thrilling contest of the week was eighth-ranked Cornell and Harvard, a pair of ECAC rivals battling it out in front of a crowd of nearly 2,000 fans. Harvard came into the game looking for a potential fourth win of the season while Cornell, having just snapped a three-game winning streak against St. Lawrence, looked to get back on to the right track.
The game stayed scoreless for much of the first as the two teams traded shots but no goals. Finally, Harvard got on the board at the 13:07 mark when Haley Mullins tucked one past Cornell’s Paula Voorheis, earning her fifth goal of the season and giving her team a tenuous 1-0 lead to close out the first frame. The Crimson outshot Cornell, 11-10.
The Big Red entered the second period with renewed vigor, quickly tallying a power-play goal to even up the score at 1-1. 13 minutes later, Cornell scored again, taking the lead for the first time in the contest. Once again, Cornell outshot Harvard, 12-7.
In the third, the Crimson took back the momentum, outshooting Cornell for the first time in the contest. With just over three minutes left in regulation, Harvard tied up the score with a power-play goal of their own, scored by Briana Mastel.
Neither team scored again, and moved into overtime, where Cornell unleashed three shots to Harvard’s one, but neither team managed to find the back of the net. The game ended with the teams tied at 2-2.
Harvard ended up edging Cornell in shots on goal, 32-30, after a renewed effort in the third period and overtime. The Crimson went to 3-15-3 on the season, while Cornell went to 14-6-3.