Women’s hockey proved it can play with the ECAC’s best when the Red defeated then-No. 7 Princeton 6-1 on Jan. 23, before turning around to fall 4-0 to then-No. 6 Quinnipiac the next day. This week, the embattled squad recorded another surprising split.
Cornell’s 5-0 blowout victory against Dartmouth on Friday gave hope for a dominant final week of Ivy League play, but a dream of repeating Oct. 24’s decisive win over Harvard wasn’t enough in the face of fatal errors.
“We played with good energy today,” said head coach Doug Derraugh ’91. “We threw the kitchen sink at them in the third period and couldn’t find a way to get it by their goalie. That’s hockey sometimes.”
Though an early deficit didn’t phase Cornell (14-10-2, 10-7-1 ECAC) — the Red put up a consistent offensive front and notched a tying tally on the power play to end the first period — Harvard’s second-frame lead-taking goal and its netminder’s 48-save performance proved to be difference-makers in a frustrating 3-1 loss.
The opening frame began at a fast pace, with the teams trading chances. The Red outshot the Crimson 12-7 over the first 20 minutes, but Harvard (12-12-2, 6-10-2 ECC) edged out Cornell in grade-A opportunities. The Red initially worked around a couple of defensive breakdowns before taking a tripping penalty with under eight minutes left in the period.
Cornell retained possession for most of the opening minute of the penalty kill, until a defensive-zone draw gave the Crimson the chance to launch a quick strike. Zoe Boosamra, coming from the outside circle, shook off junior defender Piper Grober and brought the puck from her forehand to her backhand before roofing it blocker side to give Harvard the 1-0 lead.
“We sort of won [the faceoff], so the players started thinking of getting into breakout mode,” Derraugh said. “Once they made that step out, we lost it again. [Boosamra] beat [the defense] and made a nice move on the goal.”
With 40 seconds left on the first period clock, Harvard took a body-checking penalty and put the Red back in the driver’s seat. After a series of patient passes, junior forward Karel Prefontaine launched a one-timer off a feed from freshman forward Nora Curtis to tie the score, 1-1, heading into the first intermission.
“The power play was working on both sides,” Prefontaine said. “I feel like we got pretty good opportunities. I had [window] and was like, might as well just rip it.”
Prefontaine’s fifth power-play goal of the season tied her with sophomore forward Lindzi Avar for most extra-skater tallies on the team. Avar, who left midway through the first period of Friday’s bout with Dartmouth, had not made the quick return to the ice Derraugh had hoped for and was absent against Harvard.
The momentum started by the late tally carried over into the second period, with Cornell launching coordinated attacks while fighting off several close calls for the Crimson. Both teams relied heavily on their netminders — Harvard’s Ainsley Tuffy, especially, constantly fought through traffic to block Cornell shots.
“[Tuffy] was just feeling it,” Derraugh said. “And so you have to get tips. You got to get rebounds, you got to get screens. And if you don't, you’re not going to be successful.”
The tie finally broke after Harvard’s Ella Lucia intercepted a pass within the Cornell zone — a giveaway that caught the Red out of position. The sophomore center dished it to Boosamra, who tipped home her second goal of the game from the edge of the crease.
“It’s never just one person,” said senior defender Sarah MacEachern. “I think it's what happens after the giveaway. That is what we need to clean up a little bit, just making sure we’re in our position so we’re ready to help out.”
Just over three minutes later, senior defender Grace Dwyer struggled to clear the puck from behind the Red’s goal and Harvard capitalized. Battling to the front of the net, Carla McSweeney shoveled a shot that rebounded high off of Bergmann. McSweeney batted the falling puck into the net, giving Harvard what appeared to be a two-goal lead.
However, the Red received a stroke of good luck when a second look at the play showed that the puck had been played with a high stick, leading to a reversal of the call on the ice after a Cornell challenge.
Cornell did not get much time to celebrate the overturned goal. Still down 2-1, the Red committed a penalty with less than two minutes remaining in the period, resulting in 25 seconds of penalty kill to begin the third.
Though it was unsuccessful in the final moments of the power play, the Crimson found the first high quality chance of the final period. Less than five minutes into the frame, a Harvard shot ricocheted off the post and settled behind Bergmann. The ensuing scramble in the crease led to a pileup of Harvard attackers and Cornell defenders. Despite a challenge from the Crimson alleging a goal, the play resulted in no score.
With another review in its favor, the Red looked to go on the offensive. Tuffy denied shot after shot, and the Red could not solve the goaltender who entered the game with the second-highest save percentage in the NCAA. The Duxbury, Massachusetts native ended the night with 48 saves on 49 Cornell shots, sealing the game for the Crimson.
“We need someone in front of the net,” Prefontaine said. “[Tuffy] had a really great game, but I feel like we also made her look good.”
As the window for a comeback waned, Cornell’s last attempt to turn the tides ended after Harvard scored an empty-net goal with 12 seconds remaining.
The result means Cornell will need help to capture a third straight Ivy League title. Princeton currently sits eight points behind Cornell with four conference games (and 12 possible points) remaining.
Cornell remains at home next week, with RPI first on the docket for the series. The game is set for 5 p.m. on Feb. 6, with Senior Day celebrations to come after the contest.
The matchup will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Alexis Rogers is the sports editor on the 143rd editorial board. She is in the Class of 2028 in the College of Arts & Sciences, and she can be reached at arogers@cornellsun.com.
