Icewomen Edge Bulldogs

Riding the crest of Lauren Norton's stellar two-goal performance, the Harvard women's hockey team steamed past Yale, 3-2, Saturday in New Haven, Conn.

Crimson assistant coach Holly Raths called Norton the "major factor" behind the victory that raises the icewomen's record to 4.7 overall, and 2-3 in the Ivy League.

But it took Norton a while to display her prowess. The momentum seesawed in the first period as the Crimson and the Elis exchanged up-ice rushes, all of which proved unfruitful until the senior defenseman notched her first score late in the period.

Mona Lisa

The goal was a masterpiece, a textbook performance. Norton skated up ice with the puck, guided it over the centerline into the Yale end, and eluded three Eli defenders before loosing her shot. The puck skimmed the ice and nicked the post before coming to rest behind the Yale netminder.

The resulting 1-0 lead held until midway through the second period, when the Elis evened the score.

Once again, the stage was set for a Norton performance. This one lacked the panache of the earlier goal, but it was equally effective, and Harvard led, 2-1.

Jallbirds

Penalties influenced the scoring in the third period. Early in the final third. Norton passed to senior forward Sara Fischer, who guided the puck into the Eli net and put the icing on the Crimson victory. But one Harvard skater had only just left the penalty box, making Fischer's tally essentially a shorthanded one.

With ten minutes to go in the final period. Yale took advantage of another Harvard penalty and sliced the Crimson lead to one with a tally.