Women's Ice Hockey Drops Season Opener at Dartmouth

Sophomore forward Haley Mullins, shown in the Crimson's scrimmage against McGill last week, picked up an assist on Harvard's only goal on Friday. By Melanie Y. Fu

Success is a culture, not a result, and it is one No. 5/5 Harvard women’s ice hockey coach Katey Stone has built and maintained during her tenure in Cambridge.

Her Crimson squad (0-1-0, 0-1-0 ECAC) dropped its regular season opener, 2-1, against Dartmouth in Hanover on Friday night, showing that Stone’s team cannot afford to rest on its laurels as the new season commences. After taking an early lead, Harvard, last year’s Frozen Four runner-up and ECAC Hockey champion, was undone by the Big Green (1-0-0, 1-0-0) in the Crimson’s first opening game loss since the 2000-2001 season.

With just over seven minutes remaining in the second period, the Big Green took its first lead of the game, an advantage it would not relinquish. Rushing up the ice with a 3-on-2, forward Lindsey Allen took her defender out of the play and found junior forward Kennedy Ottenbreit skating into a shooting position. Ottenbreit’s shot beat co-captain goalkeeper Emerance Maschmeyer over her top-right shoulder to put Dartmouth ahead, 2-1.

“As a goalie, from my perspective, I want to save every puck,” Maschmeyer said. “That was one I wish I could have saved, one I’d like to take back, but Dartmouth is a really good team, and they create a lot of offense.”

The Crimson had a few chances to equalize. Late in the second period, freshman forward Bradley Fusco led a breakaway down the right side, drawing the left defenseman out of position before leaving it off for sophomore forward Karly Heffernan. Heffernan, one-on-one with the goalkeeper, let a wrister rip, but goalie Robyn Chemago was equal to the task and blocked it aside.

Midway through the third period, junior forward Jessica Harvey’s pinpoint centering pass found freshman forward Grace Zarzecki in front of the net, but Zarzecki turned and sent her shot just wide.

“I thought we did pretty well getting the puck into the zone but should have taken the opportunity to shoot when we had it,” senior right winger Miye D’Oench said. “It was the little mistakes, turning it over down the stretch. We did pretty well, but we need to shoot more.”

Harvard got off to a strong start, pressuring Dartmouth throughout the opening period and forcing Chemago into a string of solid saves. The Crimson’s determination paid off with 7:06 remaining in the first period and Harvard on the power play. Sophomore center Haley Mullins played a neat one-two with junior defender Briana Mastel, who skated in and found space behind the net. Mastel then centered for D’Oench, who coolly slotted the puck past Chemago for the first goal of the game.

“We worked on our power play a lot this week,” D’Oench said. “We changed some things around, so it was really great to see that clicking. It was a really great pass from behind the net and an easy tap-in. It was great to get things going—we would have liked a different result, but it was a good way to start.”

Dartmouth began to grow into the game, however, and grabbed the momentum heading into the first intermission with a score. With Crimson sophomore defenseman Chelsea Ziadie in the penalty box for cross checking, the Big Green caught out the Harvard penalty kill on a breakaway in the waning seconds of the period. Senior right winger Laura Stacey set up a streaking Allen for the goal as time expired.

“It happened really quickly,” Maschmeyer said. “Obviously, it’s never a good feeling ending a period getting scored on, but we knew we couldn’t be complacent after that. We kind of had to get going after that, going into the second period, so giving up a goal can kind of be a kick in the butt sometimes.”

Dartmouth continued to pepper Maschmeyer, forcing the Canadian U-22 international into making a few pad saves. Early in the second period, Maschmeyer sticked away a long pass only for Stacey to find trailing sophomore defender Hailey Noronha, whose point-blank wrister was saved well by the Crimson netminder.

Maschmeyer recorded 31 saves on the night, eight more than her average during the 2014-2015 season.