Wildcats Blister Icewomen, 6-0

The Harvard women's hockey team continued its frigid play on foreign ice, dropping a 6-0 decision to New Hampshire in Durham, N.H.

The perennially strong Wildcats (5-1) unleashed a full-scale attack on Harvard (3-3-1), relentlessly bombarding Crimson goalie Gillian D'Souza with 39 shots. On the other side of the red line, Harvard was limited to 9 shots, all swallowed up by UNH netminder Erin Whitten.

"We faced a strong defensive team," Harvard Captain Sue Cullinane said. "We found it hard to generate anything with the puck in our zone the entire time."

The Wildcat scoring began late in the first period, just seconds after the Crimson successfully killed off its third penalty of the night. Freshman Jocelyn Johnson did the honors, knocking a flying puck behind D'Souza for her first of two tallies on the night.

"We did a great job stopping them until the final minute of the period," D'Souza said. "The goal itself was a fluke. The puck flipped into the air and before I knew it, it was in the goal."

Harvard kept the Wildcats in check until the middle of the second frame. Eleven minutes into the period, the tide turned when UNH converted a short-handed goal on Harvard's only power play of the game. Wildcats scoring leader Karyn Bye gathered her eighth score of the young season on senior Captain Ellen Weinberg's second assist.

But the undermanned Crimson could not keep up the quick pace as the game lagged on. Limited to only two lines, the skaters could not keep up with the Wildcat opponents.

The referee let the teams skate out the penalty-free final period. The Wildcats filled the Harvard nets four more times before the buzzer sounded, with sophomore Lisa Bent joined the scoring parade twice.

"We gave them a good game until the end of the third period," Cullinane said. "We all played well together. UNH was very disciplined."

Harvard--which has completed six of its nine consecutive road games--will now begin its winter vacation before returning in early January to travel to Dartmouth and Cornell.

Wildcats, 6-0 in Durham, N.H. HARVARD  0-0-0--0 New Hampshire  1-1-4--6

First Period: 1, N, Jocelyn Johnson (Dawn Thibodeau, Ellen Weinberg) 17:16. Penalties--H, Bev Stickles (cross-checking) 4:20; H, Sue Cullinane (hooking) 8:50; H, Stickles (tripping) 15:12.

Second Period: 2, N, Karyn Bye (Weinberg) 10:59 (sh). Penalties--N, Colleen Coyne (holding) 9:19; H, Lauren Messmore (hitting from behind) 14:41; H, Stickles (hooking) 16:49.

Third Period: 3, N, Lisa Bent (Molly Matthews) 2:44; 4, N, Johnson (Karen Akre) 5:29; 5, N, Stephanie Dubiel (Bent, Shawna Davidson) 12:09; 6, N, Bent (Dubiel, Kelly Thorne) 16:38.

Saves: H--Gillian D'Souza 12-9-12--33; N--Erin Whitten 3-3-3--9.

Power Play: Harvard 0-1; New Hampshire 0-5.