From 12 Goals to None: Harvard Women’s Hockey Splits Weekend Against Saint Michael’s and New Hampshire

Just 24 hours separated two drastically different performances for the Harvard women’s ice hockey team. On Friday night, the Crimson erupted for 12 goals against Saint Michael’s, recording its highest-scoring game in the last two decades. Then, on Saturday night, that same offense went silent, as the University of New Hampshire handed Harvard its first loss of the season in a 3-0 shutout.

The contrasting results at Bright-Landry Hockey Center left the Crimson (3-1) with both a historic offensive performance to celebrate and important lessons to address before beginning ECAC competition next weekend.

“I think we wanted today to be easy, and UNH did not make it easy,” head coach Laura Bellamy ’13 said following Saturday’s loss. “You just can’t play that way and expect to win games.”

Harvard 12, Saint Michael’s 0

Friday’s dominant performance against Saint Michael’s (0-10) was a stark contrast to the challenges Harvard faced the following night. Crimson overwhelmed the Purple Knights from the opening minutes, scoring six goals in the first period before adding four in the second and two in the third to complete the 12-0 shutout.

The offensive outburst marked Harvard’s first double-digit scoring performance since October of 2006, when the Crimson scored 10 goals against Union College. Ten different Crimson skaters found the back of the net on Friday, while 17 of its skaters recorded at least one point.

“We want to be able to rely on everybody, and [it] just felt like one of those games where we got everybody involved in the offensive zone,” Bellamy said. “That’s a good team effort. That’s only gonna help us.”

Sophomore defender Alex Paulsen opened the scoring less than two minutes after the opening faceoff, with an assist from sophomore forward Morgan McGathey. Sophomore forward Elle Sproule doubled the lead two minutes later, before freshman forward Lindsay Stepnowski added another. Fellow freshman Hilda Arhammar Pakarinen followed shortly after, marking a milestone of her own as she netted the first goal of her collegiate career.

By the midway point of the opening period, Sproule had scored again, giving Harvard a commanding 5-0 advantage. Sophomore forward Carla McSweeney extended the lead to six before the first intermission.

For Sproule, the two first-period goals marked the first multi-goal game of her collegiate career. The sophomore also extended her scoring streak to three consecutive games, becoming the first Crimson player to score twice in a single period since McGathey accomplished the feat against Brown last November.

Stepnowski continued her impressive introduction to collegiate hockey, adding her second goal of the evening early in the second period. The freshman forward scored in each of her first three collegiate games, tallying a total of four across Harvard’s opening three contests.

“She’s a high-end offensive player,” Bellamy said, praising the rookie from South Glastonbury, Conn. “Skates like the wind, has hands that match the feet. I mean, she can make plays in real tight pretty quick.”

Bellamy also praised Stepnowski’s ability to keep up with the speed of college hockey, albeit noting that she is still adjusting to its heightened physicality.

The Crimson’s scoring continued throughout the second period, with McGathey, senior forward Angelica Megdanis, and senior forward Brooke Manning adding their names to the scoresheet. Junior forward Emily Hamann and senior defender Kaley MacDonald each tacked on a third-period goal to cap off the dominant win.

The victory also provided an opportunity for Harvard to showcase its goaltending depth. Junior Ainsley Tuffy started between the pipes, making one save in the opening period before freshman Serra Yildir took over. In her collegiate debut, the rookie goaltender recorded two saves to preserve the shutout.

The Crimson’s dominant performance helped the team improve its record to 3-0 for the first time since 2021 and marked its third consecutive game with at least five goals, an accomplishment the program had not achieved since 2015.

New Hampshire 3, Harvard 0

After it mounted an offensive onslaught against St. Michael’s, the Crimson’s scoring momentum came to an abrupt halt Saturday against New Hampshire (5-4-1, 0-1-1 Hockey East).

Unlike the night before, when Harvard dictated the pace from the opening minutes, the Wildcats pressured the Crimson early, generating scoring opportunities and forcing sophomore goaltender Isabelle Whynot to make clutch saves.

Whynot stopped the first 11 shots she faced before New Hampshire broke through late in the opening period. With less than two minutes remaining, senior forward Danika Botterill converted on a power play, giving the visiting team a 1-0 advantage heading into the break.

The Crimson struggled to establish its offensive rhythm throughout the game, particularly during its power-play opportunities. After finding success on the power play during its opening weekend against Holy Cross, Harvard went scoreless on its five skater-up opportunities against New Hampshire.

“Yeah, it was a tough day,” Bellamy said, discussing the power play. “We had some big power plays and big moments, and it was not good.”

Bellamy pointed to puck management and decision-making as areas for improvement, explaining that the Wildcats’ aggressive penalty kill prevented the Crimson from maintaining possession and generating sustained pressure in the zone.

“I just don’t think we were ready for their pressure,” Bellamy said. “They played completely differently than St. Michael’s, and we have to be more adaptable than that.”

Despite the offensive struggles, Harvard remained within striking distance through the second period. The Crimson gradually closed the gap in shots on goal, but neither team scored during the middle period.

Then, just over a minute into the third period, New Hampshire’s senior forward Julia Cabral doubled the Wildcats’ lead on an assist from junior forward Charlie Rauch, leaving Harvard down two with less than 19 minutes remaining.

The Crimson continued searching for a response, finishing the night with 29 shots on goal compared to New Hampshire’s 30. However, the Wildcats’ senior goaltender Noemi Martinez turned aside every shot attempt, recording a 29-save shutout.

“We had some really good looks,” Bellamy said. “I thought their goalie played really, really well. She made some huge saves, and yeah, we just got to be better at the net front.”

Cabral added an empty-net goal in the final two minutes of regulation to seal the 3-0 victory. Whynot finished the contest with 27 saves for the Crimson, which was shut out for the first time since a 1-0 loss to Princeton in February.

The defeat showed Harvard’s struggle to maintain its offensive momentum against tougher opponents. While Friday’s victory highlighted the Crimson’s scoring depth, Saturday’s game revealed its difficulty turning scoring opportunities into goals against a stronger defense.

For Bellamy, the contrasting results provided a critical lesson as Harvard prepares to enter ECAC play.

“I think in the ECAC we play two different opponents every weekend, so you get the same thing,” Bellamy said. “Fridays and Saturdays are different games. You always have to hopefully be winning on Friday night and then finding a different way to win on Saturday.”

The Crimson will strive to perform well across both games next weekend as it hosts No. 1o ranked Clarkson (8-2) on Friday at 4 p.m., and St. Lawrence (2-8) on Saturday.

After kicking off its season with three consecutive victories, Harvard will enter conference competition seeking to translate its early offensive potential into more consistent performances.

“The biggest thing for us is to learn from this game and be much better,” Bellamy reflected. “The points [are] on the line in the league starting Friday.”

—Staff writer Tamar H. Scheinfeld can be reached at [email protected].