Harvard Women’s Hockey Splits Road Trip Weekend, Shuts Out Then-No. 11 Yale

After suffering a 5-3 loss to Brown on Friday evening, Harvard women’s ice hockey bounced back on Saturday afternoon with a 3-0 shutout victory over then-No. 11 Yale, splitting its first weekend on the road of the season and upsetting its historic rival in the process.

The Crimson (4-4, 1-3 ECAC) entered the weekend searching for its first ECAC victory after consecutive losses to No. 10 Clarkson and St. Lawrence. Although Harvard narrowed a three-goal deficit to just one with two quick goals in the third period against Brown (4-2, 2-2), its comeback ultimately fell short. The team rebounded less than 24 hours later with its first victory over a nationally ranked opponent of the season: the Bulldogs (3-2-1, 2-2).

Brown 5, Harvard 3

Despite entering the third period trailing 3-1, the Crimson mounted a valiant comeback attempt against the Bears on Friday evening at Meehan Auditorium in Providence, R.I. In the final period, Harvard scored twice in just 91 seconds to cut Brown’s lead to one, but the hosts responded midway through the frame to secure a 5-3 victory.

The loss dropped the Crimson below .500 for the first time this season, extending its losing streak to three games following back-to-back defeats to the Golden Knights and the Saints.

The Crimson remained within striking distance of the Bears thanks to captain Zoe Boosamra, who scored late in the second period. Brown briefly restored its three-goal advantage in the opening minute of the third period, but sophomore forward Morgan McGathey and freshman forward Lindsay Stepnowski quickly brought Harvard back into contention with a pair of goals.

McGathey led the Crimson offensively with a goal and an assist, while Stepnowski continued her impressive start to her collegiate career, recording her ninth point of the season. On Harvard’s defensive end, junior goaltender Ainsley Tuffy made 23 saves.

The opening period was closely contested, with both teams recording seven shots on goal. The Crimson created several early scoring opportunities, but Brown senior goaltender Rory Edwards kept it off the scoreboard. The Bears generated chances as the period progressed, testing Tuffy, but both defenses held firm for most of the frame.

With just 35 seconds left in the first period, Brown opened the scoring. Senior forward Sam Broz fired a slapshot into the right side of the net, beating Tuffy to give the Bears a 1-0 advantage heading into the first break.

Brown wasted little time extending its lead in the second period. Less than two minutes in, the Bears created a two-on-one rush, with freshman forward Uma Peterson setting up fellow freshman forward Bogi Bahiczki-Toth. Bahiczki-Toth capitalized on the opportunity, doubling Brown’s advantage and putting Harvard in an early two-goal hole.

As the second period progressed, the Bears continued to pin the Crimson in its defensive zone. Freshman forward Anika Singh eventually converted, extending Brown’s lead to 3-0 and leaving Harvard with an increasingly large deficit to overcome.

The Crimson, however, remained relentless while defending. Boosamra finally put her team on the scoreboard with just 90 seconds remaining in the second period. Sophomore defenseman Emi Biotti helped spur the goal, setting up her captain for her third goal of the season. Boosamra’s late tally cut Brown’s lead to 3-1 heading into the final period.

After the break, Harvard’s comeback hopes suffered another setback almost immediately. Just 29 seconds into the frame, Biotti was called for tripping, granting Brown a power play.

Captain and defender Kaley MacDonald initially kept the Bears at bay, blocking consecutive shots. However, Brown maintained its pressure, and just eight seconds after the second blocked shot, the Bears were able to restore their three-goal cushion.

The Crimson responded almost immediately, as McGathey scored her third goal of the season and 14th of her collegiate career. Just 91 seconds later, McGathey went from scorer to facilitator, setting up Stepnowski for her fifth goal of the season. Suddenly, Brown’s 4-1 advantage had narrowed to 4-3 with more than 16 minutes left in regulation.

Stepnowski’s goal continued a strong campaign for the rookie forward, who entered Friday’s matchup leading the Crimson with eight points through six games. She had previously scored in each of her first two collegiate appearances, becoming the first freshman in the program to do so since Anne Bloomer ’23 in 2018.

The two quick goals gave Harvard a chance to level the game at 4-4, but Brown gradually regained control, preventing the Crimson from completing the comeback.

Junior forward Monique Lyons and senior forward Margot Norehad tested Tuffy with consecutive shots midway through the third period, forcing the junior to make two clutch saves in less than four seconds.

The Crimson broke the puck out and kept pushing for an equalizer, but the Bears’ defense held firm, blocking Stepnowski’s ensuing shot.

Just 34 seconds later, Lyons scored her third goal of the season, restoring Brown’s two-point advantage. The forward finished the night with three points, having also assisted the opening goal and its power-play tally early in the third.

Harvard continued to fight for goals in the closing minutes. After earning a late power play, the Crimson pulled Tuffy to create a six-on-four advantage, hoping to cut into the two-goal deficit. Despite the extra skaters, Harvard could not score before the final buzzer rang.

The Crimson just outshot Brown 12-11 in the third period, reflecting its increased pressure in the zone. Edwards finished with 21 saves, helping the Bears hold on to their lead despite Harvard’s late offensive surge.

Harvard 3, Yale 0

Less than 24 hours after falling to Brown, Harvard returned to the ice on Saturday afternoon with a much different result, shutting out No. 11 Yale 3-0 at Ingalls Rink in New Haven, Conn.

The victory snapped the Crimson’s three-game losing streak and secured its first ECAC win of the season.

After allowing five goals against the Bears, Harvard delivered one of its strongest defensive performances of the season. Sophomore goaltender Isabelle Whynot stopped all 30 shots she faced, recording her second career shutout and her first of the season.

The win was also the Crimson’s first shutout of Yale on the road since 2012, when current head coach Laura Bellamy ’13 was a senior on the team.

Both teams struggled to generate offense in the opening period, but Harvard recorded seven shots on goal compared to the Bulldogs’ four. The Crimson tested Yale’s freshman goaltender Emeline Grennan early in the frame, but neither side broke through.

Harvard finally opened the scoring in the second period. Boosamra sent a shot toward the net, and junior forward Emily Hamann capitalized on the rebound opportunity in the slot, scoring her second goal of the season to give the Crimson a 1-0 lead.

After taking the lead, Harvard’s defense stunned Yale, keeping the host off the scoreboard for the remainder of the game.

The Crimson continued to pressure the Bulldogs throughout the second period, outshooting them 13-7. Harvard’s effort was spurred by its three power plays during the period, including a brief five-on-three advantage following consecutive Yale penalties. That said, the Crimson failed to capitalize on any of its extra-skater opportunities.

In the third period, the Bulldogs significantly increased their offensive pressure, outshooting the Crimson 19-5. Whynot remained steady between the pipes, turning away repeated shots as Yale battled for the equalizer.

The Crimson also was forced to go on the kill after junior forward Antonina Dinges was called for tripping. The Bulldogs managed two shots on goal during the resulting power play, but Whynot denied both attempts to preserve the 1-0 lead.

Then, the McGathey-Stepnowski duo struck again to give Harvard a slight cushion. Capitalizing on a dish from Stepnowski, McGathey, who hails from Braintree, Mass., doubled the Crimson’s advantage.

Yale continued to pressure Harvard’s defensive unit, but the Crimson held strong. After sophomore defender Bella Finnegan was called for interference, Harvard successfully killed off another penalty, bolstering its momentum.

With less than three minutes remaining, Yale pulled Grennan in an attempt to close the deficit. The Bulldogs continued to generate scoring opportunities, but Whynot and her defenders prevented a late comeback.

With under a minute remaining, sophomore forward Carla McSweeney scored an empty-net goal to seal the Crimson’s 3-0 victory.

During the effort, Harvard blocked 12 shots and successfully killed off Yale’s power plays, marking a significant improvement from Friday’s defensive struggles.

The win was particularly impressive considering the Bulldogs’ strong start to the season, which included a 3-1 win over No.5 Quinnipiac. For the Crimson, the victory demonstrated its ability to bounce back against nationally ranked competition after a difficult stretch of conference play.

Harvard will strive to build on its momentum when it travels to Ithaca, N.Y., to face No. 13 Cornell (4-4, 1-3) on Friday, Nov. 13, at 6 p.m. EST. After taking on the Big Red, the Crimson will continue its New York road trip against No. 7 Colgate (8-4, 2-2) in Hamilton.

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