Boosamra and Tuffy Shine as Harvard Women’s Hockey Upsets No. 12 Cornell

Reversing course after a 3-0 loss to Colgate on Friday afternoon, the Harvard women’s hockey team rebounded with a dramatic upset win over No. 12 Cornell on Saturday evening at Lynah Rink in Ithaca, N.Y.

The Big Red (14-10-2, 10-7-1 ECAC) entered the contest riding high after blanking Dartmouth in a 5-0 game on Friday. However, the Crimson (12-12-2, 6-10-2) smothered Cornell’s momentum and set the tone of the game early by taking a quick lead in the first period.

A hooking penalty called on a Big Red defender put Harvard on an early power play. Junior center Gwyn Lapp secured the ensuing faceoff in the offensive zone before dishing the puck to junior captain Zoe Boosamra. The captain slipped the puck past Cornell’s goaltender, lighting the lamp and giving her team a 1-0 lead.

The Big Red responded to the Crimson’s goal with a flurry of shots, pummeling Harvard’s goaltender, sophomore Ainsley Tuffy. Luckily for the Crimson fans, Tuffy stood tall between the pipes, tallying 11 saves in the first period.

However, Harvard was cited with its second penalty of the game in the final minutes of the period, putting the Big Red on the power play. Cornell’s junior forward Karel Prefontaine evened the score at 1-1 on the skater-up advantage, snapping a shot past Tuffy with just 24 seconds remaining in the period.

Both teams struggled to break through on the offensive end of the ice in the second period. The Big Red boasted a slight edge in shots over the Crimson, recording 15 on net in comparison to Harvard’s 12. That said, Cornell struggled to place its shots on net, firing 30 in the period with only half of them making it through to Tuffy.

A mid-game slashing penalty called on Crimson junior forward Brooke Manning put the home team on another power play. The Big Red’s special teams unit worked the puck around the offensive zone, but was unable to capitalize on the opportunity.

Harvard’s defensive effort on the kill, backed by Tuffy in net, was also spurred by a series of blocked shots. The Crimson notched 31 blocked shots in the game, more than doubling Cornell’s total of 13. Lapp and junior defender Annie Sun led Harvard in blocked shots with four apiece, but the effort was collective, as the entire team consistently sacrificed its bodies to disrupt the Big Red’s shooting lanes.

The Crimson’s successful penalty kill, ranked 11th in the nation for its effectiveness, helped the team foster offensive momentum on the other side of the ice. Sophomore forward Ella Lucia zipped the puck to Boosamra, who scored her second goal of the evening to put her team ahead 2-1.

The captain was named as one of the ECAC’s three stars of the game for her two-goal performance against the Big Red.

In the final period, Cornell ramped up the pressure, desperately trying to avoid an upset loss on home ice. The Big Red continued to rip shots on net, but Tuffy refused to break, making 22 saves in the final 20 minutes of play to anchor Harvard’s defensive stand.

Although Cornell was able to maintain possession of the puck in its offensive zone and create scoring opportunities, the Crimson’s defensive unit remained composed. Harvard physically removed forecheckers from the slot, preventing anyone from screening Tuffy’s sight of the puck. The Crimson’s defensive composure prevented the Big Red from marching the puck in close to the net.

With over two minutes remaining in regulation play, Cornell pulled its goaltender, adding an extra skater to the ice in hopes of equalizing the score.

Sophomore defender Keira Ley took advantage of the empty net to nab the upset for Harvard. The Wayland, Mass., native whipped the puck down the length of the ice, slamming it into the empty net and silencing the Big Red fans who filled Lynah Rink.

The win marked a pivotal response for the Crimson after Friday’s shutout loss to Colgate. The upset, which served as Harvard’s third win over a ranked opponent this season, also secured the team three crucial points in the ECAC standings, where the Crimson currently sits ninth. As teams head into the late stretches of their 2025-26 regular season schedules, every point matters.

Next weekend, Harvard will host No. 5 Quinnipiac and No. 8 Princeton at the Bright-Landry Hockey Center in Cambridge, Mass. Both teams are near the top of the ECAC and are top-10 in the national polls. The Tigers lead the conference, and the Bobcats are close behind in fourth.

— Staff Writer Isabel C. Smail can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on X at @Isabel_Smail.