Harvard Falls to No. 10 Princeton in ECAC Quarterfinals

Despite tying up the series with a big 3-1 win over the No. 10 Tigers to keep its playoff dreams alive, the women’s hockey team’s season came to an end in Princeton, as it fell 5-1 in the decider game of the ECAC quarterfinals. The Tigers struck first, getting two goals on the board in the first period and logging two more early in the second to establish a dominant lead. While freshman defensemen Emi Biotti combined with junior captain Zoe Boosamra to close up the score by one, Princeton responded with another goal, holding onto its four-goal lead to win the series and advance to Lake Placid, N.Y., for the tournament semifinals.

Once again, it was Princeton who got the jump on the Crimson to start the game, putting early pressure on sophomore goalie Ainsley Tuffy and forcing Harvard to ice the puck to find some relief. However, halfway through the period, the Crimson started to settle in and get pucks on net with freshman forward Elle Sproule and her fellow rookie Morgan McGathey coming down the ice on a two-on-one break.

Harvard continued to perform well on defense, keeping the score tied at zero and limiting the Tigers to just two shots on a power play, as sophomore forward Ella Lucia earned a penalty for checking.

Despite the great kill, just a minute later, Princeton managed to break through, finding a skater open in the slot who ripped the puck bar down to get it past Tuffy and take the first lead of the game.

A penalty on the Tigers, as Harvard sophomore defenseman Keira Ley was shoved down in front of the net, gave the visiting team a prime opportunity to score. However, the Crimson couldn’t capitalize despite a stellar shot from freshman forward Carla McSweeney. With ten seconds left on the power play, junior forward Angelica Megdanis was called for tripping, evening up the numbers on the ice. The Tigers found the back of the net again on the eventual power play, capitalizing on an uncontested rebound in the slot and extending their lead to 2-0.

Going into the second period down by two, the Crimson battled to close the gap, forechecking hard to disrupt Princeton’s breakout and cycling the puck across the zone to generate offensive chances. However, the Tigers didn’t let up their own pressure, finding a two-on-one breakaway in transition to zip the puck above Tuffy’s glove. With momentum firmly on its side, Princeton scored again just one minute later, getting a shot off from the low circle through traffic to make the score 4-0.

Fighting to keep its season alive, Harvard did not relent, showing off the resilience that the young team has displayed all season.

Boosamra responded with a quick race down the ice to win the puck, getting off a pass to Biotti in the slot for a shot to close down the gap by one. However, Princeton kept its foot on the gas as well, picking the puck off of a Harvard breakout to score again and regain its four-goal lead.

With twenty minutes left to make up the deficit, a roughing penalty called on the Tigers looked like the chance Harvard needed to get itself back into the game.

However, even as freshman Alex Paulsen drew another penalty, getting cross-checked into the boards on the blue line to put her team on a 12-second five-on-three advantage, the Crimson’s power play could not find a way to light the lamp. Throughout the season, Harvard has struggled to convert on its skater-up opportunities, falling under 10 percent in conversion efficiency and not managing to score in any of its five chances this weekend.

Nevertheless, the extra skater advantage swung the momentum in Harvard’s direction as the Crimson moved the puck around the zone well. Sproule hit the post on a close chance from the slot. Another Princeton penalty for tripping then extended Harvard’s opportunity; however, despite its many shots on goal, the team could not convert.

As the clock ticked down, senior defensemen Kate Kasica put Harvard on the kill for roughing as her classmate, captain Emily Davidson, stepped into the net for Tuffy.

The Crimson went on one last power play, as sophomore forward Annie Dinges was taken down behind the net, offering Harvard one last chance to close up the score. However, the Tigers made it out of the kill unscathed yet again, holding onto their four-goal lead to take home the win and move on to the semifinal round of the ECAC tournament.

While the Crimson couldn’t take down the ECAC regular season co-champions, the team has improved leaps and bounds over the past year. In its third year under coach Laura Bellamy ’13, Harvard quadrupled its wins from last season, logging sixteen to last year’s two. The Crimson also took down several ranked opponents, including then-No. 5 Minnesota Duluth, and won the Beanpot Tournament for the first time since 2022.

Key to the Crimson’s success has been its strong underclassmen presence, with the team only graduating three seniors. In net, Tuffy has stood out, leading the nation in save percentage, and still has two years left to give to the program.

Offensively, Bellamy's first line of freshmen McGathey, McSweeney, and Sproule are all amongst the team’s top five goal scorers. Despite a disappointing end to the 2026 season, Harvard women’s hockey is full of potential and will no doubt come back next year ready to take not just the ECAC but also the entire NCAA by storm.

— Staff writer Sofia Zhang can be reached at [email protected].