Jan. 31, 2004
New Haven, CT - Yale got on the scoreboard first, but No. 2 Harvard eventually regrouped and went on to top the Bulldogs 5-1 at Ingalls Rink Saturday afternoon. Harvard came into the game on a two-game losing skid, the first time that had happened in two years, and the early Bulldog goal proved no match for a four-goal outburst by the Crimson in the second period.
The first period was full of highlights for Yale, starting with some big saves from goaltender Sarah Love -- including one two minutes into the game where the goal light went on, only to have the referee correctly wave it off. At the 8:16 mark, the Bulldogs blocked a shot by star Crimson defenseman Angela Ruggiero and the puck popped loose at center ice, headed for the Harvard zone. Christina Sharun chased it down and deposited it past goalitender Ali Boe.
"That was a great goal," said Yale head coach Hilary Witt. "She really hustled there. Ruggiero usually catches people in that situation."
The Bulldogs kept momentum on their side by killing off a two-man advantage for Harvard just past the midway point of the period. Ali Turney cleared the puck as the final seconds ticked off the second penalty, touching off a round of applause from the home crowd. The Crimson put together a flurry of shots in the final minutes of the period, but Love proved equal to the challenge. She stopped one shot while sprawled out in traffic in the crease, getting her leg back just in time to deny a Cantab perched right in front of the goal.
The tide turned quickly in the second period, however. Harvard's league-leading special teams eventually broke through, as the Crimson started the period on a power play due to a high sticking call on Deena Caplette with eight seconds left in the first. Forty-five seconds in, Olympian Julie Chu beat Love to tie the score. At the 7:30 mark, Lauren McAuliffe knocked in a rebound to give Harvard a lead it would not relinquish. Nicole Corriero added her league-leading 23rd goal just over two minutes later, and Chu tallied again on the power play at 19:10.
Yale had a chance to start the third period off right, as Chu was whistled for body checking just 20 seconds in to give the Bulldogs a power play. But the tenacious Crimson penalty killing unit kept Yale from even getting the puck past center ice, and at the 3:34 mark Ruggiero scored on a slap shot to put the game out of reach.
The play got increasingly physical as the period wore on, and the Bulldogs had to kill off another two-man advantage midway through. As those penalties were winding down, the teams each got a pair of matching penalties within a span of 20 seconds. Tempers flared again after a late hit with six minutes to go, and at one point each squad had four players in the penalty box. Neither team was able to take advantage of the penalties, leaving the final score 5-1 in favor of Harvard. Love finished with 37 saves, while Boe had 18.
"The first period was great, with just a few lapses," Witt noted. "I felt that in the third we just ran out of gas ... We have to learn how to play at that speed for a whole game."
The Bulldogs travel to No. 6 St. Lawrence for a pair of games next weekend. The next game at Ingalls Rink is February 6 against local rival Quinnipiac at 7:00, a game that was postponed from December 5 due to inclement weather. Tickets are available at the rink one hour prior to game time (Adult G.A. $3, Non-Yale students 15 & over $1, Yale students with ID free, youth 14 & under free, senior citizens 65 & over free).
report by Sam Rubin '95, Yale Sports Publicity Department
