Box Score

TROY, N.Y. – Led by a hat-trick from sophomore winger Sarah Vaillancourt (Sherbrooke, PQ/Pomfret School), Harvard posted four third period goals enroute to a 5-1 victory over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in ECACHL women’s hockey action this afternoon. With the win, the Crimson improve to 17-4-2 overall with a 14-3-1 league mark. The Engineers are now 12-16-1 and 8-9-1 in the ECACHL.

With the score knotted at 1-1 after two periods, Harvard took the lead on the first of Vaillancourt’s three consecutive goals. Senior Julie Chu (Fairfield, CT/Choate Rosemary Hall) got things going when she passed the puck from the point to classmate Katie Johnston (Sudbury, ON/Lo-Ellen Park) in the right circle. Johnston then sent a pass across the slot to Vaillancourt, who beat sophomore netminder Ashley Mayr (Burnaby, BC/BC Breakers) stick side just thirty seconds into the frame.

As time winded down, the Engineers pulled Mayr in favor of the extra attacker, but Vaillancourt intercepted the puck in the RPI zone and lifted it in for a 4-1 lead. The Crimson added a final tally with less than two seconds on the clock to close out the scoring.

Rensselaer and Harvard opened the game with a scoreless first period, which saw the Crimson gain a 9 to 2 shot on goal advantage, but it was the Engineers who struck first at 8:32 of the second period on junior Brooke Thompson’s (Rochester, NY/Rochester Edge) tenth goal of the season. Sophomore Melanie Guillemette (North Bay, ON/Stoney Creek Jr. Sabres) earned the lone assist on the play after her shot from the point caromed out to Thompson on the right side. Thompson then tipped the puck into the net inside the right post for her team-leading sixth power play goal.

The Crimson tied things up later in the period at 14:07 when junior Laura Brady (Hudson, NH/Cushing Academy) converted a pass from Liza Solley (Washington, CT/Loomis Chaffee) over the glove of Mayr, who finished with 28 saves, including 14 in the second stanza.

Freshman Christina Kessler (Oakville, ON/Oakville Trafalgar) improved to 6-2-1 with 11 saves in the win for Harvard.

Rensselaer returns to the ice next Friday and Saturday at Yale (7pm) and Brown (4pm). Harvard is back on the ice on Tuesday when it faces Boston College in the Beanpot Tournament (7pm) in Chestnut Hill.