No. 10 Harvard Collects Program’s 500th Victory With 3-0 Shutout Against No. 7 St. Lawrence

Pictured: Ashley Wheeler tallied the first goal of her career at 8:00 of the second period.
Photo courtesy: David Silverman Photography

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Kate Buesser scored two goals and handed out an assist, and Ashley Wheeler notched the first goal of her career to help the 10th-ranked Harvard women's hockey team to a 3-0 shutout victory over No. 7 St. Lawrence Saturday afternoon at Bright Hockey Center. In goal, Christina Kessler made 14 saves for the clean sheet, as the Crimson earned the program’s 500th victory.

Eight minutes into the second period, Cori Bassett carried the puck from the Harvard end of the ice and into the neutral zone, before sending a pass to Buesser. Buesser waited for a lane to clear and took a slap shot from the left circle. Goaltender Maxie Weisz stopped Buesser’s attempt, but the shot created a rebound to her left, which Wheeler slid behind the goal line for her first career goal at 8:00. Through two periods, Harvard held an 18-10 lead in shots, including a 10-4 advantage in the second.

In the third stanza, Buesser extended Harvard’s lead to 2-0, as she lifted a shot from just inside the left circle that flew over Weisz’s left shoulder at 6:44. Alisa Baumgartner earned the assist on the play. With 4:39 remaining in the game, Harvard received its second straight penalty, giving St. Lawrence a 5-on-3 power play for 80 seconds. The Crimson defense did not allow a single shot on goal by St. Lawrence during three-skater advantage, as the Saints had also pulled Weisz. With 30 ticks left on the clock, Buesser scored an empty net goal after receiving a pass from Kaitlin Spurling, clinching Kessler and Harvard’s first shutout of the season.

Harvard outshot St. Lawrence, 20-8, in the final two periods and 28-14 for the game. The Crimson also successfully killed all five of the Saints’ power plays. Up next, Harvard will host Quinnipiac and Princeton at Bright Hockey Center Nov. 13-14.