No. 8 Crimson Looks to Gain Momentum, Hosts Quinnipiac, No. 9 Princeton at Bright

Pictured: Kate Buesser had two goals and an assist in Harvard's 3-0 win over St. Lawrence Nov. 7.
Photo courtesy: David Silverman Photography

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Complete Game Notes (PDF)

The Particulars
The eighth-ranked Harvard women’s hockey team remains on home ice to host Quinnipiac and No. 9 Princeton in back-to-back ECAC Hockey contests this weekend. The Crimson stands at 2-2 overall and in ECAC Hockey action, while Quinnipiac owns a 5-3-2 record and 3-0-1 mark in conference games and Princeton owns a 3-0-1 ECAC Hockey record and enters the weekend 4-1-1 overall.

Follow From Home
GoCrimson.com will provide live statistics for this weekend’s games, all home games and most road contests this season. Live audio and video will be available for both games this weekend. Glenn Conway and Matt Sawyer will once again have the call on GoCrimson.com.

Series History
Entering Friday’s game, Harvard has won all eight games against Quinnipiac in the series, which dates back to 2005-06. Last season, Kate Buesser scored two goals as Harvard opened the 2008-09 campaign with a 2-1 victory at Quinnipiac Oct. 31, 2008. Christina Kessler stopped 22 shots that evening against the Bobcats. On Jan. 3, 2009, Brittany Martin ’09 made 25 saves and Kirsten Kester, Kati Vaughn and Randi Griffin each notched a goal in a 3-1 win at Bright Hockey Center.

The Crimson and Tigers have met 63 times on the ice, with Harvard holding a 34-27-2 advantage in the series. Harvard has won five of the last six contests between the teams. The teams split last year’s series, as Harvard earned a 6-4 win at Princeton Nov. 1, 2008, before falling to the Tigers, 1-0, Jan. 2, 2009. In the Crimson’s win, Liza Ryabkina netted a hat trick, while Cori Bassett scored twice and assisted on two other tallies. Sarah Wilson ’09 added a goal and two assists in the win as well. Brittany Martin turned aside 20 shots in the 1-0 loss later in the season.

Last Time Out
Harvard fell to second-ranked Clarkson, 2-1, at Bright Hockey Center Nov. 6. Kaitlin Spurling gave Harvard a 1-0 lead in the second period, while Christina Kessler made 20 saves.

On Saturday afternoon, Kessler recorded the 22nd shutout of her career, stopping 14 shots in a 3-0 victory over No. 7 St. Lawrence. Ashley Wheeler netted the first goal of her career, while Kate Buesser added two goals, including one on an empty-net tally with 30 seconds remaining in the game.

Storied Program
With its 3-0 victory over St. Lawrence Saturday, the Harvard women’s hockey team earned the 500th victory in program history. The Crimson owns a 500-289-38 record over its storied 31-year history.

Welcome To The Show
Freshman Kaitlin Spurling has recorded a point in each of her first four games of her career (1-3-4).

Harvard Coach Katey Stone
Katey Stone is in her 16th season as the Landry Family Head Coach for Harvard Women’s Ice Hockey, and she brings a 321-138-22 record into Friday’s game. Stone, who ranks second all-time in Division I victories, has led Harvard to all seven of its NCAA tournament appearances. Stone is also the active leader in victories among Division I women’s hockey coaches.

Stone is currently 16 wins shy of tying the all-time Division I record, held by Laura Halldorson (337 victories.)

It’s All Over
Harvard is 96-1-4 since the start of the 2004-05 season when leading after two periods.

First Thing's First
The Crimson was 18-0-2 when scoring first and 1-10-1 when the opponent lit the lamp first last season. So far in 2009-10, Harvard is 1-1 when netting the game’s first goal and 1-1 when the opposition scores first.

Bright Spot
The Crimson was 9-4-2 record at Bright Hockey Center last season, while posting a 9-5-1 mark on the road. In two games this season, Harvard owns a 1-1 record on home ice.

Just Win, Christina!
Senior goaltender Christina Kessler is 57-15-3 in her career in net, placing her second on Harvard’s all-time goalie win list. Ali Boe ’06 is Harvard’s all-time winningest goaltender with 63 victories.

To Be The Best ...
Harvard was 2-6-1 against top 10 opponents last season. With its 3-0 victory against St. Lawrence Nov. 7, the Crimson stands a 1-1 against ranked foes this year.