Four Skaters Score for No. 6 Women's Hockey in Win Over Brown

Pictured: Kaitlin Spurling notched the game-winning goal with 1:22 remaining in the second period.
Photo courtesy: Kevin Burns Photography

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Four different Crimson players found the back of the net, as the sixth-ranked Harvard women’s hockey team extended its win streak to four games by topping Brown, 4-1, Friday evening at Bright Hockey Center. Josephine Pucci, Kaitlin Spurling, Kate Buesser and Randi Griffin each lit the lamp, while Laura Bellamy continued her stellar play in net, making 22 saves.

With 1:02 remaining in the first period, Harvard (14-5-4, 10-5-2 ECAC Hockey, 5-2-2 Ivy League) notched the game’s first goal, coming on a slap shot by Pucci from the left faceoff circle. Buesser battled two Brown defenders in the corner, before passing the puck in front. Jillian Dempsey got her stick on the puck, but it bounced past her directly to Pucci. The Crimson freshman defender wound up and fired the puck into the top left of the net.

After Brown (2-16-4, 0-14-3, 0-6-0) got on the scoreboard with a shot from the point by Victoria Smith at 16:50, Harvard scored another goal late in the second to give the Crimson a 2-1 lead. Kathryn Farni slid a pass to Spurling in the Crimson zone, and Spurling skated hard down the right side. Spurling moved in on goaltender Katie Jamieson and rifled a shot over Jamieson’s right shoulder at 18:38.

Early on in the third, Buesser received a long outlet pass from Cori Bassett and fired a shot on net. The puck bounced off Jamieson’s shoulder and went several feet in the air before hitting Jamieson’s head and rolling behind the goal line, as Harvard increased its advantage to 3-1 at 2:26. Midway through the period, Harvard received back-to-back penalties, giving Brown a 5-on-3 chance for 53 seconds, but the Crimson defense stood tall, allowing only three shots on goal during the two-skater advantage. With 32 ticks left in the frame, Harvard capped the scoring as Griffin netted a power-play goal after receiving a pass from Leanna Coskren.

Harvard, which outshot the Bears, 43-23, will remain on home ice to host Yale on Senior Day Saturday at 4 p.m.