HAMILTON – No. 7 Colgate skated to a 3-3 overtime draw with Harvard after the Crimson scored three straight unanswered goals in the third period.
Colgate came out ready to attack on the offensive end and recorded one shot on goal and had five of its shots blocked by Harvard defenders in the first four minutes of the game. Control and tempo were completely with the Raiders as the Crimson were only able to record one shot during that time.
The puck remained in the Raiders’ offensive end for a majority of the first period and during one of those times, Colgate was able to get on the board.
Junior Lauren Wildfang controlled the puck behind the right side of goal and scouted the ice to find an open Raider. She fired the puck to the left side ice off the boards, where senior Cat Quirion was waiting. The captain passed the puck to just in front of the goal, where Wilson-Bennett was able to put it past rookie Beth Larcom to give Colgate the early edge at 4:46 in the first. The goal was Wilson-Bennett’s sixth of the year and first since recovering from an injury on Nov. 22.
The Raiders had another opportunity to get on the board just under two minutes later when Harvard’s Kaitlin Tse was called for a cross-checking penalty. The Crimson were able to kill off the penalty, keeping their deficit at one.
One of the few times Colgate did not control the puck in the first period was after a hooking penalty called on Wildfang. The Raiders were able to kill off the penalty with no Harvard shots on goal to keep the score at 1-0, Colgate.
With five minutes remaining in the first period, Colgate had three great consecutive looks at the back of the net, but Larcom was able to come up with three saves in her first collegiate game to keep the score at 1-0.
Harvard got its second power-play opportunity of the afternoon after a hooking penalty on Livia Altmann at 17:34. The Crimson were able to record two shots on goal in the two minutes, but goaltender Julia Vandyk was not letting anything past her.
Colgate recorded 14 shots in the first period to Harvard’s seven.
Colgate once again started the second period off with offensive power, scoring a goal just 28 seconds into the frame. Wildfang controlled the puck in Colgate’s defensive zone and found sophomore Jessie Eldridge in the neutral zone. Eldridge skated the puck up the ice before dumping it to Wilson-Bennett. The junior put the puck past Larcom’s right side and put the Raiders up 2-0.
The Raiders had a power-play opportunity just a minute later when Harvard was called for a hooking penalty. Although Colgate was able to record five shots during the power-play, only one was on goal. Harvard got out of the penalty with no damage done.
Harvard was able to kill off another Colgate power-play after the Crimson were called for a checking penalty at 6:31.
After an interference penalty on Shae Labbe midway through the second period, Harvard stepped up their offensive game, recording nine shots on goal to close out the period. Vandyk came up with three huge consecutive saves during a tenacious Harvard team’s offensive sequence.
The Crimson really controlled the latter half of the second period, but Colgate’s defense and Vandyk would not let Harvard score.
During the final three minutes, Colgate was able to control the pace once again, recording four shots in the span.
Labbe was called for another interference penalty with 1:05 seconds remaining in the second period, but Colgate was able to keep Harvard off the board.
The Crimson outshot the Raiders 15 to nine in the period.
With the way Harvard controlled the puck in the final minutes of the second period, it was no surprise that they were able to get one on the board early in the third period. The Crimson’s Val Turgeon was able to corral the puck off of a Colgate turnover and sneak the puck past Vandyk to bring the game to 2-1, Colgate.
With just over 8:30 gone in the third period, the referee signaled for a Colgate penalty. Since the Raiders had not yet had control of the puck, play continued. Harvard’s goalie cleared the net and gave the team an extra attacker, which allowed the Crimson to score at 8:38, knotting the game at 2.
Over the next nine minutes, the puck was flying at both ends of the ice, but neither team could find the back of the net to break the tie.
But, with just under two minutes remaining, Harvard recorded its three straight unanswered goal, giving them the 3-2 lead.
It looked like Colgate was all but finished at this point, but the Raiders gained an extra attacker when Vandyk was pulled with 29 seconds to go. This decision paid off big for Colgate.
With 00:21 seconds left on the clock, Eldridge found the back of the net, knotting the game at three. Junior Shelby Perry had the puck in the left faceoff circle and passed in front of the net to Shae Labbe. The sophomore fired a shot from right in front of the goal, but it was deflected by Larcom. Eldridge was waiting on the left side of the net for the deflection and she reared back and put the puck past Larcom to knot the game at three.
Harvard recorded one shot in the final 20 seconds in the game, but Kaila Pinkney deflected it to bring the squads to overtime.
This was only Colgate’s second overtime game of the year, with the other ending in a 2-2 against Syracuse.
The Raiders had plenty of opportunities to score in the overtime period, but could not connect. Harvard was called for a penalty at 1:48 in the frame, giving Colgate a power-play chance. The Raiders recorded six shots on goal in the two-minute span, but Larcom was not allowing anything past her.
Neither team could get anything in the final minute of the period, skating to a 3-3 draw. Colgate outshot Harvard 44-36 in the game.
This game is Colgate’s final action until the new year, when they travel to St. Cloud State on Jan. 6-7.
Bottom Line
– #7 Colgate 3, Harvard 3
Won-Lost Records
– The Raiders move to 15-2-2 in the 2016-17 campaign, still their best record through 19 games in program history. Colgate moves to 6-2-1 in ECAC play.
– Harvard stops its nine-game losing streak, bringing its record to 1-9-1 and 1-5-1 in ECAC play.
Key Raider Info
– Wilson-Bennett recorded her fifth and sixth goals of the year, bringing her to two points on the day and 12 points this season. This was the junior’s first game back after leaving the Nov. 22 game against Mercyhurst with an injury.
– Wildfang recorded two assists on the night, bringing her to 14 helpers on the year.
– Eldridge dished out her 20th assist this season, which leads the ECAC. She also recorded a goal, her ninth of the year. Eldridge is currently tied for fourth nationally in points.
– Labbe and Perry each dished out an assist, registering their ninth and eighth assists, respectively.
– Vandyk moves to 13-2-2 on the year and tied her season-high with 33 saves in the game.
Inside the Box Score
– Colgate went 0-4 on power-play opportunities, while Harvard went 0-5 in the game.
– The Raiders outshot the Crimson 44-36 on the afternoon.
– During the 60 minutes of play, Colgate won 33-of-66 faceoffs.
– This is only the third time these teams have tied in series history.
– This game was only Colgate’s second OT game of the year, with both ending in ties.
Up Next
– The Raiders are on a month-long hiatus after today’s game.
– Colgate is back in action after the new year when they travel to St. Cloud, Minn. to face St. Cloud State on Jan. 6 and 7.
– This is the first time these two squads will face off against one another.
– Live stats and video will be available for both games.
