Kennedy Scores 100th Point, But No. 3 Big Green Falls Short Against Harvard

Wednesday, December 17

Hanover, N.H.

7:00 p.m.

Dartmouth College

Harvard

Kennedy, Clemis Tabbed as ECAC Hockey Weekly Award Winners

Kennedy Scores 100th Point, But No. 3 Big Green Falls Short Against Harvard

12/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Ice Hockey

By: Dartmouth

Box Score

HANOVER, N.H. ? Senior Maggie Kennedy (West Hartford, Conn.) became the 28th Big Green skater to reach 100 points in her career, but it wasn't enough as the third-ranked Dartmouth women's hockey team came up short against Harvard, 3-2, on Wednesday night.

For Dartmouth (7-4-1, 6-2-1 ECAC, 2-1-0 Ivy), Kennedy posted her team-leading seventh of the season in the first period to give her the milestone. She also added an assist, while sophomore Amanda Trunzo (Andover, Minn.) tallied her sixth and junior Jenna Cunningham (Medicine Hat, Alta.) posted two assists in the loss for the Big Green. Senior netminder Carli Clemis (Taber, Alta.) faced 19 shots and made 16 saves in the defeat.

For Harvard (5-5-3, 5-2-2 ECAC, 3-0-0 Ivy), Sarah Vaillancourt led the way with a goal and assist, while Liza Ryabkina netted the game-winner. Katharine Chute also scored for the Crimson and Kristina Kessler came up big for Harvard when the Crimson needed as she made 32 stops between the pipes.

In a penalty-ridden first period, Harvard broke the ice 8:12 into the frame as Vaillancourt netted her sixth of the season and recorded her 200th career point to put the Crimson on top, 1-0. She received a pass from Leanna Coskren and entered the offensive end all alone and beat Clemis top shelf over her left shoulder.

Kennedy got even with less than three minutes remaining in the first with her first power play goal of the season. Cunningham fired a shot on Kessler from the slot and she made the save, but Kennedy collected the rebound and beat Kessler low and inside the far post to knot the game at 1-1.

In the second period, Harvard gained the led back at 2-1 with a goal from Chute added her second of the season with the assists going to Vaillancourt and Kirsten Kester. Vaillancourt broke into the offensive and a shoveled a pass to the crease that Chute got a backhand on and slid it past Clemis for the score.

Once again Dartmouth fired back to tie it at two on Trunzo's sixth of the season. Kennedy fed Trunzo at the opposing blue line and she skated past the Harvard defense and beat Kessler on the stick side just inside the near post.

Ryabkina gave Harvard its third lead of the game, four minutes into the final frame with her fourth of the year. She charged down the right side boards and found an opening, firing a slow wrister that surprised Clemis on the glove side. The puck went off of Clemis' shoulder and into the top of the net to give the Crimson a 3-2 lead that they did not relinquish.

Dartmouth had its opportunities in the third period, outshooting Harvard by a 16-3 margin, but could not find the back of the net. The biggest chance for the Big Green came late in the final frame as Kennedy tried to stuff home a rebound, which deflected high in the air and over Kessler's shoulder. As it was going wide junior Sarah Parsons (Dover, Mass.) hit the puck into the net, but the goal was called back due to a high-stick.

The Big Green finished night 1-for-6 on the man advantage, while Dartmouth held the Crimson to no special team tallies in four chances.

The Big Green will be off for the holiday break until Dec. 30 as Dartmouth travels up I-89 to face its friends from Vermont for a 7 p.m. faceoff.