Box Score

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- The Cornell women's hockey team responded after its first loss of the league season, beating Harvard by a 4-3 score on Saturday afternoon at the Bright Hockey Center in Cambridge, Mass. The win lifts Cornell to a 26-2-1 regular-season mark, including a 20-1-1 record in ECAC Hockey play.

Catherine White had a pair of goals and an assist, with Chelsea Karpenko joining her in a multi-point game with a goal and an assist. Brianne Jenner picked up one goal, while Lauriane Rougeau, Hayley Hughes, Hayleigh Cudmore, Karlee Overguard and Laura Fortino each added one assist. Lauren Slebodnick made 35 saves in the victory for the Big Red, which finished the night 1-for-7 on the power play.

For Harvard, Jillian Dempsey, Josephine Pucci and Kate Buesser each scored one goal, with Gina McDonald, Katharine Chute, Marissa Gedman, Lyndsey Fry and Alisa Baumgartner each adding one assist. Laura Bellamy stopped 25 shots in taking the loss for the Crimson (15-10-4, 14-5-3 ECAC Hockey).

Cornell came out strong a night after surrendering its highest goal total of the season, striking for three goals in the first period to charge out to a 3-0 lead. Harvard would respond with a pair of markers in the second period to cut the lead to 3-2, but White's power-play goal just 2:03 into the third period would stand as the game-winner. Dempsey added a power-play goal of her own midway through the third to again cut into the Cornell lead, but the Big Red closed out the final 10 minutes to secure the victory.

Cornell will now focus its attention on the ECAC Hockey playoffs, where the Big Red holds the top overall seed and will play host as long as it remains alive in the tournament. The Big Red opens up against the eighth seed, Rensselaer, facing the Engineers in a best-of-three series next weekend at Lynah Rink. Game one will be at 7 p.m. on Friday night, with game two on Saturday at 4 p.m. and a decisive game three, if necessary, taking place on Sunday at 4 p.m.