DULUTH, Minn. — Ashleigh Brykaliuk scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner, to help Minnesota-Duluth to a 4-2 win over No. 8 Harvard.
Minnesota-Duluth (6-9-0, 3-7-0-0 WCHA) also got single goals from Michela Cava and Catherine Daoust, a pair of assists from Sidney Morin, and 28 saves by Maddie Rooney to make coach Maura Crowell’s first contest against her former team a successful one.
“It was really strange, actually, because I’ve been cheering for the Crimson team for so long, to be on the other side,” Crowell said. “I was happy that it was a really good game both ways; both teams played well. I think that was the best way it could have gone for me.”
Emerance Maschmeyer finished with 33 saves for Harvard (7-2-1, 5-1-1 ECAC Hockey), and her team got power-play goals off the sticks of Mary Parker and Miye D’Oench, while Jessica Harvey had two primary assists.
“They’re good,” Crimson coach Katey Stone said. “Their goaltender played well; they capitalized on their opportunities and our mistakes. We’re not good enough to make that many mistakes and not get hurt. My hat’s off to the way they played tonight.”
UMD took a 3-2 lead in the third period. Maschmeyer lost her stick, and it wound up near the corner. A Harvard skater attempted to pass behind her net, but the puck hit the loose goalie stick, caromed off the goal post, and went to Brykaliuk in the slot. Maschmeyer was handed a skater’s stick, but she didn’t have time to get it turned blade down before Brykaliuk blasted the puck home.
“That’s a lucky bounce,” Brykaliuk said. “You only see that every once in a while, so definitely needed to put that one in the net, and I did, so that was good.”
Daoust scored the final goal on the power play, and Maschmeyer got most of her shot from the circle but the puck found its way into the net.
Brykaliuk scored on the game’s first shift, collecting a shot off the end boards and bouncing it off of Maschmeyer’s back and into the net.
“On the scoreboard and the mental side, you get up early like that it helps out the whole team,” Brykaliuk said.
Parker evened it on a rebound during a first-period power play after a five on three ended, and D’Oench capitalized on another five-on-three opportunity to give Harvard a 2-1 lead.
Cava tied the game at 2-2 on a partial breakaway. The Bulldogs top line with Cava centering Brykaliuk and Laura Stalder had all three of the team’s even-strength goals.
“Our first line was tremendous tonight,” Crowell said. “Talk about confidence. They play with it, they’re creative, they just complement each other very well, and I think their speed was tough for even a very deep and talented Harvard team.”
Harvard will look for a better result in the rematch on Saturday at 1:07 p.m. CST.
“I think there were a lot of those situations tonight where we expected too much of our goaltender and our defensemen,” Stone said. “Our forwards can be more responsible, more accountable, and they know that. We were throwing pucks back to the D after they’d worked their tails off. Emerance did her job; she played great.”
