CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Colgate women's ice hockey walked away with a 5-4 victory over conference opponent Harvard in a game that went down to the final seconds Friday night at Bright-Landry Hockey Center.
"I think overall, there are a lot of takeaways for us inside of this game and it's nice to walk away with the league points. We get to go out and play again tomorrow at Dartmouth. I really love this team and we're excited about what it can become with another level of focus" said Head Coach
Greg Fargo.
The Raiders started the night off hot, as
Katie Chan,
Dara Greig, and
Danielle Serdachny recorded one goal each throughout the first period.
Colgate held the lead throughout 38 minutes of play before letting Harvard score four unanswered goals in the third period. It came down to the final four minutes before
Neena Brick tied the game up with 4:16 left to go in the game.
Kristýna Kaltounková became the late-game hero, scoring with five seconds left in the game, sealing the Raiders' win.
Nine Raiders recorded points, with Serdachny, Kaltounková, and
Sydney Bard leading the way with three points apiece.
Colgate started the night off early, scoring two minutes into the first period as Chan potted her first goal of the season off a wrist shot from the blue line. Just over a minute later Greig inked her name to the scoresheet, tapping one in off a pass from
Kaitlyn O'Donohoe. The Raiders led 2-0 for a majority of the first period before Serdachny rifled one over the shoulder of the Crimson's netminder with two minutes to play, bringing the score to 3-0.
Colgate's strong first period paid off, firing 15 shots on net to Harvard's five. Seven different Raiders recorded points through the first period.
In a tightly contested second period with both teams finding chances on the man-advantage, the score remained the same. The Raiders outshot the Crimson by three, for a total of 24-11 through 40 minutes of play.
Early in the third period, Harvard was awarded a penalty shot, capitalizing on the play and bringing the game to within two. Shortly after the Crimson's goal, Harvard netted a second goal and play continued with the Raiders up 3-2 with 16 minutes to play.
The Crimson continued their strong third period, netting another goal with just over 10 minutes to play. Two minutes later, Harvard scored its fourth unanswered goal of the period, taking the 4-3 lead.
Colgate answered back with 4:16 left to play, as Brick sniped one past the Crimson's goalkeeper. Play continued with a score of 4-4.
With five seconds left, Serdachny found herself in the slot wide open, sliding the puck through two Crimson defenders to Kaltounková, who tapped the puck into a wide open net and grabbed the 5-4 lead. Kaltounková's late-game heroics sealed the win for the Raiders.
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Greg Fargo
"I'm sure anyone taking in this game must have felt as though they got their money's worth in entertainment. This game had a bit of everything.
"Our first period was as strong of a start as we've had, it was what we wanted Colgate hockey to look like. We stepped away from that identity in the second and we didn't have the same focus.
"I know with this team and our leadership that we will learn and grow from tonight. I thought we did a great job to refocus late in the third and find a way as a team. Late in the game felt like it did when the game started. We tilted the ice and had a strong sense of focus."
UP NEXT
The Raiders continue their weekend road trip with a bus ride to Hanover, N.H. as they take on Dartmouth, Saturday at 3 p.m.
