HAMILTON - Madeline Palumbo scored five minutes in, and Colgate's defense took over from there, giving the Raiders take home a dominant 3-0 victory over Harvard on Friday night at the Class of 1965 Arena.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Colgate controlled the puck for much of the opening stretch in Friday night's matchup, putting consistent pressure on Harvard's goal. That pressure paid off at 5:22, when Madeline Palumbo opened the scoring with a goal from close range, assisted by Dorothy Copetti and Chloe Goofers.
Slowly but surely, the Crimson got back into the game, with first-year goaltender Brooke Davis seeing her first real involvement in the minutes after Palumbo's goal. Despite big chances on both sides, neither team was able to cash in, and the Raiders went to the intermission holding a well-earned 1-0 advantage.Â
The second period began much like the first, with Colgate getting some early chances and forcing Harvard's Emily Davidson to make several saves. Unlike the first, the Raiders couldn't find the back of the net, and Harvard looked to turn the game into a back-and-forth affair.
As the second period moved along, both defenses took over, with neither team able to maintain any attacking pressure.Â
However, a late power play offered the Raiders a big chance to double their lead, and Emma Pais took it at long-range effort 17:42 with a long range effort assisted by Casey Borgiel and Alexis Petford, giving Colgate a commanding 2-0 lead that they would carry into the final period.
Hoping to secure a shutout win, the Raiders had to defend a power play in the opening minutes of the third period. The disadvantage proved to be no problem for a Colgate team playing one of their best defensive games of the season, and the penalty was killed easily. Another penalty at the midway point of the period came and went, with Harvard unable to beat Davis in net.
At 15:30, the Raiders finally put the game to bed, extending the lead to 3-0 with an Elyssa Biederman goal, assisted by Ava Wood, and putting the finishing touches on one of their most dominant performances of the season.
The rest was easy for the Raiders, as Colgate skated out the remaining four-and-a-half minutes to take home the shutout win.
GAME NOTES
- Madeline Palumbo's game-winning first period goal was the 20th in her career.Â
- Emma Pais scored her 16th goal of the season in the win. She also sits just three points shy of the century mark as a Raider.
- Casey Borgiel logged her 16th assist, extending her lead for Colgate defenders.
- Elyssa Biederman's 70th career goal was her 17th of the season, giving her the team lead.
- Brooke Davis made 24 saves, earning a shutout victory in the process. Davis now has three shutouts on the season, two of which against Harvard.
- Colgate's 3-0 win was their fourth shutout of the season, and their second over Harvard. They previously blanked the Crimson 5-0 on October 25th.
UP NEXT
The Raiders (14-13-1, 9-7-1 ECAC) look to win their third straight tomorrow, facing Dartmouth at 3 p.m. at the Class of 1965 Arena. The game will air on ESPN+.
