The Harvard women's hockey team faced off against two very different opponents this weekend at the Bright Hockey Center--ECAC-leading Princeton and cellar-dweller Yale. The result, however, was the same each time: a Crimson victory.

The Crimson handed the Tigers their first ECAC loss of the season with a convincing 3-1 victory in a Saturday afternoon matinee performance.

"This was a big win," first-year coach Katey Stone said. "Princeton's a tremendous team."

"Princeton's one of the best teams in the league," co-captain Diana Clark said. "We showed that we could be a great team this year by beating them."

The Tigers, who were undefeated in three ECAC games, had defeated the Crimson in both meetings last year and were poised to continue their dominance Saturday.

The Crimson, however, had other plans.

Late in the first period the Crimson scored twice in a 13-second span.

Junior Stacey Kellogg tallied first, redirecting a shot by sophomore A.J. Mleckzo past the Tiger goalie to give the Crimson a 1-0 lead.

The fans had hardly settled down before Kellogg and Mleckzo teamed up again to put Harvard up 2-0. Mleckzo was credited with the goal, her 15th on the year.

"The two goals at the end of the first period really turned the game around," Stone said.

Princeton regained its poise and used its quickness to pressure the Crimson defense.

While the speedy Tigers worked themselves through the Crimson defenders several times, they couldn't get past senior goalie Erin Villiotte, who recorded 16 saves in the first stanza.

The Crimson increased its lead to 3-0 at 12:37 of the second period as the Mleckzo sisters, A.J. Mleckzo and co-captain Winkie Mleckzo, teamed up to score.

A.J. Mleckzo collected the puck along the boards and passed it to the point. There, Winkie Mleckzo blasted a low shot past the screened Tiger net-minder. The goal was Winkie's first on the year.

Harvard maintained its three-goal advantage through the second period and halfway through the third, rarely allowing the Tigers to establish themselves in the offensive zone.