Kuusisto's biggest play came 2:25 into the second, with the Crimson leading 3-1 and killing a tripping penalty against freshman defenseman Pam Van Reesema. Wildcat senior winger Samantha Holmes, who scored both UNH goals, caught Kuusisto out of position and had a clear look at the net from the left doorstep.

But the Harvard netminder dove across the crease and Holmes was unable to lift the puck--or the rebound--over Kuusisto's stick, which formed a barricade along the goal line.

Things did not go as smoothly between the pipes for the Wildcats, however. The Crimson exploded for two goals in the first 10 minutes of the game, but neither of them was the result of the endless cycling which has become the trademark of Harvard's top forward line.

At the end of the period, UNH Coach Karen Kay pulled starting goaltender Alicia Roberts, who set a school records with 48 saves against Harvard in last season's AWCHA national championship game, in favor of freshman Jen Huggon.

"If you look at the statistics, both teams did a pretty good job tonight," Kay said. "But they buried the puck when they had their chances and we didn't, and our goaltender did not come to play. When you let in some soft goals, it affects the whole team."

Those two early scores turned out to be the difference, as Harvard outshot UNH 24-22 and won by a two-goal margin. In the final 40 minutes, Huggon allowed only one goal--Botterill's shorthanded score on the breakaway--and made 15 saves to keep her team in the game. But the damage had been done in the first period, and the Crimson gave Kuusisto enough support in the defensive zone to maintain the lead.

"The Dartmouth game showed our weaknesses in the defensive zone, because our goals will come on offense," Stone said. "We ran around defensively at times tonight, but not like last week. I was most happy with our man-down situations--you really didn't notice when UNH had the power play."