"We came to play today, there's no doubt about it," Harvard Coach Katey Stone said. "We had a tremendous week of practice, and there was a big difference from last Friday."

The clincher came 8:01 into the second period on a UNH power play. Shewchuk forced the puck out of the defensive zone, giving her linemates a two-on-one breakaway, shorthanded. Francisco walked the puck down the right wing and hit Botterill as she skated into the slot for the uncontested score.

"On the breakaway I saw their defenseman cheat toward the puck, so I went to the net," said Botterill, who had two goals and an assist. "Angie gave me a beautiful pass so I just had to put some wood on the puck and throw it in."

That gave the Crimson a comfortable 4-1 lead, which was more than enough with Kuusisto holding the Wildcat offense at bay. After showing some hesitation in her first start of the season against Dartmouth, Kuusisto looked much more comfortable at UNH, relying on her glove- and stick-saves to control the tempo in her zone and limit the number of Wildcat chances.

"This was a big game, and it really forced me to zone in and watch the puck," said Kuusisto, who made 22 saves. "It gives the team confidence if they see me play big on defense, so I came at it with everything I had and tried to set the tone."

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.