Three weeks ago in Ithaca, the No. 1 Harvard women's hockey team took a convincing 3-0 lead into the third period and survived a late Cornell comeback for a 4-2 victory.

The same thing happened Saturday at Bright Hockey Center in the first round of the ECAC Tournament, only this time it was a little closer.

Top- seeded Harvard (29-1-0, 24-1-1 ECAC) used aggressive stickhandling throughout and timely defense in the final five minutes to outlast eighth-seeded Cornell (15-16-0, 14-12-0), 3-2. The win was the first playoff victory in school history and extended the nation's longest winning streak to 26 games.

"The kids were very hungry to win their first playoff game and we pinned them back right off the bat," said Coach Katey Stone. "When you get to the playoffs there aren't going to be a lot of blowouts. Records don't matter and you have to play hard or go home."

Sophomore winger Tammy Shewchuk's shorthanded goal gave Harvard a comfortable 3-0 lead 10:42 into the second period and turned out to be the eventual game-winner.

After clearing from deep in the defensive zone on the penalty kill, Shewchuk followed the action and won the puck at the offensive blue line. She skated down the right wing untouched before sending the puck top-shelf for her second goal of the day.

"[Cornell senior goaltender] Alanna Hayes tried to clear the zone herself and I don't think that was the smartest move," said Shewchuk, who leads the nation with 46 goals. "She put the puck right on my stick and I just shot for the open corner. She gave me a breakaway."

Harvard's offense could not dominate down the stretch as it did in the first period, when it outshot Cornell, 20-5. Although the Big Red did not get many great scoring chances, it outshot the Crimson, 33-26, after the first and managed to light the lamp twice in the final eight minutes.

Sophomore defenseman Patricia Kemp struck first for the Big Red with 7:52 left in regulation on a wrist shot immediately after a faceoff in the Harvard zone. Cornell's leading scorer, junior winger Colette Bredin, pulled her team to within one goal 1:53 later when she skated around the Harvard defense and into the right doorstep for the easy score.