Clarkson could not find the key to scoring against Harvard this weekend.

Junior goaltender Ali Boe made sure that, despite some defensive and mental lapses by the Crimson, the Golden Knights looked frustrated and helpless in their offensive zone.

On Friday night, Boe stopped a total of 16 shots for her sixth shutout of the season and 13th of her career. The next highest goaltender in Harvard history boasts only nine.

As her counterpart across the ice, Kira McDonald, registered a whopping 82 saves over the course of the weekend, Boe managed to reject Clarkson in some intense moments.

About one minute into the second period, the Golden Knights stepped up the pressure and managed to get the puck into the Crimson’s crease with a number of people crowding around. While Boe could not quite get a hold of it at first, after a dangerous half-minute in which it seemed no one on the ice was sure where the puck was, Boe knocked it aside to squelch the chance.

Clarkson’s best chance to score on Friday ended up being a lucky break for Boe and Harvard, as the Golden Knights could not convert. Just a few minutes after the scramble in the crease, a Clarkson pass found its way through the middle of the Crimson defense and right past the right edge of the net. Had Melissa Marshall—who was right there—been able to connect with her stick, Boe probably would have not been able to recover.

“[We got] selfish,” Stone said. “We stopped skating, stopped moving the puck and stayed on the ice too long.”

In the second game, Boe did give up a goal, but she also stopped another 16 shots and prevented Clarkson from ever getting back into the game.

“I felt sorry for [Boe] on that one,” Stone said. “But it’s not about a shutout. Its about a win.”

Early in the second period of the second game—with the score just 1-0 in Harvard’s favor—the puck was sent into the crease with sophomore defender Caitlin Cahow and a Golden Knights forward in on the play. The puck bounced up into the air, and Boe showed great agility and quickness by popping forward and grabbing it, all while knocking into the two players.

CRUNCH TIME

In playoff action around the country, the matchups went according to plan—for the most part.

Brown—the No. 6 seed in the ECAC—took the first game in its series against the third-seeded St. Lawrence squad in convincing fashion, with a 3-0 blanking—but the Saints rallied to take the next two games and the series.

St. Lawrence will next face Dartmouth in the semifinals next weekend, after the Big Green dispatched Colgate in two games.

The series between Yale and Princeton—teams ranked fourth and five in the Ivies, respectively—was one of the most anticipated first-round matchups in the East. It did not disappoint as the Tigers took the Bulldogs into overtime before Deena Caplette scored to give Yale the victory.

Yale then wrapped up its berth in the ECAC semifinals against Harvard with a 4-2 victory on Saturday.

Out west, a number of the underdogs scored first—including St. Cloud State and Bemidji State, which held a 2-1 advantage over No. 1 Minnesota in the second period—but ultimately could not hold their own against the top seeds.

In second-round action, the third-seeded Wisconsin squad upset Duluth—the No. 2 team in the nation—in overtime for a shot at the WCHA playoff crown against Minnesota.

FIRST-TIMERS

The playoff matchup was the first in Clarkson’s program history. After just joining Division I last year and moving into the ECAC this season, the Golden Knights impressed most observers by approaching a .500 record in league play and grabbing the last playoff spot.

Nevertheless, it seemed, to a degree, that Clarkson’s lack of experience—only one senior skates on the team, while the others are either sophomores or freshmen—showed as the Crimson came out quickly on Friday and scored four goals in the first period.

“I’ve been really impressed with Clarkson since the beginning of the season,” Corriero said. “They are a hardworking team, and they don’t let up. We are really happy to have a team like that as our first opponent [in the playoffs].”

After the Golden Knights settled into the rhythm of the game, the contest grew tighter in the second and third periods. According to its coach, the Crimson can stand to learn something from the hard play shown by Clarkson.

“They’ve got nothing to lose,” Stone said. “They come out real hard. That’s how was want to play.”

Over the course of the weekend, the Golden Knights only took a total of four penalties, demonstrating the discipline and clean hockey that has propelled them all season long.

As their season statistics indicate though, their weakness is the power play—and Harvard managed to score on two of its four opportunities over the two games.

—Staff writer Gabriel M. Velez can be reached at gmvelez@fas.harvard,edu.