Harvard improved to 7-0 on the season thanks in part to Liza Ryabkina, shown here in earlier action. The freshman assisted on both of the Crimson’s goals in a 2-1 win over Dartmouth in Hanover, N.H.

In the final leg of a three-game gauntlet through the upper echelon of the ECAC, the Harvard women’s hockey team came out on top again.

The No. 2 Crimson (7-0-0, 7-0-0 ECAC) edged out No. 8 Dartmouth (7-2-1, 5-2-0 ECAC), 2-1, in a back-and-forth contest, maintaining its perfect record and holding on to sole possession of first place in the conference.

“It was a great game for the fans,” Harvard coach Katey Stone said. “Dartmouth’s a good team. It was nice to get a win.”

The victory capped off a stretch in which the Crimson beat a trio of nationally ranked ECAC programs, consisting of the Big Green, then-No. 3 St. Lawrence, and then-No. 10 Clarkson.

With the score knotted up at 1-1 with 21 seconds left in the period, rookie forward Liza Ryabkina wrapped around the back of the net and centered the puck in the crease between Dartmouth goalie Carli Clemis and two defenders for a waiting Jenny Brine. The junior slammed the puck home for her fourth goal of the season.

For Ryabkina, a talented young player known more for her scoring ability than passing prowess, it was her second assist, and fourth in the last two games.

“She’s starting to get better and better,” Stone said. “We’re trying to make her a complete player and we’re making progress.”

With a 2-1 lead and a 13-6 shot advantage in the second period, Harvard seemed to have the momentum heading into the final frame.

But the Crimson came out sloppy in the third. Harvard committed three penalties and regressed to a passive style of play in the closing minutes, allowing the Big Green to assault the net.

“It was a very poor decision on our players’ part to play ‘keep-away’ with that much time on the clock,” Stone said. “We’re an attacking team. Attacking teams attack. We don’t back up.”

Dartmouth threatened several times in the last period, and after pulling Clemis on its final power play for a 6-4 advantage, appeared poised to tie the score.

“We made it harder on ourselves tonight than it needed to be,” Stone said. “We made some knucklehead decisions. We need to become a sharper crisper smarter team going forward.”

But the Harvard penalty kill held up, as did sophomore goalie Christina Kessler, and the Crimson managed to eke out the narrow victory.

Kessler posted a season-high 28 saves and leads the nation with a .961 save percentage and 0.86 goals against average.

“She played very well,” Stone said. “She made some big saves.”

The Big Green struck first in the game when Amanda Trunzo flicked a wrist shot into the top corner of the net for a power play goal 6:58 into the first period.

But Harvard answered immediately. Just 22 seconds later, junior winger Sarah Vaillancourt took a Ryabkina pass following a faceoff into the Dartmouth zone and slipped the puck past Clemis to even the score.

Both teams entered the game near or at the top of the ECAC standings and placed highly in the national rankings despite significant roster overhaul. The two squads graduated their biggest stars last year—Patty Kazmaier Award winner Julie Chu for the Crimson and 2007 ECAC Player of the Year Gillian Apps for the Big Green—along with other key players, and have shown the ability to remain competitive while transitioning in an influx of youth.

“The good news for both of us is it’s not about marquee players anymore,” Stone said. “It’s about young players learning the game. We have better balance and depth than we had a year ago.”

So far, that depth and balance has led to a perfect record for Harvard, and that youth has proven itself against the toughest competition in the conference.

—Staff writer Loren Amor can be reached at lamor@fas.harvard.edu.