CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - Sophomore Sarah Lefort and senior captain Louise Warren each lit the lamp for the Boston University women's ice hockey team, but No. 6 Harvard scored with 10.9 seconds remaining in overtime to escape with a 3-2 victory in the Beanpot consolation game on Tuesday night at Conte Forum.
BU (19-10-1) scored two straight goals to take a 2-1 lead, but Harvard (19-3-3) tallied a late equalizer before Samantha Reber notched the game-winner in overtime.
Lefort added to her NCAA-leading goal total with her 27th marker of the season and also added an assist while Warren remains third in the nation thanks to her 22nd strike of the season. Senior goaltender Kerrin Sperry stopped 29 shots for the Terriers.
It was a highly-entertaining game from start to finish, with BU outshooting Harvard, 41-32. The Terriers controlled play for a majority of the opening frame, but the Crimson struck first at the 14:51 juncture when Jessica Harvey potted a rebound off a Sarah Edney shot.
Ribeirinha-Braga was robbed with 1:45 to play in the period as her close-range bid at the right post was turned aside by a sprawling Emerence Maschmeyer (39 saves). BU finished the period with a 13-7 advantage in shots.
It took an official review to help secure a 1-1 tie at the 3:30 mark of the second stanza. The play began when sophomore Shannon Stoneburgh got the puck to freshman Samantha Sutherland at the BC blue line. She fed Lefort, who skated to the left circle and wristed the puck over Maschmeyer's glove, off the back of the crossbar, straight down and out. Play continued until the next whistle, after which the referees reviewed the play and determined the puck did indeed cross the line.
The Crimson nearly canceled out Lefort's strike but a brilliant stop by Sperry maintained the status quo. Mary Parker got behind the defense and skated in alone on Sperry, but the senior netminder extended her right leg and robbed Parker of a goal.
The contest remained tied, 1-1, until Warren gave BU a lead with 10:04 to play in the final frame. With the Terriers on a power play, Lefort was in the right circle and sent the puck towards goal. Freshman Maddie Elia redirected the puck wide, but Warren crashed the net and knocked it past Maschmeyer for her second goal in as many games.
Harvard responded nearly three minutes later when Miye D'Oench scored after a scramble at the top of Sperry's crease. Both teams had chances to end the game in regulation, but 60 minutes proved to not be enough.
The teams appeared destined for a draw until Reber put an end to the proceedings in the waning moments of overtime. The Crimson dumped the puck into the BU zone, where Marissa Gedman got to it first and found Reber in front for the goal.
The Terriers' special teams were strong, as BU managed to score just the fifth goal against the Crimson penalty killers this season while also keeping the Harvard power play at bay.
BU will now turn its attention to Hockey East play as only four league games remain on the docket. The Terriers will face Providence in a home-and-home series this weekend (Feb. 15-16), beginning at Agganis Arena on Saturday at 3 p.m.