By Gilbert A. Celaya, QBSN Staff Writer

The nationally ranked Harvard Crimson (1-0-0) women’s hockey team earned their first victory of the season as it defeated the Quinnipiac Bobcats (3-3-1), 2-0.  This was No. 9 Harvard’s first game of the 2012-13 season and the first conference game for both teams.

Both teams skated hard and fast throughout the game.  However, all of the scoring came at the end of the first and second periods.

In the first period, Harvard left wing Jillian Dempsey scored the games first goal.  The goal was assisted by center Mary Parker.  The score came on a Harvard power play as to Quinnipiac right wing Amanda Colin (Burnsville, Minn.) served two minutes for tripping.

In the second period, the Crimson scored their second goal with four seconds left on the clock.  Harvard left wing Hillary Crowe put the puck into the back of the net with Parker once again recording the assist on the goal.

Bobcat goalie Victoria Vigilanti (Woodbridge, Ontario) argued that she was being interfered with, as a pile of bodies cluttered the left side of the goal, allowing Crowe to score.  With all of the players overloading the left side of the goal, Vigilanti was unable to recover to the right side to try and block the goal.  Vigilanti’s protests seemed to be ignored by the referee’s.

“There was a lot of traffic, and I couldn’t pick up the puck in time before it went under my pads.  It was a big goal for them, and I would like to have had that one back,” said Vigilanti of Harvard’s second goal.

Despite the two goals allowed by Vigilanti, she recorded 20 saves on the night keeping the Bobcats close the whole way.  Her 20 saves on Friday night, however, pales in comparison to the 41 saves she recorded against Harvard last season.

Quinnipiac head coach Rick Seeley also showed his displeasure with the Crimson’s second goal.

“We should have had some help on the back door.  With only 16-seconds left in the period, I would have thought we would be a little more desperate,” Seeley said.

Even though coach Seeley was not pleased with Harvard’s second goal, he did praise the Bobcats’ style of play against the Crimson.  Quinnipiac recorded 30 shots-on-goal compared to 22 by the Crimson.

“I think we outplayed them.  I was proud of our team, we didn’t crumble when they scored, and we didn’t crumble when they scored their second goal, and I thought it was our best effort of the year,” coach Seeley said.

The loss to the Harvard Crimson is the second loss in a row for Quinnipiac.  The Bobcat’s have now been shut out in six straight periods.  The Bobcats all-time record against Harvard is now 2-12-1. Seeley did recognize the missed opportunities by the Bobcats.

“We created a lot of opportunities, but there were times that we could have made plays and we just threw the puck at the net,” coach Seeley said.

The Bobcats will next play Dartmouth on Saturday at 4 p.m. at the High Point Solutions Arena.