HARVARD GAZETTE ARCHIVES

Game-grinner: A not-yet-completely mobbed Julie Chu '06 celebrates her game-winning goal against Mercyhurst in NCAA quarterfinal action on March 19 at Bright Hockey Center. Chu tallied the goal at 12:28 of triple overtime to lift Harvard past the No. 6 Lakers, 5-4, and keep the Crimson in the hunt for a national title. (Staff photos Justin Ide/Harvard News Office)

Luckily, for the good majority of the 1,013 that packed chilly Bright on a relatively balmy afternoon, the home team also had plenty of reason to dish out props to two of their own, juniors Julie Chu and Ali Boe. It was Chu, after all, who snapped the 4-4 standstill in the 112th minute of play to bump the No. 4 Crimson past the No. 6 Lakers, 5-4. After the teams exchanged beautiful breakaways in vain for two extra periods and over 12 minutes of sudden-death action, Chu finally hit pay dirt on a 2-on-1 drive to the goal. Accepting senior teammate Nicole Corriero's pass from the right, Chu shoveled the puck past Clark to end the madness.

And it was madness. All told, the teams combined for 143 shots on goal, with Harvard taking an 83 to 60 advantage, including a new team high of 21 in the second period. Wilder still, Corriero notched Harvard's first four goals - one each in the first and third periods, and a pair in the middle frame - to establish a tournament record for goals in a game.

Down 3-1 in the second period, the senior winger knotted the score at 3 with consecutive goals - the first coming just 23 seconds into the period and later at the 7:46 mark. In the cage, Ali Boe was sensational for Harvard. The junior netminder grabbed a career-high 56 saves, denying the gang from Erie, Penn., for nearly an hour and 20 minutes between the third period and the three overtimes.

Junior Ali Boe makes one of her 56 spectacular saves during Saturday's wild marathon against Mercyhurst. Seniors Ashley Banfield (right) and Ali Crum pitch in around the net.

Harvard (25-6-3) keeps itself alive with the win, advancing to the Frozen Four for the third consecutive year. The Crimson will take on St. Lawrence in Durham, N.H., on Friday (March 25) at 8 p.m. for the right to play for all the marbles on Sunday (March 27), also in Durham. The weekend's other quarterfinal victors - Dartmouth and Minnesota - will open semifinal play on Friday at 5 p.m.