A familiar school is the last unbeaten in women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ECACHL play, yet winning in an unfamiliar way. <\/p>\n
![\"logos\/hu.gif\"](\"http:\/\/www.uscho.com\/images\/logos\/hu.gif\")
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Harvard\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s 5-1 triumph over St. Lawrence over Thanksgiving weekend left the Crimson 6-0 in league play for the first time since the 2002-03 season. However reminiscent the current success may be of the past, this Harvard team is unlike any before in the spread of scoring and speed throughout the roster this early in the season.<\/p>\n
Much like Crimson teams of the recent past, Harvard in its first two weeks relied heavily on the power play which scored 9 of the team\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s 11 goals. But in this weekend\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s 5-0 win over No. 10 Clarkson and 5-1 win over No. 3 St. Lawrence, Harvard scored 7 of 10 at even strength.<\/p>\n
Prior to Saturday, Harvard had not scored four even-strength goals or received goals from five different players against a nationally-ranked opponent since a 6-1 win over the Saints in the 2004 ECAC championship game. Saturday\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s win was also notable in that the Crimson received even-strength goals from all three lines. <\/p>\n
The Crimson\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s success is a tribute to its improved team speed. The even strength goals were mostly swift conversions in transition, not battles for rebounds or scrums in front of the net. Harvard tri-captain Caitlin Cahow says this is the fastest Harvard team she has played on.<\/p>\n
“We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve had speed in the past but we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re really using it this time, and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s something that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s changing,” Cahow said. “We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re really forcing everyone to make tough decisions and using everyone on the ice to be offensive, so it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s really a great balance this year of offense and defense working together and everyone playing a role in every zone.”<\/p>\n
Harvard\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s speed helped prevent St. Lawrence from making a dent in the Crimson offensive end for most of the game. Harvard outshot the Saints in every period. The four-minute stretch in the second period between Harvard\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s third goal and Saints first was one of the few times St. Lawrence sustained consistent pressure in the Crimson end.<\/p>\n
“They came after us and made us pay for our mistakes,” Flanagan said. “Harvard had a lot of energy and really worked hard and forced us into a lot of mistakes, so I give them a lot of credit. They always played hard and you can tell they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re highly motivated.”<\/p>\n
The Crimson\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fresh faces are one source of speed. Four Crimson freshmen forwards and one defenseman have seen plenty of ice. Sophomore Anna McDonald, a transfer from Boston College, netted the first goal against the Saints by deflecting in a feed in transition from linemate Sarah Wilson. Freshman Kate Buesser tallied a critical insurance goal for a 4-1 lead in the third.<\/p>\n
“We have a really neat freshman class, and a transfer sophomore who has added a lot right off the bat, so we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got a lot of personality,” said Harvard coach Katey Stone.<\/p>\n
The players who have developed through the Harvard program are gaining in quickness as well. Cahow gave credit to Dan Perlmutter, assistant director of strength and conditioning coach, for building the team\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fitness, strength, and power since his arrival during her sophomore year.<\/p>\n
Just having speed is not enough, however. Harvard made major strides in using its speed well this past weekend.<\/p>\n
“It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one thing to have speed, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s another thing to know how to use it, and young kids don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t always know how to use it,” said Harvard coach Katey Stone. “That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a lot of what we talk about right now — putting the puck and themselves in places where they can use their speed.”<\/p>\n
Making such smart decisions is most critical in the defensive end, and Harvard struggled there early on. The Crimson penalty kill ranked among the nation\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s worst after the Crimson\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s first weekend. Since then the team is 18-for-18. When the Crimson defense has lapsed, sophomore goalie Christina Kessler has picked up the slack, allowing five goals in her first six games with a nation-leading .960 save percentage.<\/p>\n
“As a defenseman, we evolve a bit later than most — it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a technical, thinking game from the defensive end,” Cahow said. “Over time, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve gotten comfortable at the defensive position and also found a way to fit my offensive game into that role. You can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t do too much in college hockey any more — you really have to be a consistent player in every end. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s really about moving the puck as well as can and seeing the ice and making my teammates look good.”<\/p>\n
While this Harvard team is unique in how the quickness permeates through the roster, it still shares many characteristics with Crimson teams of the past. One constant is the recruiting and coaching philosophies from Stone at the top.<\/p>\n
“I think this is the best place to play college hockey if you want a first-class education and a first-class hockey experience,” Stone said. “Kids that shy away from that challenge are probably not that the right kids for us. Every kid in our program earns their stripes, and they earn their playing time — it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not going to be handed to them on a silver platter. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re very clear about that in recruiting, that they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to come in and work their tails off and good things will happen for them, but they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to part of something bigger than themselves. In today\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s world, some kids are ready for that, and some kids are not.”<\/p>\n
Though Stone\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s coaching philosophy may not be popular with every parent or athlete, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hard to argue with its results. Dating back to the school\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s national championship season of 1998-99, Harvard\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s achievements include a 229-62-16 overall record, five straight NCAA tournament appearances from 2003-07, three straight NCAA final games from 2003-05, and three straight ECACHL titles from 2004-06. This Crimson team looks poised to add to those achievements — but in its own way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Being the last undefeated team in the ECACHL women’s standings is nothing new for Harvard, but this Crimson edition is unique in its speed and balance. David De Remer reports.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":140328,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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