Underneath the Record

The 1979-80 Crimson icewomen will probably not win the Second Annual Women's Beanpot tournament at Bright Hockey Center this weekend. They might not make the finals, and there's even some doubt about winning the consolation game.

But they will play good hockey and they might even outhustle their opponents. In fact, if something prevents them from relinquishing their 1979 Beanpot basement position it will be the Crimson's chronic hesitation in front of the opposing net.

During its disappointing 3-10 season, Harvard has played poorly in only a handful of games--including a 2-1 ho-hum win over a weak Wesleyan squad. If victories were determined by smooth skating, fine individual skills and coordinated teamsork, the icewomen might sit at 10-5 now.

But goals determine wins. Opponents have scored almost twice as many as the Crimson, and if you exclude a 12-2 shellacking of University of Connecticut, other teams have outscored Harvard by more than 3-1.

That gap might have been narrowed with a little more good luck. Time and again Crimson goal attempts bounced off posts and undeserving players sat in the penalty box while watching opponents score.

Failure to capitalize on scoring opportunities, more than bad luck, though, hindered the Harvard effort. The icewomen would work the puck into the corner and pass it beautifully in front of the cage--only to watch it glide across the ice because no one had been ready for the set-up.

On the defensive side, an occasional lapse in backchecking sometimes permitted a stray goal or two; and despite a very impressive first-year-on-skates performance by goalie Katie Williams, her inexperience showed when opponents caught her off guard on rebound attempts.

Those tidbits help explain the Crimson's poor won-lost record. But neither the record nor the explanations do justice to the quality of play the icewomen often displayed.

Co-captains Lauren Norton, and Firkins Reed and freshman Alex Lightfoot and Vicki Palmer led the attack. Wingers Sara Fisher and Rosemary Mahoney were as persistently aggressive as even the best players on the formidable Northeastern squad--just not as lucky in the scoring department.

So the icewomen aren't going into the first round of today's Beanpot as the favorites. But they know what underlies their poor record, and that's not poor play.

One of the players summed up this season better than a column can: "When I'm 98 and my grandchildren ask me how the winter of my sophomore year was, I'll tell them the truth: frustrating."