Lauren Norton

Between semesters, most Harvard students try to leave Cambridge to visit friends or relatives and unwind after exams. The last Saturday of intersession, co-captain Lauren Norton and the women's hockey team were outside of Cambridge, but they were on a bus bound for Ingalls Rink in New Haven, due to face off against Yale in an important Ivy League contest.

The icewomen started this season slowly, stumbling to a 2-7 record. A mid-January, 2-1 overtime defeat of Dartmouth brightened the outlook for the second half of the campaign, but it remained to be seen whether the momentum would carry over through the long, two-week exam break.

On this afternoon in New Haven, Norton took control of the play after nearly a period of listless, scoreless hockey. The first-team All-Ivy defenseman stickhandled out of her own zone, eluded a trio of Eli defenders and rifled a drive past Yale goalie Betsy Manon to give the Crimson a 1-0 lead.

She went on to score another picture-perfect redlighter, and capped her effort by assisting on Sara Fischer's gamewinner.

Inspired by the 3-2 win, the icewomen returned to respectability, reeling off a streak of five wins in six games and earning the number-four seed in this weekend's Ivy Tournament at the Bright Center.

Whether leading a rush out of the Harvard zone, killing a penalty, riding an attacker off the puck, or unleashing a boomer from the point, Norton is undoubtably the catalyst and backbone of the women's hockey team.

Her exceptional playing ability aside, the Kirkland House senior's dedication to the game in and out of uniform have earned her the squad's respect.

"Lauren's the kind of captain that makes you want to improve," said teammate Lisa Glen, "You don't want to let her down because she always gives 150%."

Norton's devotion to the game as a freshman motivated her to aid Nelia Worsley and Tania Huber in forming the women's hockey club team, which, after a year's existence, gained varsity status. 'Lots of people were talking about forming a women's team, but Lauren and a few others actually approached (men's coach) Bill Cleary about the idea," says Harvard Sports Information Director Bertagna, coached the icewomen during their first year.

Old Hat

Developing a fledgling women's hockey program was not a new experience for Norton. Her high school, Concord Academy--which had recently gone coed-- had a men's hockey program and coaches, but not enough players. Juniors Norton and Huber started a women's team which took over the men's program and now feeds the Crimson varsity with one or two skaters per year.

The road to a women's hockey team in Cambridge had a few more bumps than at Concord. Norton chuckles when she recalls the early seasons: waking up at 5 a.m. to practice at a local outdoor rink and then rushing back for lecture only to sleep through class.

"We were all crazy that year," Harvard's all-time leading goal scorer recalls. "It was so cold [playing outside] in February that the players who weren't on the ice went into the lockerroom to keep warm."

Norton was not attracted to the game through the influence of older brothers, but instead learned the game from television. She started playing because she "thought it was a great game," never questioning the validity of a woman playing a predominately male sport.

While she never doubted she would play hockey at Harvard, the Annisquam native had to decide between field hockey, lacrosse, (sports in which she lettered at Concord), and sailing, as a secondary sport.

"It was difficult to decide, but I knew collegiate sailing (which races in the fall and spring) was the best way--the only way--to keep up with the sport," she says.

Last year, Norton's sailing teammates recognized her abikity, dedication, and competitive spirit by electing her captain of the combined (men's and women's) team. Norton, the first woman ever to hold that post, has displayed her racing prowess against both men and women. With Norton as tactician ("the person who runs the show,"--coach Mike Horn) and the only woman on board, Harvard won the MacMillan Cup in Annapolis, Md., her junior year.

Illness curtailed Norton's sailing season this fall, when, according to Horn, she was racing better than ever. But Norton has been reasonably healthy for the hockey season, and the squad has definitely benefitted from her presence, winning a record number of games and emerging as a viable contender for the Ivy crown.

Despite the icewomen's two tough losses in the Beanpot; Norton thinks the Crimson can rebound in front of the home fans at the Ivies. "If everyone gets fired up, we can do it," the co-captain adds "It would give me a big charge to win."