Icewomen Drop Three Over the Winter Break

After a long and dismal roadtrip, the members of the Harvard women's hockey team are among the few students glad to be back in Cambridge for January.

The Crimson (3-6-1 overall, 1-3 Ivy) dropped successive games to Dartmouth, Cornell and RIT last week, tallying a mere two goals on the trip.

The sweep began last Thursday in Hanover, N.H., as the Crimson faced Ivy rival Dartmouth. Harvard was greeted by the league's top first line--Lori Jacobs, Gretchen Ulion and Judy Parish--which accounted for five goals and seven assists in the Big Green's 6-1 drubbing.

"I was not playing at the top of my game," Crimson netminder Gillian D'Souza said. "I let a few pucks go by and the morale of the team quickly sank.

Harvard fell again Saturday in Ithaca, N.Y., but this time the signs were far more encouraging. The Crimson stayed even with the Big Red Through two periods, a team that went undefeated in league play last year. Kim Ratushny's proved to be the difference, giving Cornell the W and handing Harvard another early league loss.

"It was an outstanding hockey game and the best game we played all year," Harvard Coach John Dooley said. "We outplayed and outshot them, but couldn't finish it off against a great goalkeeper."

Cornell's Chantal Toth only allowed Kim Landry's second-period shot among Harvard's 36 to slip past her into the net. Playing with a roster of five newcomers this year, the Crimson still lacks experience to light the red and will probably have to wait for the return of injured playmaker and Co-Captain Sandra Whyte to rememdy the problem.

"Sandra is one of the best women's hockey players in the country," Dooley said. "She has been or leading scorer and will fill in the gap as a finisher. "The whole team will be uplifted by her presence on the ice."

On the heels of the Cornell loss, the Crimson dropped its second game in 24 hours, 2-0, to weak RIT squad in Rochester, N.Y. Harvard mustered only 18 shots in the effort, all of which were stopped by goalie Lisa Gilman.

"Back-to-back games on the road requires someextra maturity, which we still do not have,"Dooley said.

Harvard's players will be happy to get hockeyoff their mind in time for finals, as they haveuntil January 30's home game against Brown torecuperate and recapture the level of play in theCornell game.

"If we can keep up this intensity againstpowerhouses like Cornell, there are good signs forthe future," D'Souza said.

RIT, 2-0 in Rochester, N.Y.

HARVARD  0-0-0--0RIT  0-0-0--2

First Period No scoring. Penalties--R,Cindy Kingsley (tripping) 7:21

Second Period: 1, R, Carrie Greco (LisaGentile, Kingsley) 4:45. Penalties--H, BeverlyStickles (roughing) :59; R, Jill Connors(interference) 15:30.

Third Period: 2, R, Gentile (Greco)8:37. Penalties--H, Sue Cullinane (tripping) 1:19;R, Greco (high-sticking) 10:57; H, Jo-Anne Alissi(slashing) 10:57.

Saves: H--Gillian D'Souza 15;R--LisaGimlin 18.

Power Play: Harvard 0-2; RIT 0-2.

Attendance: 7