Icewomen Brace For Wildcats

Imagine the following scenario, if you can.

The Harvard men's basketball team starts its season on the road at Duke, then gets a "breather" at Connecticut, followed by a trip to Indiana and Kansas. A sure 0-4 start, right?

Well, a similar killer opening schedule has been put together to challenge Harvard's women hockey team, and so far, it has passed the test with flying colors. Tonight in Snively Arena, the Crimson (1-2) faces the last hurdle of its trip to hockey hell, against a Hades-esque New Hampshire.

With a nucleus of four U.S. national team members, led by center Karyn Bye, the Wildcats can skate with any team in the Northeast.

But Harvard Coach John Dooley still feels confident about the Crimson's chances. In fact, in a very Joe Namath-like prediction, he said, "I know we are going to give them a good game."

Harvard has performed admirably against the first three juggernauts on its schedule. An opening 6-0 loss to Providence, a team Dooley calls "the best in the country," provided a much-needed learning (not to mention humbling) experience for his seven freshmen.

And over Thanksgiving, the Crimson journeyed into Canada, coming out of the Great White North with a 5-3 win over McGill and a hard-fought 2-0 loss to St. Laurent.

Dooley feels the trip was a necessary contribution to Harvard's evolving chemistry. "It was a fantastic trip," the coach said. "We got much more out of it than I ever expected. And without it, I'm not sure we would be ready for a team like UNH."

Sophmore Erin Villiotte had a 25-save performance to cap a tough defensive performance against St. Laurent, while Kim Landey had two tip-in goals in the Crimson's most concerted offensive effort to date, the loss to McGill.

It might take a little luck to beat Erin Whiten, New Hampshire's experienced netminder, and the Wildcats' strong defense, especially for a Crimson squad that has been shut out in two of its first three games. But even so, Dooley remains upbeat about what is, in essence, a rebuilding year for the young Crimson. "I see a lot of young players starting to develop a better sense of the game and a better understanding of each other," Dooley said. "We're much more prepared to take on a team of UNH's caliber."