W. Hockey Still Searching for Offense in Loss to Huskies

Coming off a 4-1 loss to Northeastern Monday night, the Harvard women's hockey team (4-5, 1-4 ECAC) was upbeat about its chances in the home game this Saturday against Colby.

According to sophomore Kyle Walsh, the formula for success this weekend, outlined by coach Katey Stone, is simple--if the Crimson can play solid defense, goals at the other end of the rink will follow.

The emphasis on defense comes in anticipation of Colby, which Walsh said has some very talented offensive players. The emphasis also comes in the wake of the Northeastern game in which the Huskies outscored the Crimson 3-1 in the third period.

But captain Collen Malek said that her team played effectively throughout the entire game. "I don't think our play differed any in the third period at all," said Malek. "We were in it to the end."

Overall, Walsh was satisfied with her team's performance. After two periods, Northeastern--one of the best teams in all of New England--only led 1-0. Harvard also played well last Tuesday, soundly defeating Bowdoin 5-1.

"Obviously we would have like to, win but the Northeastern game is one of the games that we can be proud of," she said, citing Northeastern's talent and greater number of players.

Monday night, the Crimson only had 13 players on its roster. The Huskies had 19.

One obstacle the team has faced this year is its relative roster size in comparison with other teams. With substitutions typically occurring every minute or so, keeping the intensity in the third period is often difficult even though the team is in excellent shape, Malek said.

Another worry is that if enough players get injured, the Crimson will be so depleted that they will not be able to last the entire game.

Women's hockey is a rough sport. Even though checking is not allowed, it still happens, and injuries caused Malek and one other player to be sidelined for most of the team's games last season.

But Malek said the team's small numbers may not be such a curse. "We're a lot smaller in numbers, but we're a lot bigger in heart," she said.

And while the Crimson may have less opportunity to rest, this gives their younger players, including four freshman and five sophomores, more time on the ice to develop their games, said Malek.

Malek mentioned forward Tammy Shewchuk as one freshman who has become an important contributor to the team. Against Northeastern, the speedy Shewchuk scored the Crimson's lone goal and has scored eight of the teams' 24 goals this season.

Walsh also had nothing but praise for her teammate. "[Shewchuk] is going to have a great career. I think she'll only get better," said Walsh.

Shewchuk sees the entire team as getting better.

"Our team has made vast improvements since the beginning of the year," the forward said. "The future is looking good."

However, Shewchuk did not completely agree with Walsh that the defense is the only key to winning. Instead, she believes that the offense also has to pick up the slack.

"Our team is not having a very good time scoring," she explained.

Malek said that as Shewchuk and other players get better acquainted with their lines, better communication will result in better play by both Shewchuk and the offense as a whole.

Getting acquainted may not be a problem. Off the rink, Malek said the team is just as tight, spending time together over Thanksgiving break and having team dinners after daily practices.

"We all get along," said Malek. "My teammates are pretty much my [closest] friends," she said. N'eastern  4 Harvard  1