Zevi Metal

MINNEAPOLIS--National champions. It has a nice ring to it. And so does the AWCHA trophy, if you can manage to break through the glass trophy case at Bright Hockey Center and beat the shiny new hardware like a brass drum.

Okay, I have to admit that the trophy is mostly wood. But there is a little metal on the exterior--a Zevi Metal.

Why did I change the column name from Gut Check to Zevi Metal? Well, it was really because of nagging suggestions from my editors, my blocking mates, and even my father 3,000 miles away. But I like to think of it as a new column for a new era in Harvard women's hockey.

And now I'll call that era what we've all been thinking for the last four months. It's potentially the beginning of a dynasty.

Sure, with the graduation of Kazmaier Award winner A.J. Mleczko in June, Harvard will lose the most irreplaceable player in the country.

Mleczko proved the value of her presence on the ice in the final 28:01 of her career in the championship game. A separated shoulder and torn shoulder muscles prevented the best faceoff center in the nation from taking any draws down the stretch in the closest game of the season, and she could not wind up on her powerful slapshot. But the co-captain directed the Crimson defense that shut down the Wildcat power play three times in the third period and overtime. She willed her team to victory by walking into the crease and setting up the game-winning goal for freshman winger Jen Botterill.

It was a brilliant play between the ECAC Player of the Year and the ECAC Rookie of the Year, and in a way it was a passing of the torch. With her versatility as a skater, stickhandler, scorer and defender, Botterill's game may resemble Mleczko's more than anyone else on the squad, and the former Canadian Olympian might replace the former U.S. Olympian as the first-line center next season.

If that were to happen, Harvard would hardly be missing a beat. Although Mleczko blew every women's single-season scoring record out of the water--or should I say ice--in 1998-99 with 37 goals and 77 assists, Botterill was not far behind. She managed 37 goals and 51 helpers of her own, and did so in six fewer games than Mleczko. And when the senior was unable to play center in crunch time in the championship game, she swapped positions with her freshman linemate.

Of course, Botterill is one of many candidates to succeed Mleczko next season.

There is sophomore winger Tammy Shewchuk, who led the nation in goals with 51 and finished second to Mleczko with 54 assists. Even if Shewchuk never becomes a playmaker of Mleczko's caliber, she will be a major asset on Harvard's top line for two more seasons.

Another contender will be sophomore Angie Francisco, who has been an outstanding center for two years. She did not dominate opponents like her teammates on the top line, but Francisco--who set Harvard's single-season scoring record with 57 points last year before four players passed that mark in 1998-99--quietly finished ninth in the nation with 51 points this year. Her hat trick in the championship game showed that she can score from the crease as well as create opportunities for her teammates.

And then there are Francisco's two linemates, sophomores Kiirsten Suurkask and Tara Dunn, both of whom can play center and wing. Although they did not get a chance to pad their stats on the nation's best power-play unit, they both displayed excellent passing and stickhandling skills and should not have a problem assuming more responsibilities in the offensive zone next season.

In sum, Harvard's offense will be fine in 1999-2000, even if Coach Katey Stone does not recruit a talented Class of 2003--and that's highly unlikely. In addition to Mleczko, the only forwards Stone will lose who saw the ice in the postseason are Jen Gerometta and Kyle Walsh. Gerometta and Walsh were both hard-working skaters, but almost all of the scoring came from Mleczko and the five underclassmen.

Moreover, there was one other dominant scorer on the team, only she was not a forward. Freshman Angela Ruggiero led all defensemen in the nation with 21 goals and 40 assists and is without a doubt one of the most imposing presences in women's hockey. Her speed and strength make her a threat in the defensive zone, on the breakaway and from the blue line. Ruggiero is so good at preventing two-on-one breakaways from developing into shots on goal that it's almost unfair to give her a linemate.

Of course, almost all of her linemates will be back next season. The only defenseman who will graduate in June is co-captain Claudia Asano, who kept up the intensity whenever it appeared Harvard's defensive zone coverage was about to go into one of its frustrating lapses. Asano's leadership and competitiveness will be a huge loss, but with juniors Courtney Smith and Christie MacKinnon and sophomore Julie Rando all ready to help out Ruggiero, Harvard's defense will be in good shape.

In between the pipes, the only question mark is health. Junior goaltender Crystal Springer had a solid year with a 1.61 GAA, but only when she was not nursing a collarbone that she broke twice this year. Fortunately for the Crimson. rookie Alison Kuusisto went 10-0 in games for which Springer was unavailable, including the national championship. With its top two netminders back, Harvard will be an experienced team ready for big games against nationally ranked opponents next year.

Keep this in mind: of all the underclassmen I mentioned, only three of them are current juniors. That means the core of Harvard's team, especially its offense, will remain intact for two more seasons. If the Crimson can learn to play without Mleczko--and we should expect that to happen early next season--the rest of the ECAC will be fighting for second place in both 2000 and 2001.