No. 2 W. Hockey Tops No. 1 UNH

DURHAM, N.H.--Apparently for the Harvard women's hockey team, it's no fun being No. 2.

So the defending national champs, who fell to second in the national polls after a 5-4 overtime loss to then-No. 7 Dartmouth last Friday, gave the voters a convincing argument to reclaim the No. 1 ranking.

The Crimson (4-1-0, 2-1-0 ECAC) did that by jumping all over New Hampshire (4-1-0, 2-1-0), which replaced Harvard in the top spot after last weekend, scoring three first-period goals before holding on for the 4-2 victory yesterday in front of a record regular-season crowd of 1,878 at the Whittemore Center.

"We came to play today, there's no doubt about it," Harvard Coach Katey Stone said. "We had a tremendous week of practice, and there was a big difference from last Friday."

The clincher came 8:01 into the second period on a UNH power play. Junior winger Tammy Shewchuk forced the puck out of the defensive zone, giving her linemates a two-on-one breakaway, shorthanded. Junior winger Angie Francisco walked the puck down the right wing and hit sophomore center Jen Botterill as she skated into the slot for the uncontested score.

"On the breakaway I saw their defenseman cheat toward the puck, so I went to the net," said Botterill, who had two goals and an assist. "Angie gave me a beautiful pass so I just had to put some wood on the puck and throw it in."

That gave the Crimson a comfortable 4-1 lead, which was more than enough with sophomore goaltender Alison Kuusisto holding the Wildcat offense at bay. After showing some hesitation in her first start of the season against Dartmouth, Kuusisto looked much more comfortable at UNH, relying on her glove- and stick-saves to control the tempo in her zone and limit the number of Wildcat chances.

"This was a big game, and it really forced me to zone in and watch the puck," said Kuusisto, who made 22 saves. "It gives the team confidence if they see me play big on defense, so I came at it with everything I had and tried to set the tone."

Kuusisto's biggest play came 2:25 into the second, with the Crimson leading 3-1 and killing a tripping penalty against freshman defenseman Pam Van Reesema. Wildcat senior winger Samantha Holmes, who scored both UNH goals, caught Kuusisto out of position and had a clear look at the net from the left doorstep.

But the Harvard netminder dove across the crease and Holmes was unable to lift the puck--or the rebound--over Kuusisto's stick, which formed a barricade along the goal line.

Things did not go as smoothly between the pipes for the Wildcats, however. The Crimson exploded for two goals in the first 10 minutes of the game, but neither of them was the result of the endless cycling which has become the trademark of Harvard's top forward line.

At the end of the period, UNH Coach Karen Kay pulled starting goaltender Alicia Roberts, who set a school records with 48 saves against Harvard in last season's AWCHA national championship game, in favor of freshman Jen Huggon.

"If you look at the statistics, both teams did a pretty good job tonight," Kay said. "But they buried the puck when they had their chances and we didn't, and our goaltender did not come to play. When you let in some soft goals, it affects the whole team."

Those two early scores turned out to be the difference, as Harvard outshot UNH 24-22 and won by a two-goal margin. In the final 40 minutes, Huggon allowed only one goal--Botterill's shorthanded score on the breakaway--and made 15 saves to keep her team in the game. But the damage had been done in the first period, and the Crimson gave Kuusisto enough support in the defensive zone to maintain the lead.

"The Dartmouth game showed our weaknesses in the defensive zone, because our goals will come on offense," Stone said. "We ran around defensively at times tonight, but not like last week. I was most happy with our man-down situations--you really didn't notice when UNH had the power play."

But the Wildcats had the man-advantage nine times, and the two teams combined for 17 penalties and four power-play goals, including UNH's second goal with 5:27 left in third period. Harvard's defensive coverage broke down in front of the net, allowing UNH's top two scores to work against one defender. Wildcat senior center Carisa Zaban dished to Holmes, who sent home an open shot in the slot.

The Crimson received a boost from its rookie class in the opening minutes, as Harvard's first two goals came from freshmen Kalen Ingram and Jamie Hagerman, respectively.

Ingram, who joined the time Monday after spending the fall season with the field hockey team, skated onto the ice 55 seconds into the game with the second line for a face-off in the UNH zone. Junior center Kiirsten Suurkask won the draw to Ingram, who threw a shot on goal barely one second into her collegiate career. And the puck floated past Roberts untouched.

About six minutes later, a holding penalty against UNH freshman defenseman Randi Hickox gave Harvard its first man-advantage of the game. Sophomore defenseman Angela Ruggiero swung the puck to Hagerman, her blueline partner on the Crimson power-play unit, at center point. Hagerman sent a slapper towards the net and it found its way past Roberts, thanks in part to a deflection in front by Francisco.

UNH cut the lead in half about two minutes later, playing with a five-on-three advantage. Handling the puck behind the net, Zaban fooled Kuusisto into guarding the right corner of the goal, then she sent a pass to Holmes at the left post for the available shot.

Botterill gave the Crimson a 3-1 lead heading into the first intermission. On another Crimson power play with 2:08 left in the first, Hagerman fired another slapshot from the point. The rebound bounced away from Roberts into the right circle, where Botterill gathered in the puck and sent it top-shelf for her first goal of the game.