Women's Hockey Blows Three-Goal Lead

With its superstar line reunited, the Harvard women's hockey team appeared to have regained some of last year's championship magic.

The unit of junior winger Tammy Shewchuk, sophomore center Jen Botterill, and junior winger Angie Francisco notched two goals in the first eight minutes--four total for the game-- to give the Crimson a 4-1 lead with under 10 minutes remaining last night.

But then, Harvard's relative mediocrity and inconsistency returned. No. 4 Brown came storming back with three goals late in the third period and No. 2 Harvard (8-2-1, 6-2-1 ECAC) was left with a 4-4 tie, in a game it believed it had won.

"This was definitely a loss," Harvard Coach Katey Stone said. "[Brown] really fired it up. They got better throughout the game, and we stayed the same. If you do that, you can't win."

For the second time in her three games since returning from injury, junior goalie Crystal Springer had a rough third period. On Saturday the Crimson nearly blew a 4-0 lead to ECAC cellar-dweller Yale after giving up three third-period goals, but against the Bears (8-2-2, 7-1-2), its third period woes were costly.

"We just have to work harder and harder," Stone said. "We missed a few assignments on defense, because we were mentally lazy."

The Crimson thought it had the game wrapped up with 9:35 left in third period, when Botterill put home a beautiful wrist shot from a seemingly impossible angle that popped in and out of the far corner of the net.

With the 4-1 lead, the team was showing no ill effects from Botterill and Shewchuk's two-week hiatus with the Canadian national team.

Brown, however, dominated the rest of the third period. The Bears poured on the offense and mounted its comeback with the help of the sloppy Crimson defense.

After a few sequences where Harvard defenders got away with dangerous passes and carries in front of their own net, the Bears finally managed to capitalize.

Brown winger Kim Insalaco, holding the puck behind the Harvard net, found winger Kristy Zamora wide open on the doorstep and she one-timed it past Springer, cutting the Crimson lead to two.

"I just think that our team needs to realize that when the other team scores a goal, the game's not over." Shewchuk said.

After the second Brown goal, the Bears stepped up their play even more, and Harvard was unable to counter.

With senior defenseman Christie MacKinnon in the box for checking, Brown junior captain Tara Mounsey found the loose puck along side the Harvard net. Untouched, she slipped the puck by Springer for a power play goal at 14:06, making the score 4-3.

"Our team definitely has to work on overall defensive zone coverage," Shewchuk said.

Brown's amazing comeback was completed with 2:18 remaining in regulation as Zamora struck again.

Holding even with the goal to Springer's right, she skated across in front, beating two Crimson defenders, and then slipped the puck underneath Springer's outstretched pad.

In the play immediately following the game-tying goal, Brown forced a pile-up in front of Springer, but she held strong.

With under a minute remaining, Shewchuk had an excellent chance to win the game for the Crimson. She beat a Brown defender in front and had an open shot, but Brewer closed the five hole and denied all the following put-backs.

"You have to give her credit," Shewchuk said. "She's been one of the better goalies we've played, especially in the third period. I could have put it in that time with 18 seconds remaining, but I missed the shot."

In the five minutes of overtime, the Bears continued to dominate. Brown kept the pressure on Springer, outshooting the Crimson 6-0. The Bears best chance came when the always-dangerous Mounsey got a clear slapshot off from the blue line, but Springer managed to make the left-pad save, preserving the tie for the Crimson.

"Its just one of those things," Shewchuk said. "Sometimes, you get caught up going the other way - hopefully you'll get better."

Stone put some of the blame for the tie on Shewchuk's and Botterill's two-week departure.

"I think they're a little out of sync," Stone said. "They're not ready to go. I think they need some more time playing in a Harvard jersey."

But Shewchuk was far less critical of the departure than her coach.

"I know our line still has a lot of things to work on," Shewchuk said. "It's really nice to be back in a Harvard uniform. It's nice whenever you come back."

The top Crimson line was effective early on. Francisco, now Harvard's leading scorer, came across uncovered in front of the net, and slapped home a pass from Botterill to put the Crimson up 1-0, 3:06 into the game. Francisco scored her second goal at 7:52 in the first, when stuck a rebound off a MacKinnon shot into an open part of the net.

Late in the second period, Shewchuk scored the 100th goal of her career. After a Francisco shot, everyone on the ice except Shewchuk lost sight of the puck. Catching Brewer off-guard, she drove the shot into the open far side of the net.

"It was just sitting there for the rebound," Shewchuk said. "It was a nice one to get."

Apparently, Shewchuk used up all of her dramatic goals playing for Canada last week, as she scored the game-tying goal against the US that forced an overtime shootout which the Canadians won.

Though Harvard came away with a disappointing tie, the Crimson players remain upbeat about the future of the team.

"It's a lesson we have to learn," Shewchuk said. "But we'll do better next time. There's nothing this team can't do."