W. Hockey Beats UNH in OT For Championship

MINNEAPOLIS--In 1989 a Harvard hockey team flew into the Twin Cities for the Frozen Four, relied on the services of a part-time freshman goaltender in the championship game and emerged victorious in overtime. That was the first championship for the men's program, which is still looking for its second national title.

Ten years later, the women's hockey team claimed its first national championship under uncannily similar circumstances when it beat defending national champion New Hampshire, 6-5 in overtime, Mar. 27 at the University of Minnesota's Mariucci Arena, thanks to freshman Jen Botterill's game-winner.

"We have unbelievable team chemistry and it really pulled us through close games like this one," said freshman Alison Kuusisto, who stepped in after junior Crystal Springer broke her collarbone the night before and repeated the performance of netminder Chuckie Hughes '92 by guiding the Crimson to a title as a rookie. "I was really lucky to be on a team like this, and this season has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience."

But the best experience of all was the dramatic championship game between the top two teams in the country. In a game that saw five ties and five lead changes, the fourth battle of the season between the No. 1 seed Crimson (33-1-0, 24-1-1 ECAC) and the No. 2 seed Wildcats (23-7-5, 19-4-3) was even more dramatic than the ECAC championship game, which Harvard had pulled out 5-4 in overtime six days earlier.

Harvard advanced to the American Women's College Hockey Alliance National Championship game by defeating No. 4 seed Brown (20-7-4, 19-4-3) in Friday's semifinals in a game that was not as close as the 5-3 score indicated.

The two victories extended the Harvard's nation-best winning streak to 30 games and completed a clean championship sweep for Harvard. In addition to the national title, the 1998-99 Crimson also won the Beanpot, Ivy League and ECAC crowns.

HARVARD 6, UNH 5 (OT)

After relying on several unexpected heroes to force overtime in the most competitive college hockey game of the season, Harvard turned to its vaunted top line of co-captain A.J. Mleczko, sophomore winger Tammy Shewchuk and freshman winger Botterill--which became the first threesome in college hockey history to combine for more than 300 points in one season--to come through in the extra period.

And to nobody's surprise, Botterill, the ECAC and Ivy League Rookie of the

Year, tallied her eighth game-winning goal of the season 8:01 into the overtime.

She accepted a pass from Mleczko in the right post and slammed it high past UNH junior goaltender Alicia Roberts--who had set a school single-game record with 48 saves to keep the Wildcats in the game--into the far corner of the net.

"It was a blur," the AWCHA Tournament MVP said of the most memorable goal in Harvard women's hockey history. "I just remember A.J. coming in with the puck towards the net and she put it across the crease. It was a great pass and I looked over and saw Roberts sliding across the crease so all I had to do was get a stick on it. I took the puck and put it up over the top of Roberts."

Mleczko ended the most successful season of her remarkable career in typical fashion--with the title-winning assist. With her heads-up pass to Botterill, the Patty Kazmaier Award winner recorded her 77th helper of the year, 26 more than her closest competitor, Shewchuk.

"I knew that we had to move the goaltender and I saw Jen across the crease, so I sent the puck over to her" said Mleczko, the ECAC and Ivy League Player of the Year.

"Thank God she sent it home."

That feat was even more gutsy because she had separated her shoulder and torn shoulder muscles after crashing into the boards with 30 seconds left in the second period. She was unable to take faceoffs afterward. Mleczko had taken 43 draws in the first two periods and won 29 of them.

She was also unable to unwind on her patented slapshot for the final 28:01 of her collegiate career, but that did not keep her off the ice when her team needed her most.

But the game-winner is where all characteristics of a typically hard-fought Harvard victory end. The officials provided several scary moments for Harvard, but Crimson skaters who had been relegated to the status of role player all year long stepped up in the clutch and showed that Harvard was not just a four-player team.

The most dangerous--and probably surprising--play of the season came 1:40 into the extra period, when sophomore winger Angie Francisco was called for high sticking. It was her third penalty in the final 30 minutes of the game and gave the UNH power play a chance to win the championship. The overtime penalty was the 12th of the game and the culmination of a heated, physical contest.

"It was the two best power play percentages in the nation going against each other," said Francisco, who more than redeemed herself with a championship game hat trick that earned her a spot on the AWCHA All-Tournament Team. "If you had told me that we would commit seven penalties against their power play then I would have said our chances weren't that great."

And things looked grim for the Crimson when Francisco entered the penalty box for the last time of the season. The two most productive offenses in the nation had capitalized for six goals on the man advantage during regulation, and the UNH power-play unit had scored on the first two Harvard penalties of the game. But the Crimson man-down unit of freshman defenseman Angela Ruggiero, Mleczko, Shewchuk and Botterill settled down after that, and Kuusisto made her biggest contribution during the overtime penalty kill, when she made four of her 28 saves.

"I knew I would have to stop the puck and I just told myself to stay focused," said Kuusisto of the two most stressful minutes of her young career. "I had to stay mentally tough and keep my head in the game. I just wanted to cover the puck and not give them any rebounds, because I knew my teammates would help me out on the faceoffs."

Kuusisto made her first postseason start of the season in place of hard-luck Springer, who broke her collarbone for the second time in 10 weeks with 3:04 left in the semifinal victory over Brown. Fortunately for her teammates, Springer's earlier injury had given the rookie valuable big-game experience over a nine-game stretch during which Harvard clinched the ECAC regular season title.

Kuusisto--who wears No. 30--gave the Crimson its 30th consecutive win and raised her perfect career record to 11-0.

"It was pretty emotional and really unexpected when Crystal got hurt," Kuusisto said. "But going through the same thing earlier in the year really helped and I just had to get my head ready and pick up where I left off in the regular season."

Kuusisto was not the only player that rose to the occasion for Harvard.

Minutes after the Crimson killed the overtime penalty, it appeared as if the second-line tandem of sophomore forwards Angie Francisco and Kiirsten

Suurkask--the team's leading scorers last year before the arrival of this year's top line and standout freshman defenseman Angela Ruggiero--had the game in the bag about five minutes into the extra period when the classmates raced down the wings with only one Wildcat defender back.

Fighting off the desperate UNH defenseman, Francisco nudged the puck expertly to Suurkask in the slot and the 1997-98 Ivy League Rookie of the Year backhanded the puck beyond Roberts' outstretched glove, only to watch in vain as her best shot of the season clanged off the post. The groan from the Harvard fans was audible as the sophomore standouts struggled to control the rebound.

"Our line was putting together some good plays and unfortunately we couldn't pull it out," Francisco said. "We had a two-on-one and Kiirsten backhanded the puck but it spitted out and my hands were tied up. I was disappointed that I couldn't get my stick on it, but I don't care about that now."

But Francisco was dominant in the third period, when she scored twice within a span of 2:04 to give Harvard what appeared to be a commanding 5-3 lead. She completed the hat trick with 6:49 left in regulation with a trademark put-back of a rebound in the crease. She mastered that craft while playing on Harvard's explosive power-play unit--except that this time the Crimson was not on the man advantage.

But that didn't stop Francisco, who set the single-season scoring record at 57 points last season, although all four of her power-play linemates easily passed that mark in 1998-99. She fought for position in the crease as she let her teammates set up the offense with expert passing. Suurkask took the puck in the corner and immediately swung it to junior defenseman Christie MacKinnon, a hard worker on defense not known for her offense. MacKinnon walked into the right circle and unveiled a hard slapshot UNH might not have been expecting.

Francisco won the battle for the puck in the crease and knocked it past Roberts.

A hooking penalty against UNH junior defenseman Kerry Maher with 10:38 left in regulation had given Harvard the man-advantage its first opportunity of the final period. Ruggiero took a pass from Mleczko and fired a slapshot from center point. Roberts made the initial stop, but the force of Ruggiero's slapper sent the puck bounding into the slot, where Francisco sent it top-shelf past Roberts for the 4-3 lead.

The Wildcats narrowed the deficit to 5-4 with 5:19 left in regulation when junior center Carisa Zaban went top-shelf against Kuusisto with help from classmate Tina Carrabba. UNH knotted the score at 5-5 2:41 later when junior winger Samantha Holmes slipped the puck under Kuusisto's glove after rebounding a shot by classmate Melissa McKenzie. The Crimson's first goal of the period came after a checking penalty against Maher at 2:49 of the third. Ten seconds later, Francisco sent the puck from behind the goal to Shewchuk skating into the slot. The nation's leading goal scorer sent the puck into the far corner of the net to give Harvard the lead at 3-2.

The Wildcats tied the game exactly a minute later when Holmes skated down the right wing untouched. Kuusisto rejected Holmes' shot from the crease, but McKenzie was waiting in the left post to put back the rebound.

With the score even at 3-3, Harvard's forechecking and defensive zone coverage came to life. The Crimson penalty-kill unit allowed just one shot on goal in the third period after penalties against sophomore forwards Tara Dunn and Francisco for slashing and elbowing.

Although Harvard made UNH play catch-up in the third period, the Crimson was trailing before it tied the game at 2-2 11:13 into the second on yet another power-play goal. Mleczko swung the puck to Ruggiero, who faked a slapper and found Shewchuk in the left circle. Shewchuk sent a shot into the crease, and Francisco deflected the puck past Roberts.

Then Ruggiero almost single-handedly shut down the UNH offense, and Harvard's vaunted top line began to dominate the action as the Crimson outshot the Wildcats, 20-6, in the second. Harvard even managed a few shorthanded shots after a roughing penalty against Francisco. It was a stark contrast from the first period, when UNH's power-play unit scored twice.

The opening period saw five penalties, and all three goals were scored on the power play. Harvard struck first on the man advantage when a sharp slapshot from Ruggiero at center point sailed past Roberts.

But UNH took control of the puck in the after the first 10 minutes and claimed the lead with two power-play goals of its own. Senior defenseman Nicki Luongo found the back of the net on a slapshot at 9:57 of the first and Heitzman lit the lamp four minutes later.

Harvard 5, Brown 3

The usual suspects led the way in the semifinals against Brown as Harvard cruised to a 5-3 victory that looked routine until Springer's broken

collarbone gave the Crimson a scare with 3:04 left in a game that was already over.

The most productive duo turned out to be Botterill and Mleczko. The tandem gave Harvard the lead for good at 17:02 of the second on its most convincing goal of the game.

Brown won a faceoff, but Botterill stole the puck in the offensive zone and fed Mleczko in the slot. That set up an uncontested breakaway for the Crimson duo, and Mleczko drew Brown junior goaltender Ali Brewer to her side before dishing to Botterill at the right doorstep for her third goal of the night.

"Jen is a clutch player, and she really used her speed well on the large ice surface tonight," Mleczko said. "Our line was making tape-to-tape passes, and Botterill was able to beat Brewer to the net on plays she can usually stop."

With her fourth hat trick of the season in the bag, Botterill assumed the role of playmaker to give Harvard an insurance goal. Thirteen seconds into the Crimson's second power play of the game, Botterill won the puck in the right circle and poked it to Francisco in the post, who sent it through Brewer's

five-hole to give Harvard an insurance goal and 4-2 lead just before the second period ended.

"Part of our role on the first line is to score, but we know we can count on our teammates to help us out," Botterill said. "We were clicking offensively and making some great passes, and it felt great to be on the ice playing for a spot in the championship game."

Harvard put the game out of reach 2:46 into the third as its top line continued to demonstrate its offensive prowess. Skating into the right corner, Shewchuk whipped the puck to Botterill behind the net, who hit Mleczko in front of the goal for the score and a 5-2 lead.

After Botterill's second goal, the Bears had fought back to tie the game at 2-2 at 14:11 of the second. Freshman winger Emily Sigman won a loose puck directly behind the Crimson goal, walked into the post and shoveled the puck under the gloves of both junior goaltender Crystal Springer and junior defenseman Courtney Smith, who was trying to help out in the crease.

Brown's first goal came 6:50 into the second after when the Bears set up after junior winger Jordan Jiskra--the team's leading scorer--narrowly missed on a shot from the slot. Brown junior defenseman Tamra Jones then swung the puck to First-Team All-ECAC linemate Tara Mounsey. From the blue line, the former U.S. Olympian sent a one-timer past Springer.

The Crimson reclaimed the lead 54 seconds later when Botterill fed Mleczko in the left corner. The national player of the year finessed her way past several defenders and around the net, where she found Botterill cutting into the crease for the hattrick score.

Brown added a desperation goal with 5:37 left in the contest.

Harvard grabbed the early lead 9:11 into the game when Botterill exploded through three Brown defenders and found herself alone in front of Brewer. Botterill reversed the puck on her stick to pull the Bear netminder out of the crease before sending an uncontested shot into the net.