W. Hockey Faces Major Grudge Match at Dartmouth

The first time it happened, the date was November 18, 1999.

On that day, Dartmouth ended the Harvard women's hockey team's 33-game winning-streak, spoiling its home opener on the night the 1998-1999 championship banner was raised to the rafters of the Bright Hockey Center.

A few months later, in March, it would happen for the third time, this time in the ECAC tournament. A month before, the Big Green had defeated the Crimson in Hanover, its second win over Harvard during the season.

The Crimson needed to defeat the Big Green in their ECAC semifinal match-up to advance to the tournament finals in hope of securing a bid for the AWCHA national championship tournament, but this was not to be.

Harvard fell in overtime, 3-2.

So not once, or twice, but three times in the same season the Big Green had overcome the Crimson. At this point, the rivalry was clear.

The rivalry will be renewed at 2 p.m on Saturday at Hanover when No. 5 Harvard (2-2, 2-0 ECAC) faces off against No. 1 Dartmouth (5-0, 5-0 ECAC). The Crimson will be looking to regain its status as the team to beat in the ECAC.

"We didn't do what we needed to do [last season]," Crimson senior defenseman Julie Rando said. "We left it in the hands of others and it didn't go our way."

The third loss to Dartmouth cost Harvard a lot more than just the tournament title, since a few days later it was not invited to defend its title at the AWCHA national tournament. Dartmouth and Minnesota were picked instead.

To add insult to injury, several of the Dartmouth players criticized the Crimson after the ECAC semifinal.

" I think we've proven we are a better team than Harvard," junior winger Carrie Sekela said. "We have more depth and a better goalie. We know they're a one-line team."

Dartmouth goalie Amy Ferguson was equally critical of then Crimson sophomore defenseman Angela Ruggiero, who tried to score the game-winning goal for the Crimson in overtime.

"I knew she was going high glove on me," Ferguson said. "She's the kind of player that needs to beat you with a pretty goal."

Botterill was not impressed when she heard of the Ferguson's comments.

"It's disappointing when other players don't respect you," Botterill said. "We'll just have to get the job done on the ice."

Senior forward Tammy Shewchuk laughed when she heard those same comments.

"We had that same experience with Northeastern the year of our championship. They said it was a fluke. It wasn't very wise of them," Shewchuk said. "What Dartmouth said wasn't very sportsmanlike and they'll see this year we're just as good as they are."

With the 2000 season underway, the focus now shifts to the bad blood between these two teams.

"This year I expect it will be blood, sweat, and tears," Ferguson said.

With all its key starters returning, the Big Green seeks to improve on its success of last season.

With tough defenders like junior Correne Bredin and senior Liz Macri, speedy forwards like Carly Haggard, Kristina Guarino, Jennifer Weihn and Lauren Trottier, and a good goaltender in Ferguson, Dartmouth has started the season on a five-game winning streak, all of the victories coming in the ECAC.

"Dartmouth has a good team with a lot of talent," Shewchuk said. "Even though they have no superstars, they are hard workers and are very well coached."

The Big Green plays an aggressive defensive style, employing strength, power, and many versatile lines to control the tempo.

"Last year, when we defeated the Crimson, the team played as a unit. Everyone worked together: first, second, third, and fourth lines," Ferguson said. "Our team depth, I feel, is what won the past series."

The Crimson on the other hand, depends on tremendous speed and skating to dictate the pace.

"I feel we just didn't get the bounces," Shewchuk said. "They play a very strong physical game and we're a skating team that relies on speed, so they managed to bottle us up."

Throughout the first four games of the season, Harvard's speed has been severely limited, since Shewchuk and Botterill were playing for gold medal-winning Team Canada at the Four Nations Cup. However, both players will make their season debuts against Dartmouth. The return of the league's two most prolific scorers will place extra pressure on Ferguson.

Ferguson, the Big Green's last line of defense, played well against the Crimson last season and made the big saves when called upon.

"I am excited to play them and want to keep the ball rolling from last year," Ferguson said. "I feel an added incentive when facing the Crimson and I want to continue my record against them."

Another important contributor in the Big Green sweep was Haggard. After a solid rookie season, she currently leads the team in scoring with three goals and three assists in five games. "We expect Harvard to be our toughest opponent this year," Haggard said. "But if we play our own game like we did last year, we will come out on top again."

The Crimson feels it has a lot to prove, especially against the Big Green.

"They're good, but we're just as good as they are," Shewchuk said.

Shewchuk, the conference's leading scorer last season, Botterill, last year's ECAC player of the year, and co-captain Angie Francisco provide the Crimson with tremendous scoring power.

"I think one of the best things we did last year was contain their first line," Haggard said. "If you take out Shewchuk and Botterill, it's a much easier team to play against."

In the absence of Shewchuk and Botterill, senior forwards Tara Dunn and Kiirsten Suurkask, along with Francisco, have spearheaded the Harvard attack.

Dunn recorded a hat-trick last Friday against Niagara, and has four points in the young season. Suurkask tallied both goals in the Crimson's 2-1 victory over Niagara last Saturday and has three goals and one assist so far this year. Francisco has recorded three assists and one goal, and is tied with Dunn and Suurkask for the team lead in points with four.

"We will have a lot of extra motivation when we face them," Botterill said. "Our motivation and energy will provide a change from last year."

If the Crimson is to defeat the Big Green on its home ice, Kuusisto and sophomore defenseman Jamie Hagerman must lead the defense and stop a Dartmouth attack that has tallied 24 goals in five games. Kuusisto has posted a 2.34 goals-against-average in three games this season.

"We have more size and depth this year and are excited to play them," Shewchuk said. "We have a lot to prove to ourselves and the league."

It is only fitting that the Big Green and Crimson will renew their rivalry in a weekend of rivalries. The night before the puck drops in Hanover, the men's hockey team faces Cornell in Ithaca. A few hours before the puck drops in Hanover, The Game is set to begin.

Buckle your seatbelts.