W. Hockey Begins Life After Ruggiero Ranked No. 5

As the last leaves fall in Harvard Yard and the hint of a winter's chill creeps into Bright Hockey Center, the Harvard women's hockey team can't wait to start a new season. And that's just what 2000-01 will be at Bright--brand-new.

Gone are the expectations from the 1999-2000 season, when Harvard was the defending national champion and everyone's favorite to repeat. Gone is the sense newness present 1998-99, when four players returned to Cambridge with international experience and jelled into a 33-1 juggernaut.

What's left this season are 14 returning players and three recruits, but don't chalk this off as a rebuilding year. Coming off a 21-5-3 record in the 1999-2000 season, Harvard still has some of the best scorers in the country and was ranked No. 5 in the latest USCHO.com poll.

"We have a small quality group of people that will go to battle every game and we'll never make any excuses," said Harvard Coach Katey Stone. "It's going to be a thrill a minute because nobody's going to know what's going to happen next."

In the off-season, the Crimson was hurt in late August when Angela Ruggiero decided to join the U.S. National Team to begin training for the 2002 Olympics. Ruggiero, by far the best defenseman in the country for the past two years, won a gold medal with Team USA at Nagano in 1998.

"We all realize this is an opportunity that she is fortunate to have," said junior co-captain Jennifer Botterill of Ruggiero, her former roommate. "But she is a great friend and teammate and we would have loved to have her back."

But this makes things rough for the Harvard defense, which was thin even with Ruggiero on the roster. Without Ruggiero to handle the puck at the blueline, the Crimson has just four returning defensemen, and no rookie blueliners.

To make matters worse, Harvard's defense has not been able to practice at full strength in the preseason. That's because sophomore Jamie Hagerman (4 goals, 11 assists) and senior Julie Rando (0 g, 3 a), the team's two most experienced defenders, have been hampered with a torn ACL and a sprained MCL, respectively. Stone is not yet sure whether either of them will be able to play in the season opener against No. 6 Wisconsin November 4th.

With only senior Jamie Notman (1 g, 2 a) and sophomore Pam Van Reesema (0 g, 2 a) available on defense, the Crimson will have to play some of its forwards on the blueline. Stone said Botterill and seniors Tammy Shewchuk, Kiirsten Suurkask, and Tara Dunn have been practicing at both forward and defense in the preseason.

"We don't have as many defensemen as in the past," Botterill said. "So it's good to have some people in backup positions. I am hoping to become a better overall player so I can help the team on defense as needed."

Botterill frequently moved to the blueline last year in special-teams situations, and Shewchuk took shifts as a defenseman her freshman year. The key to playing both the front and back lines will be adjusting to the different approaches of each position.

"The only difference between forward and defense is that you skate backwards a little more," Shewchuk said. "You have to play defense in every zone anyway. I like to think of myself as an offensive threat, but now I also have to think of myself as a defensive threat."

The Harvard roster is still full of offensive threats, not the least of which is Shewchuk (34 g, 40 a), who led the ECAC in scoring last season despite playing in just 25 games. Harvard's other high-scoring winger is sophomore Kalen Ingram (11 g, 19 a), who joined Hagerman on the ECAC All-Rookie Team last year.

The Crimson offense will also benefit from co-captains Botterill and Angie Francisco, who have very different skills but efficiently get the job done around the net.

Botterill (31 g, 31 a), the ECAC Player of the Year last season, is the most versatile player in the country--she can stick-handle and dish and shoot from anywhere in the offensive zone. Francisco (14 g, 36 a), who finished sixth in the league in scoring last year, is incredibly aggressive around the crease and will find a way to tip the puck and light the lamp.

"What makes us go on offense is our freedom to be creative," Botterill said. "We have fast forwards who are good skaters, and that allows us to do different things to create scoring opportunities."

But the offense will sorely miss Ruggiero (21 g, 33 a), the nation's highest-scoring defenseman for the past two seasons. Ruggiero had a bullet for a slapshot from the blueline and she could take the puck on defense and skate through traffic to score unassisted.

Suurkask (6 g, 11a) and Dunn (7 g, 9 a), who have worked well together on the second line for three years but have not yet emerged as go-to scorers, will be expected to increase their offensive production in Ruggiero's absence. Sophomore Tracy Catlin (5 g, 3 a) and newcomers Mina Pell and Lauren McAuliffe will also see plenty of shifts with a small roster.

Stone said she probably won't keep consistent lines throughout the course of the season or even individual games. Instead, she expects Botterill, Ingram and the seniors to play several positions and do a lot of double-shifting to maximize their scoring opportunities.

"We're going to do what we have to to have our best players on the ice," Stone said. "We have plenty of attackers and so much firepower on offense, especially on the power-play. Everyone has to realize that they will just have to go out there and do the best they can for as long as they can if we are going to be successful."

Excessive double-shifting means Harvard players will be more tired than teams that can play three lines for three periods. But the Crimson is ready for the challenge.

"We are getting into great shape in practice," Botterill said. "Having a small team helps team chemistry because we're all focused and we know everyone is going to have to contribute."

Of course, the undermanned Crimson will need plenty of help from its goaltenders as its last line of defense. Junior Alison Kuusisto, who started between the pipes when Harvard beat New Hampshire in the 1998-99 national championship game, is the only experienced netminder on the squad. As the backup to Crystal Springer last season, Kuusisto played in nine games, posting a 2.58 goals-against average and a .888 save percentage.

"I know I'll have a different role this year and I'm pumped up," Kuusisto said. "I'm excited about our potential as a team, but as a goalie I can only prepare because there are just no guarantees."

Kuusisto's main competition for time in the crease is freshman Jessica Ruddock, who is currently recovering from a knee injury. Another freshman, walk-on Emily Stein, is also a netminder. Stone said the starting goaltender will be a game-time decision most nights during the season.

"The beginning of the season might be rocky," said Stone in reference to Ruddock's injury. "We don't want to throw kids in too early but we'd like to start building momentum for the playoffs by December."

With most teams in the ECAC, other than Dartmouth, struggling to replace players lost to graduation and to the U.S. National Team, Harvard still has a great shot not only to reach the playoffs but to advance. However, the Crimson can't merely rely on superior talent to win games anymore. Expect a lot of very competitive games this year.

Just how competitive will those games be? We'll start to find out November 4th when Harvard drops the puck against No. 6 Wisconsin in the season opener.