No. 2 W. Hockey Travels to No. 5 Minnesota-Duluth

Duluth, Minn., is not the place to go in late December if you're interested in coming back from winter break with a tan. The forecast for Duluth this weekend is between ten and 30 degrees, with snow showers all but guaranteed.

But Duluth is exactly where the Harvard women's hockey team is headed this weekend, and the players don't seem to mind one bit. The No. 2 Crimson (8-3-0, 8-1-0 ECAC) will play a pair of games at No. 5 Minnesota-Duluth (11-4-1, 7-4-1 WCHA) on Saturday and Sunday in its last non-conference series of the regular season.

Last weekend Harvard was idle as travel partner Brown hosted Niagara for two games. After a week of rest, the high-scoring Bulldogs are exactly the opponent the Crimson wants to play.

"We got to relax last weekend and, since coming back to practice, Coach has kept us focussed on Duluth," said sophomore defenseman Jamie Hagerman. "We know we're playing one of the best teams in the country. These are the games we want to be playing."

For co-captain Angie Francisco and junior goaltender Alison Kuusisto, however, the series at Minnesota-Duluth (UMD) has an added incentive. Both players are Duluth natives, and this is the first time that Harvard has played UMD, which is in its second year as a Division I program.

"I never expected to play UMD when I first came to Harvard," Francisco said. "We've played at Minnesota before and that was fun, but Minneapolis just isn't home. I haven't played in the DECC [Duluth Entertainment Convention Center] since I was a kid."

Francisco certainly won't be bothered by the cold weather in her hometown, and neither should the rest of her red-hot Harvard teammates. The Crimson has won six games in a row after starting slowly with losses in three of its first five games. Two of Harvard's last three wins have come on the road against ranked opponents--No. 4 St. Lawrence and No. 6 Brown.

"Our win at St. Lawrence was huge," Hagerman said. "It gave us a lot of confidence to beat a good team in a close game. But we know that we might not always get the lucky bounces and we're going to have to work harder every day to stay at this level."

The Crimson has been playing at a high level offensively since co-captain Jennifer Botterill and senior winger Tammy Shewchuk returned from the Canadian National Team. Harvard currently has half of the ECAC's top six scorers in Shewchuk (6 goals, 15 assists), Botterill (13 g, 7 a) and Francisco (5 g, 14 a). Harvard is second in the conference in scoring at 4.55 goals a game.

In addition to boasting those three scoring leaders, Harvard Coach Katey Stone has made the most of her short bench. For example, sophomore winger Tracy Catlin--who skates on the second line along with Francisco and sophomore Kalen Ingram--has three points in the Crimson's last three games.

"We have been developing nicely on offense," Stone said. "It has been important to have everyone out on the ice recently. We're not playing our best hockey yet, but we've been playing good hockey and that's a great place to start."

Minnesota-Duluth is playing good hockey as well. The Bulldogs are 4-1-1 in their last six games and have not lost at home since Oct. 20. UMD has the best scoring offense in the WCHA, averaging 5.06 points a game.

Beyond that, the Bulldogs also have an advantage in the element of surprise.

"In the ECAC, teams don't really scare us," Francisco said. "We know our opponents and what we're up against. But none of us has ever played UMD. We know they're talented, but we won't know a lot about them until we step on the ice."

What the Crimson does know is that the Bulldogs have multiple players with experience in international competition. At the forward spots, sophomores Maria Rooth (15 g, 18 a), Hanne Sikio (16 g, 12 a) and Erika Holst (9 g, 15 a) are all among the top 10 scorers in the WCHA.

That trio will put a lot of pressure on the Harvard defense. But the Crimson, which has held its opponent to one goal in its last three games, has been making some effective adjustments in the defensive zone.

"The defensemen and goalies have watched tapes of Duluth and we're prepared for their offense," Hagerman said. "We're going to try to break the puck out of the zone quickly and not let their forwards get too many shots close to the goalie."

The defense has been clearing the defensive zone more efficiently since Stone shifted senior Tara Dunn from the wing to the blueline. Dunn, who had never played defense before, has been handling the puck well in the defensive zone, finding open teammates at the wings to jumpstart the Harvard offense.

"Playing defense is something new, and I see the game in a different way," Dunn said. "My job is to bring my skills as a forward to the defensive zone to help break the puck out."

Perhaps more important for Harvard's recent defensive success has been the emergence of freshman goaltender Jessica Ruddock.

Ruddock, who missed the start of the season with an injury, is 4-0 as a starter. The rookie netminder is second in the ECAC in both goals-against average (0.82) and save percentage (.967).

On the other end of the ice, the Harvard offense will have deal with UMD sophomore Tuula Puputti between the pipes. Puputti, a member of Team Finland, leads the WCHA with a 1.69 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage.