Freshman Goaltender Ruddock Anticipates First Frozen Four

Entering into the season freshman goaltender Jessica Ruddock expected to share time in goal with one or two other goalies and the starter to be determined on a game-by-game basis. Yet, the No. 3 Harvard women's hockey team goes into the Frozen Four this weekend with Ruddock--the nation's leader in freshman goals-against average--starting in goal.

Originally from Guelph, Ontario, Ruddock attended the Taft School last year, but could not play hockey due to a knee injury and instead served out the year as a coaching assistant. It was hard to know what to expect from the Ontario champion going into this season.

"It's been tough coming into this year," Ruddock said. "I missed last year completely and I haven't missed a full year since I started playing when I was three or four years old. The training staff has been really supportive and helpful."

Yet these difficulties have not kept Ruddock from earning her starting spot for the Crimson, nor has it kept her from reeling in honors. She is a three-time ECAC Rookie of the Week as well as a three-time Ivy League Rookie of the Week. She also earned All-Ivy Honorable Mention.

Concerns had been voiced about Ruddock's youth and inexperience at the college level with regard to starting in high-pressure games, but Ruddock has been able to shake off the anxieties along the way.

Ruddock has had little margin for error during her rookie season, being thrown into a highly-ranked team alongside the nation's most notable players. Yet, her burdens are those of a collegiate goaltender rather than those of a freshman.

"Being a freshman hasn't been a big deal at all," Ruddock said. "There are no class divisions. I've had a lot of support from the whole team, especially from the seniors. I'm trying to deal with pressure as a goaltender."

Ruddock seems to have dealt with the pressure well, as proven by her statistics this season. She has a record of 17-5-0 and an impressive goals-against-average of 2.03. Ruddock's .917 save percentage is second in the nation to St. Lawrence's Rachel Barrie among freshman, and she was clocked more minutes in goal than any other freshman goalie in the ECAC.

She won her first complete game of the season with a 4-0 shutout over Princeton last November, the first of her three shutouts on the regular season.

"She's a really smart goalie," said senior forward Kiirsten Suurkask. "She can win games for us."

One of the more eventful high-pressure games of the season was on Feb. 20 against No. 1 Dartmouth. In the first period, Ruddock was the victim of a questionable goal scored by forward Jennifer Wiehn--the recently-crowned ECAC tourney MVP. Ruddock appeared to stop Wiehn's shot on the line, but it slipped into the goal as the referee blew his whistle. Ruddock claimed the puck crossed the line after the whistle, but to no avail--the goal counted to even the score of the game.

During the final minutes of the heated game, Dartmouth pulled its goalie Amy Ferguson. Ruddock was able to pull through with the 3-2 win in the clutch situation despite the sixth attacker.

Ruddock praised her teammates for the Crimson's success this season.

"My team facilitates everything I do," Ruddock said. "I'm happy to contribute. When I can make a difference in a game, it's a personal highlight. Contributions from the third line to the top scorers are definite highlights for me."

What excites Ruddock the most is when Harvard's third line--consisting of junior Vanessa Bazzocchi and freshmen Mina Pell and Lauren McAuliffe--hit the back of the net.

"My heart jumps when someone from the third line scores a goal," Ruddock said. "It's those little things that get me fired up."

The Crimson players have remained tight throughout the season, despite the wide range of talents on the team.

"No one gets to see how close-knit this team is," Ruddock said. "It's the most incredible experience. I've never been on a team where everyone is so supportive."

As the season has progressed, Ruddock has earned the respect of her teammates as she climbed into the role of starting goaltender and emerged as one of the nation's top freshman goaltenders.

"She has greatly improved over the season," Suurkask said.

In this weekend's Frozen Four at Minneapolis, the Crimson will be facing tough competition including No. 2 Minnesota-Duluth, who swept Harvard in December, and potentially Dartmouth, who has beaten the Crimson in five of their last six meetings. Despite this, Ruddock enters the Frozen Four with high expectations for Harvard..

"The team dynamic could be no better," Ruddock said. "That's why we've been successful in the past and why we will be successful this weekend."