Athlete of the Week: Johnston’s Pair Seals Crimson Sweep

A few moments later on each of two plays, freshman Katie Johnston might not have boosted Harvard to its second victory over No. 10 Brown Saturday afternoon.

The then-No. 3 Crimson held off the Bears’ offense for the first two periods after jumping to a 2-0 lead in the first period behind co-captain Lauren McAuliffe’s pair of goals.

But Brown surged back in the beginning of the third period, and suddenly the teams were deadlocked at 2.

Less then a minute after Brown’s Keaton Zucker converted on the power play to tie the game, Johnston responded for the Crimson.

“It was near the end of my shift and the puck went out to [co-captain Angela] Ruggiero,” Johnston said. “Her shot deflected to the corner, and I tipped it in.”

The goal put Harvard ahead, but not for long. Just minutes later, the Bears again scored on the man-advantage to knot the game at 3 apiece.

The teams struggled back and forth for the remainder of regulation before the game went into overtime.

The Crimson was looking for a player to step up and score, and for the second time in the game, Johnston rose to the occasion.

“I don’t care who [the goal] comes from, as long as it comes from somebody with a Harvard jersey on,” said Harvard coach Katey Stone.

And once again, the goal almost didn’t happen.

“I was heading off the ice, because we were really tired,” Johnston said. “[Sophomore Julie] Chu had the puck on the outside but didn’t have anywhere to go.”

Instead of returning to the bench, Johnston’s instincts told her to stay on the ice just a little bit longer.

Trying to prevent a turnover near the neutral zone, Chu dumped the puck in front of the net. Johnston found the puck and lifted it above the shoulder of Brown goalie Katie Germain into the top right shelf at 3:47 to give the Crimson a dramatic 4-3 win in overtime.

“The puck just ended up laying out in front of the net,” Johnston said. “No one was even around me, so I just hit it. And it worked.”

Her go-ahead and game-winning goals—her seventh and eighth of the season—mark her first two-goal game this season.

Johnston and her linemates—sophomores Chu and Jennifer Raimondi—all played a part in three goals in Harvard’s 5-2 victory over Brown the night before.

But Johnston’s pair of goals came when the Crimson needed them most—to secure a victory and complete the sweep of Brown, as well as secure its position in the national polls.

“It was a big weekend,” said Harvard coach Katey Stone. “To play a team like that twice…[and] come away with two victories is huge for us.”

With the weekend sweep, Harvard bumped up one place to second behind Minnesota and heads into this weekend’s matchup with ECAC rival No. 4 St. Lawrence looking to decide who’s the top team in the conference.

The two-day doubleheader promises to be a serious battle for Harvard, which will need unsung heroes like Katie Johnston to step up and make a difference in the outcome of the series.