Team USA Falls to Canada

Talk about irony.

For once, Harvard players—on the American side, at least—were hoping that a Natalie Darwitz goal counted. But as has happened twice before, the officials’ ruling went against them, and in this case worked against Team USA in its 2-0 loss to Canada in the women’s gold-medal game of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championships in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

With Canada ahead by two goals in the third period, Darwitz fired a shot that appeared to find the top shelf of the net but bounced out. The game’s officials did not review the play.

“This rink was set up for instant replay for the world juniors, so I was surprised at the outset that they weren’t going to use it,” said U.S. coach Ben Smith.

The Harvard women’s hockey team has had two goals from the Minnesota forward placed under review and ruled against its favor.

In this year’s NCAA championship, the Crimson protested a Darwitz goal just nine seconds into the third period, arguing that the whistle had blown before the Gopher pounced on her own rebound for the game’s go-ahead goal.

In the 2003 NCAA semifinals, Harvard protested Darwitz’s goal in the Crimson’s 6-1 win over Minnesota. After plowing into then-Crimson netminder Jessica Ruddock ’04, it was unclear whether or not her shot crossed the crease before the net got dislodged.

Last night’s game, in front of a crowd of 10,506 fans, marked the eighth straight championship for the Canadians and the eighth straight time America has gone home with the silver platter.

“We just brought passion today and played for 60 minutes,” said Harvard women’s hockey’s all-time leading scorer, Jennifer Botterill ’02-’03. “I don’t think we did that on Friday [in Canada’s 3-1 loss to the United States]. We brought that great Canadian pride that this team’s all about.”

The game crowd also helped set a new tournament attendance record with 94,001 fans total, shattering the old record of 66,784.

Hayley Wickenheiser put the first goal on the board in the second period, and Dartmouth sophomore Cherie Piper created the tally that iced the game for Team Canada on another play that created confusion on the ice. U.S. goaltender Pam Dreyer covered up the puck but may have let go. While all other players on the ice lost sight of the puck, Canada’s Delaney Collins found it and shot it to the back of the net, securing the win for the Canadians.

“I kind of just went to the net to force the whistle, and the [defense] tried to take me out and it kind of took their goalie out as well,” Piper said. “So Delaney was able to come and put the puck in the net.”

The gold-medal game drew mixed emotions from members of the Harvard women’s hockey team, especially the Canadians, given the conflict between loyalty to country and loyalty to teammates Angela Ruggiero and Julie Chu and former teammate Botterill.

“I’m definitely happy for Canada and Botterill but this year is the first year I had some reservation,” said sophomore Jennifer Raimondi, a native of Langley, British Columbia. “I have a lot of sympathy for Julie and Angela—I definitely know what it’s like to come in second and experience all that. But I’m definitely feeling national pride too.”

“Still those feelings [of losing the national championship] creep up right now because it’s very recent and very real,” she added.

The game was Ruggiero’s and Chu’s last shot to go out in 2004 on a winning note. Instead, the second place finish stands rank and file with a whirlwind of emotions that has rounded out the year, especially for Ruggiero.

“It’s been an emotional roller coaster for sure, winning on Friday, getting the Kazmaier the next day, losing the final, and coming out here and getting these exciting wins,” Ruggiero said following Team USA’s victory over Canada earlier in the tournament. “My emotions are all over the place.”

Whatever conflicting feelings she experienced, Ruggiero never let it show on the ice. Earlier in the tournament, US coach Ben Smith commented on the experience and consistency that comes with having Ruggiero alongside a relatively inexperienced group of blueliners.

“In our defense you can see we have five new faces, and quite obviously having that No. 4 is a cornerstone,” Smith said, alluding to Ruggiero by the number on her jersey. “Having that No. 4 is a benefit to the other five and a benefit to one and all. I’m not trading her.”

Botterill—who finished as the tournament’s top scorer with 12 points—made the all-tournament team along with Ruggiero and Darwitz.

—Staff writer John R. Hein can be reached at hein@fas.harvard.edu.