Female Rookie of the Year Runner-Up: Katie Johnston

Sometimes second is best. Although it was her second straight varsity sports season, Katie Johnston stepped on the ice for Harvard and proved to be its biggest impact freshman in the Crimson’s national championship runner-up season.

Over the course of the year, Johnston not only led all freshmen in offensive output, but put in two of the biggest goals of the season, saving Harvard twice against ECAC rival Brown.

“What struck me the most about her was her poise with the puck,” junior winger Nicole Corriero said. “Where average players panic and make a rushed play, resulting in a mistake, Katie remains under control and holds out for the best possible play. That’s something very few people can do, and not something you can learn.”

Johnston put away her third game-winning goal when it counted the most, lifting the Crimson to a playoff double-overtime win in the ECAC semifinal against Brown.

“I was overrun with exhaustion and excitement,” Johnston said. “That was definitely one of the high points of my season. Every freshman athlete dreams of scoring the overtime winner in a big game and doing just that was a totally irreplaceable experience.”

But Johnston left Brown astonished and distraught during the regular season as well. On Feb. 14, the Crimson went into overtime against Brown. Sophomore forward Julie Chu—trying to avoid a turnover in the neutral zone—dumped the puck in front of the net to Johnston, who lifted it up and over the Bears’ Katie Germain’s left shoulder to end the game.

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

After playing for the Harvard women’s soccer team, Johnston joined the hockey team later than most of the athletes. At the beginning of the year, head coach Katey Stone had said it would take some time for Johnston to find her role on the team following the soccer season. But the learning curve proved to be far more manageable than expected as Johnston ended up playing a lot on the Crimson’s first and second lines, leading all freshmen in scoring with 10 goals and 11 assists.

—Staff writer Gabriel M. Velez can be reached at gmvelez@fas.harvard.edu.