Kessler Leads Crimson, Nation Between Pipes for W. Hockey

A case could be made that any list of reasons why the Harvard women’s hockey team is undefeated, in first place in the ECAC, and ranked second in the nation has to begin with two words: Christina Kessler.

The second-year goaltender has been nearly unbeatable between the pipes this season, putting together a sophomore campaign that has her leading the country in every major statistical area for goalies.

In six games, she has seen 125 shots come her way, allowing only five to get past her, giving her a .960 save percentage and a .83 goals against average—both good for first in the nation.

“I think she’s coming into her own and exceeding expectations,” senior tri-captain Caitlin Cahow says.

After giving up a pair of goals in each of the Crimson’s first two regular season games, Kessler has performed just short of perfection.

Following Harvard’s 3-2 victory over Princeton on Nov. 3, Kessler posted three consecutive shutouts, including a 5-0 win over then-No. 10 Clarkson on Friday.

Then on Saturday, the nation’s top offense came to the Bright Hockey Center in the form of St. Lawrence. The Saints—who boast four players with over 10 points in just 12 games—were stifled by the Crimson defense, managing only 22 shots.

When they did reach the net, Kessler was waiting. The Harvard netminder only let one shot get past her, helping the Crimson to a 5-1 victory and sole possession of first place in the ECAC.

“In games like this we’ve had a couple of really large scoring margins,” Cahow says. “[But] we’ve been playing tough teams that have given us a run for our money and what’s really stood out is Christina Kessler not allowing goals in the net.”

Kessler’s success has put her name among those of the best goalies in the country, a fate that might have been foreseeable when she committed to Harvard as a highly-touted recruit and Team Canada under-22 selection out of Oakville, Ont. before the 2006-2007 season.

“She was certainly, in that recruiting class of goaltenders, the top prospect,” Crimson coach Katey Stone says. “We were excited to have created a lot of depth at the goaltending position.”

But Kessler tore an ACL the summer before her freshman year, putting her season and her position on the goalie depth chart in doubt. Unable to compete for the starting job with then-sophomore Brittany Martin in the preseason, Kessler entered the position battle midway through the year after recovering from her injury at a disadvantage.

Kessler gave glimpses of her natural talent and athleticism in her 12 appearances, but was relegated to the bench in favor of the more consistent Martin for the postseason.

“It‘s kind of like getting back on the horse when you fall off,” Cahow says. “A lot of people don’t always connect the mental and the physical immediately.”

This season, the roles have been reversed—Martin hurt her back early on, allowing Kessler to establish herself as the starting goaltender—and Kessler has taken full advantage of the opportunity.

With new mental toughness developed by a disappointing freshman campaign and a clean bill of health after rigorous offseason training, Kessler has shown a marked improvement, displaying tremendous poise and cat-like agility around the net that have made her nearly impossible to get a puck past this season.

“I think health brings a lot of confidence,” Stone says. “What I see is that she competes harder in practice. That’s huge for us…She’s making the saves she needs to make.”

Kessler’s ability to make clutch saves with the game on the line has also gained the confidence of her teammates. Cahow points to a play in the Crimson’s win over Brown on Nov. 17, where Harvard held a tight 1-0 lead in the second period.

“[Kessler] made a split save that was so incredible,” Cahow says. “There was no way that puck wasn’t going in. In that moment I realized that she’s got all that she needs to be a goaltender. I think when you can make those kind of saves in close games that’s the mark of the best goaltender in the country.”

Despite Kessler’s success, her job security is not a given. Martin will eventually return and rookie Kylie Stephens has impressed her coaches in practice. Stone believes that “you’re only as good as your last performance,” so for Kessler to hold on to her starting spot, she will need to continue replicating her recent efforts.

If the goaltending clinic that she has put on this season is any indication, Kessler is up to the challenge.

—Staff writer Loren Amor can be reached at lamor@fas.harvard.edu.