Rivals Chu, Harbec Take Center Stage

Every time Julie Chu and Sabrina Harbec prepare to face off against one another, the level of talent and skill on display is so impressive that it’s almost funny.

“We’re laughing before we go on faceoffs because we know it’s going to be a hard one,” says Harbec, the star center for St. Lawrence.

Harbec and Chu—Harvard’s center and co-captain—represent the upper echelon of women’s college hockey players. They are the two top scorers in the ECAC, with Harbec tallying 67 points this season and Chu right behind her with 66.

Besides the nearly identical point totals, the two share striking similarities when it comes to their styles of play. Standing at about 5’8”, both use a lethal combination of size and speed to present an imposing presence on the ice. They are the catalysts for their respective teams, acting almost like point guards in the way that they manage their offenses. While each can certainly put the puck in the net on her own, the duo’s biggest strengths lie in the passing game, where they thread the lanes to create opportunities for talented scorers such as the Crimson’s Sarah Vaillancourt and the Carson Duggan of the Saints. Chu leads the ECAC with 48 assists and Harbec is second with 42.

Still, for all their similarities, the two come from completely disparate backgrounds.

Chu honed her skills at Choate Rosemary Hall, a private boarding school in Wallingford, CT. After graduating in 2002, she became the first player of Asian descent to play for the U.S. National Team at the Olympics in Salt Lake City, where her team took home the silver. She then went on to star at Harvard, until the national squad called again for its bronze medal showing at the 2006 Olympic Games in Torino, Italy. This season, Chu is back with the Crimson, capping off the farewell tour of her illustrious collegiate career, in which her 284 career points have made her the all-time leading scorer in NCAA history.

Harbec, on the other hand, hails from St. Hubert, Quebec. The French-Canadian went pro at an early age, playing for the Montreal Axion of the National Women’s Hockey League before heading to St. Lawrence. She burst on to the collegiate scene with 36 points in her rookie campaign, and racked up 61 in a breakout 2005-2006 season where she was named the ECACHL Player of the Year. While not an Olympian yet, a call to the Canadian National Team would not be a stretch for Harbec, who is already a member of the country’s U-22 team.

Despite these differences, Chu and Harbec have found common ground in the realm of hockey. Their battles on the ice have created mutual admiration between the two—as well as a lasting friendship.

“We compete really hard against each other,” Chu says. “But at the end of the day I think we can appreciate the challenge we pose for each other.”

“To see them hug after the game, it’s just mutual respect,” Saints’ coach Paul Flanagan says. “It’s awesome for our younger players to see.”

The last time the two met was in Harvard’s 4-3 loss against St. Lawrence in the semifinals of the ECAC Tournament, in which Harbec got the better of her Crimson counterpart, scoring two goals and an assist while Chu was held scoreless.

But no matter the outcome, the chance to go head-to-head is always an exciting prospect for the two.

“It’s just so much fun to play against a good player like that,” Harbec says.

While the Saints sent Harvard packing in the ECAC playoffs, the two teams might get another chance to play each other in the NCAA Tournament. It would give Chu and Harbec on last shot to face off against one another at the college level.

If that happens, all eyes will be on center ice, with two of women’s hockey’s most dominant players in the spotlight.

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