No. 2 Minnesota To Test Crimson at Home

The Crimson women’s hockey team hopes that its recent success is a goofor this weekend’s two-game set against one of its biggest rivals, Minnesota.

The puck drops tonight at 7 p.m. at Bright Hockey Center, and the teams will face off again tomorrow at 4 p.m.

Harvard (6-3-1, 6-3-0 ECAC), currently ranked No. 9 in the country, has been surging recently with a three-game winning streak and five-game unbeaten streak, but No. 2 Minnesota (13-2-1, 9-2-1-1 WCHA) has proven a fierce competitor to the Crimson in the past. The Golden Gophers swept last season’s two-game set and beat Harvard in the 2004 and 2005 national title games. The Crimson has dropped eight of the last nine games in the series.

Though this game presents a challenge for Harvard, the team is focusing more on the long-term goal of perfecting its play rather than solely beating Minnesota.

The Crimson got off to a rocky start this season, winning only two of its first five games. Harvard will seek to continue its recent rally in this weekend’s set.

“I don’t think we got off to the best start, but we’ve definitely brought it together over the past few games,” senior goalie Christina Kessler said. “We’re hoping that we’ll be able to ride that momentum through this weekend’s games.”

However, the Crimson is not relying solely on its recent success to pull it through its challenges this weekend.

“We respect Minnesota as a team, and you have to bring your best when you’re playing some of the best teams out there,” junior forward Kate Buesser said.

Several members of the Crimson women’s hockey team are originally from Minnesota, and they have helped to spread this feeling of respect—as well as excitement—to the rest of the squad.

Harvard has been practicing hard over the past week, analyzing Minnesota’s game play and trying to reinforce the teamwork and strategy that has helped it perform well in its past few matchups.

“I think that we play our best when we communicate and work as a team, and the last couple of games we’ve been going out hard and playing as a unit,” freshman forward Jillian Dempsey said.

The Crimson has exhibited balanced offensive play thus far, with Buesser and Dempsey leading the team with 14 and 11 points, respectively. Dempsey’s 1.10 points per game are good for third-best nationally among rookies.

On the blue line, freshman Josephine Pucci leads the way with seven points, putting her seventh in the country in defenseman scoring.

“This is the first year we haven’t had a superstar on the team, and we’ve had everyone contributing,” Buesser said. “We don’t expect all the points from one player, or for one player to keep us in the game obstensively.”

The Crimson also received an extra push last week with the return of junior forward Liza Ryabkina, who recovered from a knee injury. Ryabkina proved to be a valuable player in her first game back, recording one assist and scoring the game-winning goal against Dartmouth last Wednesday.

But Minnesota also boasts an impressive roster, led by freshman netminder Noora Raty who is ranked second in the country with a 0.99 goals-against average and a .962 save percentage. On the offensive end, junior Emily West is seventh in the nation with 22 points.

The Golden Gophers are coming off a dominating sweep of No. 4 Clarkson, shutting out the Golden Knights, 4-0 and 2-0, last weekend.

To skate with Minnesota, Harvard will have to play a complete game.

“Over the past few games, we’ve been coming out with a slow start and picking things up after the first period,” Kessler said. “We know that with Minnesota, we can’t wait until midway through the game to pick it up. We have to go out strong.”

“We need to keep in mind that we’re going to play our game,” Buesser added, “not how they want us to play.”

Though it would be a major boost for the team if it was to win this weekend’s set, the Crimson is not approaching Minnesota differently than it has any other team this season. The focus of its practice and strategy is to play the game out to its full potential, approaching every team it faces as if it were its biggest competition.

“Whether or not we’re playing a ranked team, we’re going for a win,” Kessler said.