COACH OF THE YEAR RUNNER-UP: Stone Leads as She Sets Mark

The task: replace your top three scorers, including a two-time Olympic gold medalist, and put a freshman in net in the middle of the ECAC playoff race because your starter, the NCAA record holder for career save percentage, just suffered a season-ending injury. And still get home ice advantage in the NCAA tournament.

Business as usual for women’s hockey coach Katey Stone.

“I think as a staff, this was probably our best year together,” Stone said. “It was just a good vibe around our program. Everyone was fired up to practice. They weren’t stubborn, they were eager. I wouldn’t say we did anything differently—just a real good group of kids.”

That group could have used a plethora of excuses, and many of the team’s playmakers had limited experience. Yet Stone’s charges played as if they expected to win every game.

“She sets the expectations high and always believes in you, only because she knows you can do it,” freshman Jillian Dempsey said. “She’s going to make us the best we can be.”

And while some teams started strong and faded, the Crimson kept getting better, peaking with a six-game win streak through early February. In that stretch, it rocked Dartmouth, 4-1, after needing a last-minute, game-winning goal the first time around and took the Beanpot by storm, not allowing a single goal in either game on its way to the tournament title.

Harvard showed all the usual hallmarks of good coaching: it killed penalties well—allowing only 14 goals in 323 penalty minutes—and wore teams down with superior speed and conditioning. That conditioning and discipline allowed the Crimson to take two easy victories from Princeton in the ECAC playoffs, despite not having beaten the Tigers during the regular season.

And behind each impressive victory was a coach who was still not satisfied.

“Her personality is a big part of our season,” co-captain Kathryn Farni said. “She keeps us focused.”

The first playoff win against Princeton also marked a significant personal milestone for Stone.

With the victory, the 338th of her career, she passed Laura Halldorson to reach the top of the NCAA career coaching wins list.

But even that honor hasn’t softened Stone. If anything, it seems to have made her more driven to succeed.

“To be really honest, it’s really over,” Stone said of her record. “If we don’t keep rolling, someone’s going to catch up and break that record.”

But as long as Stone stays behind the Harvard bench, that record shouldn’t be falling anytime soon.

—Staff writer Christina C. McClintock can be reached at ccmcclin@fas.harvard.edu.