Ready to Start: Women's Hockey Freshmen

Two returning Olympians­—junior Michelle Picard and senior Lyndsey Fry—won’t be the only members of the Harvard women’s ice hockey team with weighty international hardware this year.

Despite having yet to start the official season, freshman forward Karly Heffernan already can claim two gold medals as a star of Team Canada’s U18 World Championship team. Heffernan, who scored the overtime goal that gave Canada top billing in 2013, is just one of a formidable cadre of first-years making up one of the Crimson’s strongest recruiting classes in recent memory.

Anchored by the lauded Alberta native, this year’s freshman class has six members (five forwards and one defender), all of whom will jostle for ice time on an already-stacked roster of Olympians and ECAC heavyweights. In a group of skaters that has so much talent and proven success, it remains to be seen exactly how newcomers with such potential will integrate into some of the most potent lines in collegiate women’s ice hockey.

“I have cautious optimism,” Harvard coach Katey Stone said. “I think freshmen just need to play hard. They shouldn’t have tons of expectations on them. They’re learning the ropes and what it’s like to be a Harvard student.”

After just one fixture at the Bright-Landry Center, Stone’s optimism is well justified. During a preseason 3-0 victory over McGill, Heffernan, whose two shots and two-for-three face-off record may not light up stat books, was a presence all over the ice, with plentiful possession time and a speed that will prove crucial as the Crimson continues to stump defenses with rapid breakaway plays.

“[Heffernan is] good; that’s why we wanted to get her here,” Stone said after the win. “She’s going to be terrific. I think she showed a lot of what she’s capable of doing tonight, and we’re looking for her to finish a bit more as we go, but a great effort from her.”

Heffernan wasn’t alone. Four of the other five rookies suited up and hit the home ice during the win over the Martlets on Oct. 17. That quartet—composed of forwards Nikki Friesen, Dani Krzyszczyk, Lexie Laing, and Haley Mullins—combined for 10 shots.

Laing, the younger sister of sophomore backup goalie Brianna Laing, chipped in an assist on the third and final goal of the night and battled nobly for possessions, with a team high 10-for-13 face-offs. Laing and Mullins are two of the now eight members of the squad who hail from local hockey powerhouse Noble and Greenough, a school that won four straight league titles during the pair’s tenure.

Whatever may not have occurred against McGill has certainly been seen before through the pre-collegiate experience the incoming players bring to the table. Krzyszczyk and defender Chelsea Ziadie have both earned spots in Canada’s top junior programs. Krzyszczyk is a three-time member of Team Manitoba and a member of Team Canada’s U18 summer team in 2013 while Ziadie has starred for Team Quebec and played on U18 championship teams in 2011 and 2013.

“I think being exposed to the international level of play and that standard definitely has helped transition [us] to Harvard hockey,” Ziadie said. “But at the same time the girls here are all older and stronger and more developed, so that was a stepping stone and this is a higher level technically for us as freshmen.”

With so many questions left—especially whether the Crimson can finally deliver on the ECAC and national crowns that have evaded the team for the past few seasons despite overall success—the role of the rookies is certainly one more. Contending with silver medalists Picard and Fry, and among numerous All-ECAC honorees, how will the freshmen fit in? For Stone, the winningest coach in the history of Division I women’s hockey who is entering her 20th season in Cambridge, it may be less about the numbers in a box score and more about sheer determination.

“We just want them to play as hard as they can and do their best,” Stone said. “It’s not about whether they score goals or keep pucks out of the net; it’s really about their effort and their commitment level right now.”

—Staff writer Cordelia F. Mendez can be reached at cordelia.mendez@thecrimson.com.