Watson Ice Hosts Women; Ms. Sticks Rout Bladettes

The Cambridge Ms. Sticks defeated the Harvard Business School Bladettes, 8-2, in the first all-female hockey game ever played in Watson Rink last night. A sparse crowd of mainly family and friends witnessed the historic event.

The Bladettes, a group of Business School students, wives, and staff, moved the puck well but were unable to defense the rush of the Ms. Sticks. Karen Tangen, a second-year student, scored both Harvard's goals.

The Bladettes have played together for only six weeks, while the Ms. Sticks, all women over thirty, completed their second undefeated year last night.

Team captain Val Steward, a second-year student, said last night that the team started as a joke. "I placed an ad in the business school paper. However, twenty women responded." Steward said, "Some of the girls had never skated, and none had played hockey."

Steward said that the team first challenged the Law School women, but that only a few players showed up. They left after a few practices, Steward said.

Steward said the Bladettes then played the Ms. Sticks at the Brown and Nichols rink and lost, 10-0.

"We only had nine players and were exhausted," Steward said. For tonight's rematch fourteen players suited up in a collection of parkas, down vests, and sweats. One Bladette skater used towels for knee pads and only the Ms. Sticks had helmets.

Last week Steward, the team's goalie, used the Wall Street Journal for knee pads, one wine-drinking fan said. Tonight, bedecked in regulation pads, she made ten saves.

The most experienced skater for the Bladettes was first-year student Elspeth Taylor who formerly skated for the Pembroke Players. Taylor said that she and most of the girls play for the exercise.

Suzann Parker, a first-year student and left wing, said that she "started playing because Herb Pinder the star of the Blades, the Business School men's team, was in my section and gave me his stick." Many of the girls started after seeing how much fun the men had, Parker said.

The team plans to compete next year, Steward said. Currently they practice once a week for only 20 minutes.

Steward said that she had talked to some Radcliffe women who wanted to play next year. "If there are enough of them to form a team, Harvard will have to give us more ice time," she said.