Icewomen Escape

Without its usual punch, the Harvard women's hockey team edged Brown, 2-1, last night in Providence, R.I.

The Crimson (3-1 ECAC, 2-0 Ivy) controlled most of the first period, tallying two goals right before the intermission. The first came off a blue-line blast from freshman Beverly Stickles, assisted by Tri-Captain Julia Trotman.

Trotman continued her efforts for the Crimson cause with four minutes left in the period, deflecting in a slap shot fired by junior Char Joslin.

After that brief scoring spurt, Harvard hung back and let Brown move in. The Pandas came out stronger in the second and third periods, stealing the Crimson's momentum.

Brown goaltender Kirsten Grendell kicked away 50 Crimson shots, although few had scoring potential. Harvard Tri-Captain and goaltender Jen White wasn't as busy, stopping 21 Brown shots. She did, however, have to contend with Brown brute Mara Yale, who threatened White with harassing interference rather than skilled play.

Harvard Coach John Dooley, in an attempt to condition his team, left his first line of Trotman, Tri-Captain Brita Lind and freshman Sandra Whyte out for long, tiring shifts. Alternating with a young second line of freshmen Ceci Clark, Lauren Messmore and senior Martina Albright, the attack had a hard time generating scoring opportunities.

Panda senior Georgie Stanley netted the lone Brown goal with less than two minutes left in the game. The blue-line drive came off a face off deep in Harvard's end.

Relieved with the win, but dissatisfied with the team's performance, Lind said, "We could have played much better, but we did the job. There's a much better team dwelling within us."

The Crimson is having trouble turning its shots into goals. "It's a matter of passing and execution," Lind said. "We're making [the plays], but we aren't finishing them."

Harvard faces a solid New Hampshire squad in Durham, N.H., tomorrow. The team continues its road swing at Colby and Bowdoin this weekend in preparation for the Lake Placid Tournament late in December. The tournament will indicate where Harvard stacks up against Ivy powerhouses Dartmouth, Princeton and Cornell.

After last night's game, White admitted, "We have a long way to go before we'll be a contender for the Ivy title."