Lind's Goal Tops Big Green, 1-0

The Harvard women's ice hockey team began making good on its New Year's resolution to regain the Ivy League championship Wednesday, by defeating Dartmouth in Hanover, N.H., 1-0.

The icewomen (6-2 overall, 3-0 Ivy) put the "T" in tense, waiting until 15:45 in the third period to make their move. After a faceoff won by Sandra Whyte, Char Joslin shot on goal and Tri-Captain Brita Lind deflected Joslin's slapshot in for the winning goal.

"It was the best game of the year for us." Tri-Captain Julia Trotman said. "We [the captains] gave the team a pep talk before the game and made it clear that our goal for the season is to win the Ivy League and that everyone has to work really hard."

Dartmouth (4-3-1 overall) is one of the Cinderella teams in the Ivy League this year. After a few years of program building and heavier recruiting, the Big Green is beginning to blossom and is now a threat to teams of the caliber of the Crimson.

"The [Lake Placid] tournament made us realize that Dartmouth is a good team. They have a lot of good freshmen," Trotman said.

After a poor showing in last weekend's Lake Placid tournament, Harvard buckled down and got serious for last night's match-up.

"We were really psyched up for this game," Elizabeth Hansen said. "After doing so well in the first period, we realized we could do it and that made us play harder."

Not only did the Crimson play harder, they played faster and better. Harvard dominated the game with 51 shots on Dartmouth goaltender Beth Coyne while the Big Green could only muster 14 shots on Harvard's Jen White.

"They were tough, but we wanted the game more than they did." freshman Ginny Simmonds said.

Dartmouth's most dangerous offensive weapon, Judy Parish, was shut down by Joslin's tight defensive coverage.

"We concentrated on her, but we concentrated on playing as a team more." Simmonds said.

4-checking, 3-checking

An adjustment in Harvard's forechecking tactics (made after watching Dartmouth in the tournament) also paid off. "Our new forechecking worked well. It really kept them in their zone," Trotman said.

"It was some of the best women's hockey I've ever seen," Hansen said. "The passing was excellent, there were lots of good shots. It was fun to watch."

The Crimson continues its battle for the Ivy League championship this Sunday when it takes on Cornell in Ithaca, N.Y. "All the Ivy League games are tough," Trotman said. "Last year Princeton was the main threat, this year Dartmouth, Princeton and Cornell are all threats, but we know what we have to do."