W. Icers Take 3rd In Match

Never think about Wildcats while staring at a herd of White Mules.

The Harvard women's ice hockey team could have used a bit of that advice last weekend during the All-American Tourney in Minnesota.

After humiliating the Hometown University of Minnesota in the first game, 7-0, the Crimson took on a familiar opponent in the semifinals--the Colby White Mules.

Harvard beat Colby both times the teams played each other last year, but this time the Albino Ones caught the Crimson looking ahead to the finals and upset Harvard, 6-5.

So instead of playing UNH in the finals, Harvard took on a much weaker Cornell team in the consolation game, and won easily by the score of 4-2.

"[Colby] was really up for us," senior goaltender Erin Villiotte said. "We were looking ahead to UNH."

The weekend getaway to Minneapolis began well enough. Harvard's opening round match-up was with a Golden Gopher team that was a bit tarnished.

It was a complete domination by the Crimson in every way, shapes, and form. If it had been any more lopsided the box score would have flipped over.

At this point, it seemed that Harvard had a great chance of winning its second straight All America Tourney championship. Until those pesky White Mules showed up.

Throughout most of the game, Harvard and Colby traded goals, with Harvard maintaining a tenuous one-goal lead. But then Colby took the lead to 5 with a late score and garnered the victory.

"It's very disappointing to lose to Colby," junior forward Stacey Kellogg end, "but at the same time Colby played a very good game."

The White Mules had reason to be pumped up. Last season, Harvard won both games by a combined score of 13-3, and so Colby could not be blamed for wanting to even things up a bit.

Having the necessary players didn't hurt either.

"The competition has gotten so much better," Kellogg said. "Teams we used to beat easily had good recruiting years."

And so, the Pale Horses scored the upset.

On the other hand, the final round of games was much more heartening to Crimson faithful, as Harvard won and revenge was exacted on Colby.

In the consolation game, the Crimson took on the Big Red of Cornell, who weren't really that Big.

"In the Cornell game we basically dominated," Kellogg said. "We were the better team and played like the better team."

The final score was 4-2, and Harvard ought to be licking its chops when it mulls over the prospects of playing Cornell twice more this year.

In the Tourney Final, Colby's Cinderella run through the All American Tourney came to a grinding halt at the feet of UNH.

The Wildcats' 4-1 victory gave them first place in the final standings. Colby and Harvard were second and third, respectively.

Finishing in the show position was not what the Crimson dreamed of while flying to the Land of 10,000 Lakes, but Harvard still felt that it was a good experience.

"It was frustrating that we lost," Kellogg said, "but at the same time we know what we need to do to get better."