W. Hockey Braves Land of 10,000 Olympians

Judgment day comes four months early for the Harvard women’s hockey team, who face No. 2 Minnesota and No. 1 Minnesota-Duluth this weekend in Minnesota.

The non-conference contests will have implications in terms of overall rankings, but more than that, they provide the No. 3 Crimson (2-0-0) with the opportunity to be judged—by the league, by their foes and by the players themselves.

“We want them to be at their best,” said captain and defenseman Jamie Hagerman. “That way, we can say that we beat the best.”

If Minnesota (9-0-1) and Duluth (9-0-1) are at their best this weekend, the Crimson will have its hands full.

Like the Crimson, both clubs feature several Olympian additions to already stacked lineups.

New to the Minnesota lineup are a pair of freshman forwards, U.S. Olympic silver medalists Krissy Wendell and Natalie Darwitz. Senior Winny Brodt, a one-time U.S. national team member, returns on defense.

“Our team is very different from last year’s,” said Minnesota coach Laura Holldorson. “We have more offensive firepower. Last year we worked hard, were very blue-collar and we overachieved. This year, we have more talent, but we have to apply the same work ethic.”

That work ethic was on display last season in Minnesota’s lone meeting with Harvard. Down 2-0 after a pair goals by then-Crimson freshman Nicole Corriero, the Golden Gophers exploded with three goals in the last four minutes to earn a 3-2 victory.

In that game, Harvard limited Minnesota to 21 shots. For the Crimson to succeed this year, it will have to be able to contain the new Minnesota forwards.

“[Their top players] can generate a lot of offense,” Hagerman said. “But they can’t stay out there the whole game. We have a deeper squad than they do.”

In addition to the national team members, local talents Ashley Albrecht, Krista Jonson, Allie Sanchez and Chelsea Brodt (Winny’s sister) were recruited to shore up the defense. In all, 13 of 20 Golden Gophers are from Minnesota.

On Saturday, hours north of Minneapolis/St-Paul, defending NCAA champion Duluth features several players not as close to home.

Fourteen of 22 Bulldogs are internationals, including seven Canadians, three Finns, two Swedes, a Russian and a Swiss. Six Duluth players are Olympians.

“They have a lot of highly skilled players,” said Harvard coach Katey Stone. “[But] we are faster than they are. They have big strong kids, but they’re not quite as quick.”

Both Stone and Hagerman emphasized the importance of shooting the puck. Last year, Harvard managed only 22 shots against both Minnesota and Duluth.

Against Duluth, 22 shots were enough to earn the Crimson five goals. But offensively, Duluth was on fire, scoring eight goals on 33 shots for an 8-5 win.

This year, however, Harvard may be able to outgun the Bulldogs.

“They’re good, but they don’t play a lot of defense,” Hagerman said. “We have to keep the puck deep in their zone.”

Harvard has momentum on its side, having downed No. 4 Dartmouth 9-2 last Saturday with a 34-shot performance.

This weekend, however, Harvard will have to contend with tough goaltending, particularly against Duluth in senior Patricia Sautter, a member of the Swiss national team.

For the Crimson, goaltending is a question mark. Having faced only 17 shots against Dartmouth and Vermont last weekend, neither junior Jessica Ruddock nor freshman Ali Boe have been tested this season. Ruddock faced Minnesota last season, but is coming off a hip injury. Boe, a freshman, has never faced attacks of this caliber.

It will be up to an improved Harvard defense, led by junior and U.S. Olympian Angela Ruggiero to protect its goaltenders form the onslaught.

On paper, these matchups look too close to call.

“It’s still early, and both teams will change and grow,” said center and captain Jen Botterill.

Botterill is another Olympian that will be on display in a weekend that will display some of the highest quality women’s hockey in the world.

While rankings will be at stake, the game has greater significance than NCAA polls.

“It’s about bragging rights,” Holldorson said.

Stone was hesitant to place that kind of importance on the weekend.

“I don’t think there are any bragging rights until the end of March because you haven’t won anything yet,” Stone said.

Perhaps judgment day will only come to Duluth in March. This weekend, however, has the looks of an exciting sneak preview.

—Staff writer David A. Weinfeld can be reached at weinfeld@fas.harvard.edu.