Shewchuk's Hockey Legacy Lives On

Almost two years have passed since Tammy Shewchuk ’00-’01 delivered an unforgettable performance in her final home game, an ECAC quarterfinal win over Providence. Shewchuk is now far removed from Harvard women’s hockey as a coach and teacher at the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey, but she still longs to be on the ice as the No. 1 Crimson embarks on its postseason run tomorrow.

“The way the team looks this year, I think they have no excuse not to win the national championship again,” Shewchuk said. “I just wish I still had some eligibility left to enjoy these great times for Harvard hockey.”

Tomorrow’s 7 p.m. ECAC quarterfinal series opener against Cornell will be the first Harvard home playoff game since Shewchuk’s Bright finale. Though Shewchuk’s eligibiliy has long been over, her performance two years ago still stands as a model of how to step up with the season on the line.

Shewchuk’s farewell performance that afternoon helped ensure that her Harvard career would end with a trip to the Inaugural 2001 Frozen Four instead of an ECAC quarterfinal defeat.

On the ice, Shewchuk scored all three Harvard goals in regulation against a pesky Providence team that took the game to overtime.

Her performance off the ice was just as well remembered. After the Crimson blew a two-goal lead going into the overtime, Harvard coach Katey Stone credited Shewchuk’s inspirational words during the intermission for renewing the team’s confidence. Shewchuk was out to ensure her career wouldn’t end like the team’s heart-breaking overtime loss to Dartmouth a year before.

Simply put, she did not want anyone on the team to have any regrets during the next offseason.

One teammate who was definitely listening was current Harvard captain Kalen Ingram, then Shewchuk’s sophomore linemate. When Shewchuk was stopped on a drive to the net, Ingram—well positioned in front of the net for the rebound—lifted the puck just under the crossbar for the game-winner.

Shewchuk’s career ended with a third-place finish in the Frozen Four two weeks later, and she graduated with Harvard career records of 152 goals, 155 assists and 307 points.

Harvard captain Jennifer Botterill, Shewchuk’s linemate with both Harvard and the Canadian Olympic team, has since broken her assist and point records. With Botterill’s goal total now at 149, Shewchuk’s career goal record is unlikely to last the weekend.

Shewchuk said she is happy to see her records fall.

“It was awesome playing with [Jen] for four years at every level,” she said. “I am very happy for Jen, and she will continue to do great things in hockey.”

In Shewchuk’s eyes, the breaking of records is a symptom of growth in women’s college hockey.

“Records were meant to be broken and with the way women’s hockey is always progressing, these records will continue to be broken as better players develop, as games get added to the schedule and as more teams go Division One,” Shewchuk said.

Shewchuk has taken on the role of developing players herself as a high school hockey coach, and she has been comparably successful in her new role. On Feb. 15, she led the Lawrenceville School to its first outright state prep title. The New Jersey Star Ledger reported that she has been teaching high school kids systems used in the NHL and the Canadian national program.

“I have an amazing bunch of kids and they are the hardest workers I have ever seen,” Shewchuk said. “At the end of the day, that is all you can really ask of your team.”

What does Shewchuk’s former college coach think of Shewchuk the coach? Stone said it would take some time to find out, but she was able to identify Shewchuk’s strengths.

“She’s a pretty intense kid, so I’m sure she’ll bring out the most competitiveness in everybody else,” Stone said.

Botterill also showed confidence in Shewchuk’s coaching abilities.

“I think she’ll be a great coach,” Botterill said. “She knows a lot about the game, she’s an easy person to get along with, she knows how to teach young kids and she’ll be a great influence on them.”

Though Shewchuk may be missing this year’s World Championships, her playing career is not over. She competed alongside Botterill in a national program camp in January.

But while she’s off the ice for now, Shewchuk will continue pulling for Botterill to continue shattering records and leading Harvard in its bid for a second national championship.

“She is an amazing player and a good friend,” Shewchuk said. “I think what she has done is awesome.”

—Staff writer David R. De Remer can be reached at remer@fas.harvard.edu.