Two Olympians Key for Big Green

For the No. 2 Harvard’s women’s hockey team (12-0-1), the key to staying unbeaten may lie in two Olympians not named Angela Ruggiero and Julie Chu.

Sophomore forwards Cherie Piper and Gillian Apps will lead the No. 3 Dartmouth (10-1-1) attack as they return to somewhat familiar grounds at the Bright Center on Sunday afternoon.

It was there last February that the Ontario-born duo drew first blood against the Crimson, combining to notch the Big Green’s first and only goal to open the contest. Piper assisted Apps a mere 3:44 into the game, a thriller that ended 2-1 in Harvard’s favor.

In the process, Piper also became the first non-Harvard gold medalist to ever play on the Bright Center ice.

“It’s a great rivalry, and these are always such exciting games,” says Dartmouth head coach Mark Hudak, looking forward to the matchup. “It’s fun for the kids to play in that type of game which is always elevated for both schools.”

Hudak also looks forward to his two stars rising to the occasion on Sunday in what will in all likelihood be a prelude to a late-round ECAC tournament clash between the two teams.

“A lot is going to be on the line,” Hudak says. “It’s time for those individuals who you think of as always being the best to step up.”

And a year older, a year wiser—and arguably, that much more dangerous—Apps and Piper will be looking to do more than just score: they’ll be aiming to deal the Crimson its very first loss of the year.

But if last year’s nail-biter of a game is any indication, stopping the two members of Team Canada may be easier said than done.

Testing Their Medal

Hudak duly recognizes the effect of having two Olympians on the ice. As is the case with the vast majority of Olympians on the collegiate level, both Apps and Piper are years older than their fellow classmates, having played on the national and international levels for years before donning the green and white in Hanover, N.H.

“They’re both very strong players with tons of experience at different levels,” Hudak says. “I certainly think they bring a certain competitiveness, and how hard they go and how hard they compete sets the bar a little bit higher for others to try to reach. It pushes everybody in practice, going against kids like that day in and day out.”

“There’s a sense of confidence to the team,” Hudak continues, “and everyone looks to them to see how they are reacting because they’ve played against the best players in the world. They bring a maturity, a calmness and confidence contagious to the team.”

Harvard head coach Katey Stone is intimately familiar with that impact herself, with two medal winners currently at her behest in co-captain defenseman Ruggiero and sophomore forward Chu.

“It’s invaluable,” Stone says. “It raises the play of everyone around them. For me, it enhanced the caliber of our program, elevated our play.”

“Dartmouth’s no different,” she adds. “Their elite level of players tends to rub off on the others. It raises the bar for everyone.”

In addition to Ruggiero and Chu, Stone has also been fortunate enough to coach U.S. Olympians Sandra Whyte ’92 and A.J. Mleczko ’97-‘99 as well as Canadian Olympians Tammy Shewchuk ’00-‘01 and Jennifer Botterill ’02-’03.

Hudak, however, acknowledges an undeniable downside to his players serving national team duty—one that, as of right now, will restrict Apps and Piper from competing in the Frozen Four.

“Despite all those benefits, they’ve got to leave a couple times,” he says. “It creates havoc and you have to change line-ups; the other members of the team lose that ability to rely on them to help get things done.”

A Pair of Eh’ses

Nevertheless, the Canadian duo of Piper and Apps poses an Olympic tandem that the Crimson does not often see from opponents, especially not in the ECAC.

The experienced Stone, however, welcomes the challenge with open arms, relishing the opportunity.

“We’ve already faced that [brand of talent] in Minnesota-Duluth with [senior forward] Jenny Potter and [junior forward] Caroline Ouellette,” she says.

“The fact is that we want to play against the best players, and play against the best teams who come ready to play us,” Stone continues. “That’s where the challenge is.” Harvard will opt to stick to the game-plan which has worked against each of the top-tier opponents they’ve encountered thus far.

“We’re going to adjust a little bit come game-time,” Stone says, “but the approach takes place before they get into primary scoring area. It’s going to be about rebounds: controlling rebounds, and dominating the possession game.”

But Stone knows not to take anything for granted against a Dartmouth program that has bounced the Crimson out of the ECAC tournament in each of the past four years.

“When you play against a really good team, the question becomes, ‘How do you take care of the puck and gain control of every situation?’” she says. “We’re going to try to take what they give us.”

Hudak will answer in kind, calling often upon the pair of Apps and Piper to lead The Big Green assault against the nation’s top-ranked defense and the country’s most stingy goaltender in sophomore Ali Boe.

“Piper can really control the pace of the game when she can get the puck on either hand,” Hudak says. “She’s a very smart hockey player, and will settle things down for us if we’re running around a little bit on defense or on offense.”

“Gillian, on the other hand, is the quintessential power forward: big, strong, and can fire the puck,” Hudak continues. “She’s really dangerous when she’s in front of the net with loose pucks. They both force another person to come off and watch them and be concerned.”

Hudak plans to roll his top three lines in order to keep players fresh and the pressure high on Boe and Harvard’s blueliners.

“We’re going to try to put a lot of pressure on the offensive zone,” he says. “They’ve always done an outstanding job defensively. We’re going to try to create traffic to the net.”

If past regular seasons are any indication, both teams can expect a tight game. Stone doesn’t mind one bit.

“It’s not fun to blow teams away,” she says. “We want those tight games, those battles, where the outcome is not determined until the very end. It’s a great opportunity to show your skills and team game plan.”

Now, all that’s left for Hudak to do is hope that Piper, who is still recovering from a head injury, will be well enough for Sunday’s contest. She was carried off the ice on a stretcher during a 4-2 win over New Hampshire on December 12 and has been kept sidelined for the past three weeks.

Crimson co-captain forward Lauren McAuliffe, however, is unfazed by Dartmouth’s predicament—no matter which way the pendulum swings.

“It’s not going to impact how we look at the game, or our mindset,” she says of the possibility of Piper missing Sunday’s contest. “Sure, it’s detrimental to their lineup, but we’re not going to get caught up in that. We’re going to approach this game in the exact same way as we were before.”

After all, it is just that mind-set that has kept challengers at bay for 13 straight—Olympians and non-Olympians alike.

—Staff writer Pablo S. Torre can be reached at torre@fas.harvard.edu.