Double-Dose of Brown for Icers This Weekend

Though the once blazing women’s hockey rivalry between No. 3 Harvard and No. 10 Brown has been little more than a flicker in recent meetings, the Crimson has more than enough incentive to take two from the Bears in back-to-back games this weekend.

In what promises to be two physical bouts, Harvard (18-2-1, 8-2-0 ECAC) hopes to put away Brown (12-5-2, 8-1-1) early with special teams play.

“If we’re able to keep our heads and stay out of the box ourselves, it would be great…to go up on the advantage and capitalize on some of their mistakes,” co-captain Lauren McAuliffe said.

The Crimson’s special teams have been nothing short of dominant all season long.

The squad converts 25.9 percent of its power plays, a fact that will come in handy should the Bears’ skaters spend an extended period of time in the sin bin.

Capitalizing on the man-advantage is all the more important considering that of the three games Harvard swept from the Bears last season, two were decided by one goal.

Brown, which successfully kills only 81.8 percent of its penalties, will almost certainly have its hands full.

“The majority of these hockey games now are coming down to special teams,” said Harvard coach Katey Stone, “so we spend a tremendous amount of time on [our special teams]. We’re very proud of how well we’ve done.”

Despite a No. 3 national ranking, a sixth-straight Beanpot championship and only one loss in the last nine meetings with Brown, Harvard still trails Brown for third in the ECAC standings.

Though the Crimson beats the Bears on paper, dominating on the ice is easier said than done.

Just over a month ago, Brown tied No. 1 and ECAC-leading Dartmouth 5-5.

Besting the Bears twice this weekend will propel Harvard into third place for sure, and possibly second depending on the results of the Dartmouth-No. 5 St. Lawrence. The Saints are currently second in the ECAC.

The Crimson hopes to ride its Beanpot momentum to two more victories.

“[Winning the Beanpot] never gets old,” Stone said, “and we like how our team is playing right now, playing with a lot of confidence, a lot of speed and enthusiasm.”

This confidence allows Harvard to look beyond the current standings.

“I think the most important thing is seeing where we are at the end of the season,” said sophomore center Julie Chu.

With all eight games left on the schedule falling under the ECAC umbrella, there is certainly plenty of time for the Crimson to capture its second straight league title. For now, the team is looking no further than this weekend.

“The game with Brown is always one of our biggest,” McAuliffe said. “They play up for us. We play up for them.”