With All-American Ruggiero Ejected, Forward Chu Moves Back to Blue Line

As co-captain Angela Ruggiero skated off the ice to the jeers of a charged Dartmouth crowd, Harvard coach Katey Stone had one thing to say to sophomore winger Julie Chu.

“She told me, ‘Chewie, you’re on D from now on,’” Chu said.

It was all she needed to hear.

In the 3-2 loss—which was without a doubt the Crimson’s most intensely battled game this season—Harvard needed to dig deep to overcome what became a two-goal deficit shortly after Ruggiero received a game disqualification in the third. The Crimson’s star defenseman and odds-on favorite to win the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award—given to the best female collegiate player in the country—was ejected and suspended one game for what was ruled a kick to the helmet of the Big Green’s Katie Weatherston.

After the sideshows and fireworks, Chu dug as deep as any of her teammates—almost deep enough to put Harvard over the top.

“It was just another one of those times filled with adversity when you just have to deal with the moment,” Chu said.

With Ruggiero done for the night and sophomores Jaclyn Pitushka and Jennifer Skinner scratched with back problems and a concussion, respectively, only junior Ashley Banfield and freshmen Caitlin Cahow and Linsday Weaver were left on the Crimson’s defense.

Enter Chu.

“Julie’s such a versatile player. She does everything for us,” Stone said. “She anchored the power play, jumped out there, and they all found it.”

Immediately after Ruggiero departed and already ahead one goal, Dartmouth scored off the ensuing faceoff in Harvard’s zone when Lydia Wheatley scored a power-play goal that may or may not have deflected off her skate into the net.

While the Big Green celebrated its two-goal lead, the Crimson skaters lined up around the face-off circle, prepared to give Dartmouth a run for its money.

“I was thinking we just have to find our game right now. Everyone was going to have to pick it up a pace,” Chu said.

Chu’s speed and prowess helped Harvard do just that in the final frame of action, when the Crimson came out swinging and met success.

“Everyone had the mentality, ‘Let’s pick it up and get going,’” Chu said. “Angela’s one important part of our team, but we have a ton of talent. We just needed to step up for our team and for Angela as well.”

Chu showcased more than a mentality. Her defensive prowess broke up countless Big Green drives to the net, while her speed and stick handling allowed her to lead offensive rushes.

“I tried to make sure that our defense was active,” Chu said. “One thing we’ve wanted from our defensemen is to skate it up if the opening’s there—not to force it, but it’s a help to have that extra flow, that extra player in the offensive rush.”

Chu created Harvard’s second goal of the period.  After poking the puck away from a Dartmouth skater while in the Crimson’s zone, Chu sliced through the Big Green’s defense on the left side, while linemate and fellow sophomore Jennifer Raimondi skated down the right side.

“The puck just squirted out and I skated up and saw Jen going hard to the post,” Chu said. “I sent [the puck] hard to the net, hoping good things would happen. She put it right in.”

The goal tied the game at two apiece and silenced a previously rowdy Dartmouth majority of the crowd of 1,555, while giving Harvard’s small cheering section reason to make noise.

While her offensive contributions show up on paper, Chu proved her true worth on the defensive end, where her own efforts complemented the absolutely smothering play of Banfield and the grit demonstrated by Cahow and Weaver.

Their defense neutralized the Big Green’s momentum from the second period and allowed the Crimson to storm back and keep the game tied until just over one minute remained.

Chu’s praise didn’t go unnoticed by her opponents, either.

“I thought she did a great job back there. She’s just such a good, well-rounded hockey player that it’s almost seamless for her to step back and play defense,” said Dartmouth coach Mark Hudak.

More than generating offense when Harvard needed it most and helping Banfield spearhead the defense in Ruggiero’s absence, Chu filling in every step of the way when and where she was needed reflected the entire team’s selfless play in the final period.

“She’s such a team player. I think she’d go in net if we had to,” McAuliffe said. “She’s just such a good athlete—she can play anywhere; she’s got the legs to do it. She just steps it up and does whatever we need to get done out there.”

For the final 1:15, down a goal and desperately trying to tie the game up, Chu raced down the ice to retrieve the puck time after time when the Big Green cleared it.

—Staff writer John R. Hein can be reached at hein@fas.harvard.edu.