Season Opens With a Bang

The Harvard women’s hockey team may be young and untested, but on Saturday the Crimson came out on the ice with poise and experience on its side.

With a mix of veterans and new faces providing the spark, Harvard (1-0-0, 0-0-0 Ivy) overwhelmed Division I-newbie Robert Morris (0-5-0, 0-0-0 CHA) by a score of 7-0 in the season opener at Bright Hockey Center.

“It’s a good start for us,” Crimson coach Katey Stone said. “We got a lot of kids a lot of playing time. I just said to the kids, though, ‘It’s only going to get tougher from here on.’”

Harvard’s eight rookies saw their first collegiate action in Saturday’s matchup, but on the other side of the ice were 16 freshmen for the Colonials.

“We are always excited anytime women’s hockey is expanding—anytime that there are new programs that are coming up along the line, that is a big step for women’s ice hockey,” captain Carrie Schroyer said. “We love to play them—they have a lot of heart, they worked hard out there, and they give us a good battle.”

Despite the inexperience for both sides, the ultimate deciding factor came down to Harvard’s dynamic as it consistently kept the pressure on Robert Morris. At the ring of the final bell, the Crimson had thrown 57 shots at the Colonials’ two goaltenders, while senior Ali Boe had to turn away only 16 for the shutout.

As a result of Harvard’s constant offensive threat, a number of its freshmen were able to not only log notable playing time, but also to notch their first collegiate points.

Freshman Sarah Wilson led the way by netting two goals—the Crimson’s second and third—in the contest. While her first came on a crisp passing play, her second was the result of positioning and concentration as she knocked home the rebound from a shot by junior Liza Solley.

Wilson was followed up by classmate Kristen Kester, who scored her first goal as well against Robert Morris. Three more rookies also notched assists.

“It’s great to see kids have a touch around the net—it’s something that you cannot teach,” Stone said. “We have a lot of loose ends, but the kids are working real hard. And that’s the name of the game for us—we are going to out hustle people.”

The upperclassmen chipped in as well. Four scored goals, while almost every one at least had one or two shots on net.

“We have been waiting for this for a while now,” Schroyer said. “In the preseason we are waiting for Oct. 15—for the official start of our practices. And we were looking forward to Oct. 29—for our first game tonight.”

Sophomore Adrienne Bernakevitch opened her second season—in which she will be relied on, along with her classmates, to contribute to the team’s offensive output—by scoring the gamewinner against the Colonials’ Brianne McLaughlin just over seven minutes into the first period.

While McLaughlin was blocked from seeing the puck on the right of the net, sophomore Laura Brady passed it across to the left side where Bernakevitch found the back of the net just inside of the right post.

After Wilson scored her first a minute later, Robert Morris regained its composure and managed to put up a fight for the rest of the period as Harvard saddled itself with a number of penalties.

When the Crimson killed a five-on-three disadvantage late in the opening frame, the tide began to turn again. The Colonials found the box often in the second period and an almost immediate five-on-three power play for Harvard led to another goal.

The Crimson finished the game two-for-seven on the powerplay with 16 shots.

From then on, the game seemed decided as Robert Morris only managed four more shots on goal.

Nevertheless, everything was not flawless for the Crimson—especially in the opening period.

“We need to start a little faster than we did. If we keep getting better everyday, then we will be set,” Stone said. “We might win a lot of one goal games, and that is okay with me as long as we have one more than they do.”

—Staff writer Gabriel M. Velez can be reached at gmvelez@fas.harvard.edu.