Tri-Captain Dominates in Offensive Onslaught

The reigning women’s hockey player of the year will not be denied.

Sarah Vaillancourt, Harvard’s tri-captain and the 2008 Patty Kazmaier Award winner, proved once again this week why she is among the nation’s top forwards. But she doesn’t let her success get to her head.

“I’m the same player, I’m doing the same thing,” Vaillancourt said. “If you’ve seen me play, I just work my hardest every time, and sometimes it goes in the net.”

She kicked the week off by securing a stunning seven points against Boston University last Tuesday at the Beanpot, leading Harvard to an 8-0 thrashing of the Terriers. Vaillancourt scored a hat trick and bagged four assists, leaving no doubt about her scoring and playmaking abilities.

She followed up that primetime performance with a terrific weekend.

Against Yale, Vaillancourt set up two of her teammates in a close 2-1 contest. But the margin of victory was widened against Brown on Saturday, when Vaillancourt scored two goals and added two more assists to her weekend tally.

Harvard’s 4-0 win over Brown capped an impressive week for the Quebec native, who had a hand in 13 of Harvard’s 14 goals in the last three games.

Vaillancourt has tallied 16 goals and 20 assists thus far, leading the team in points with 36. The senior forward has also accumulated 221 points in her career, seventh all-time on the Crimson’s scoring list.

Harvard’s high-powered offense will go into the Beanpot tonight with the resolve to add one more piece of hardware to its prestigious tradition.

The Crimson’s recent success has come along with better team play, which in turn leads to a greater contribution by Vaillancourt.

“I think that every kid on our team is very determined right now,” Harvard coach Katey Stone said. “They know what the stakes are, they’re all playing harder and smarter, and they’re sharing the puck. That gives [Vaillancourt] the opportunity to do the things she does well. So many of the goals that have been scored in the past week have been because of our speed, everybody working together—not just one individual effort. Sometimes it appears that way, but it’s [about] people being a threat, making a lot more space for someone like Sarah.”

Harvard and Vaillancourt’s tenacity will be tested against Boston College in the Beanpot final, though this will not be the first time Vaillancourt has faced the pressures of a championship game.

She was the second-youngest member of the Canadian women’s hockey team that captured Olympic gold in Turin three years ago, and as a freshman she scored a goal and had an assist for Harvard in the NCAA championship game against Minnesota.

The last couple of years have been full of accolades, the most important one coming at the end of last season, when she received the Kazmaier Award as the nation’s best player.

She netted 26 goals and had 36 assists last year, and was named to numerous all-league squads.

Vaillancourt claims she hasn’t changed her ways this time around.

“I was struggling with putting pucks in the net at the beginning of the season, but now it’s going in,” she said. “Everyone else [on the] team is getting open, and I think the lines are really clicking together right now, and I think that’s where the success is coming from...I think we’re in a pretty good position right now.”

Not only is Harvard in prime position to make it back into the national rankings, but Vaillancourt has also boosted her statistics to keep pace with the nation's leaders, solidifying her position among the top candidates for this year’s Kazmaier Award.

Her chance to win this year’s highest prize improved with a 13-point performance this past week, a third of the points she has acquired this season.

She is also currently third in the nation with 2.00 points per game, and was named ECAC Player of the Week for her efforts.

With Vaillancourt hot and the team playing at a high intensity, Harvard is poised to finish the regular season strong.