COMEBACK ATHLETE OF THE YEAR RUNNER-UP: Ryabkina Makes Her Return Known

In her first two seasons on the Harvard women’s hockey team, junior Liza Ryabkina had shown flashes of brilliance.

Her powerful shot, skill with the puck, and ability to play at both ends of the ice offered fans a taste of what the skater could do once she got her moment in the spotlight.

With the graduation of Olympian Sarah Vaillancourt ’08-’09 last May, it looked like Ryabkina was about to get her chance to shine.

But as the season opened, Ryabkina found herself on the bench with a dislocated knee suffered at a captains’ practice in September.

“We really didn’t know what to expect,” Crimson coach Katey Stone said of the injury. “That’s a precarious injury. She was in tremendous shape, and that happened.”

The junior missed the first nine games of Harvard’s season. But when she returned in the squad’s Nov. 25 matchup with Dartmouth, Ryabkina reminded the Crimson just how much it had missed her.

With 3:29 to play in the contest, Ryabkina tipped in a shot off the stick of rookie Josephine Pucci, giving Harvard a 3-2 win over its conference rival.

“When everyone jumped on me after I scored that goal, I don’t think I’ve ever been happier in my life,” the junior said in November.

She replicated her heroics the following weekend, scoring the lone goal in the Crimson’s 1-0 upset of then-No. 2 Minnesota. And from there, the goals just kept on coming.

“She was really chomping at the bit to get back,” junior Kate Buesser said. “The injury just put things into perspective and allowed her to give everything she had when she could play—and it was definitely reflected in the last half of the season.”

Despite missing the first month of the season, Ryabkina finished third on the team in points (22) and was second only to Buesser in goals with 15. She was also nominated for the Patty Kazmaier Award, given annually to the best player in college women’s hockey.

“I look at Liza, and she’s one of the most dominant players at the collegiate level for women,” Buesser said. “That’s a really great thing to have on your line.”

Ryabkina’s best performance came in the Beanpot, where she lit up Boston College in the first game with a career-high four-goal performance, including a natural hat trick in the third period.

She then scored the game-winner in the championship matchup with Northeastern, giving Harvard all the offense it would need in its 1-0 victory and earning tournament MVP honors in the process.

“It was her best season,” Stone said. “I really believe she has the capability of being one of the top five best players in the country. It’s all in her head and all in her hands, as far as I’m concerned.”

—Staff writer Kate Leist can be reached at kleist@fas.harvard.edu.