FEMALE BREAKOUT PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Defenseman Takes Game to New Level

After a solid rookie campaign in which she tallied four goals and nine assists, sophomore defender Josephine Pucci of the Harvard women’s hockey team attended a different kind of summer school, opting to stay in Cambridge to work on her game during the summer months.

“Freshman year, I learned so much about college hockey from the coaches, the team, and our strength coach,” Pucci said. “I did what I could to build off of that and stayed at Harvard over the summer. That helped me become a more conditioned athlete and a physically stronger player.”

Her decision to focus on training proved to be effective. Pucci had a breakout season this winter, earning a spot as a finalist for the ECAC Best Defensive Defenseman Award and leading all Crimson defenders with 25 points on 12 goals and 13 assists, including two game-winners against Union and St. Lawrence, respectively.

“For [Pucci], it’s all about a big confidence boost,” said tri-captain forward Kate Buesser. “She’s become more confident, and it’s been noticeable on the ice.”

Pucci notched her first assist of the year in Harvard’s opening game, hitting senior forward Kathryn Chute on a power-play advantage for the score. Three games into the season, Pucci scored a goal of her own in a 4-2 win over Brown.

She helped anchor a defense that gave up an average of 1.95 conference goals per game and boasted a .908 save percentage.

“[Pucci] was definitely one of the reasons why we did so well this season,” tri-captain Liza Ryabkina said. “She stepped up not only defensively but she was an overall force on the ice.”

During Pucci’s sophomore campaign, Harvard scored 97 goals and won an impressive 14 ECAC games.

Though Harvard was ranked as high as No. 5 in the nation during Pucci’s rookie campaign, her increased presence on the ice made a big difference in the team’s play this season.

“It’s important to use the summer as an opportunity to grow...in any way we can,” Pucci said. “Preparing off the ice and coming back here and having good time [is essential.]”

Pucci earned a nod to the All-Ivy first team and the All-ECAC second team after her performance this season. The sophomore also earned recognition as an honoree of the New England Hockey Writers Division I All-Star team.

“Her work ethic sets her apart,” Buesser said. “She’s in the gym all the time and always putting in the effort. She’s one of our best defensemen and is really reliable, whether shutting down someone on defense or, offensively, giving a team a lift with a nice pass or play.”

“I want to do the best I can and improve in any way I can,” Pucci said. “Hopefully that will help the team get better. Any time an individual gets better, it helps the team, keeping us moving forward and continuing to improve. We want to keep moving and building.”

National team coaches are also beginning to notice Pucci’s work ethic, as the sophomore was selected to represent Team USA at the IIHF World Championships.

Coached by none other than Harvard’s Katey Stone, Team USA captured gold in overtime against Canada, 3-2.

“Playing at the World Championships was an unbelievable experience,” Pucci said. “We beat Canada in overtime in the finals, and I learned so much.”

“Playing at that high level pushes you in every way possible, mentally and physically,” she continued. “It was a great challenge to have the opportunity to experience.”

Time spent playing in the World Championships had other, less obvious benefits for Pucci, as Crimson hockey alums Caitlin Cahow ’08, Angela Ruggiero ’02, and Julie Chu ’07 earned the world title alongside her as teammates in Switzerland.

“I was able to play for coach Stone again up there and play with some older Harvard alums,” Pucci said. “Coming through the Harvard program, having heard stories about them, and then actually getting to know them and playing with them was an amazing experience.”

—Staff writer Catherine E. Coppinger can be reached at ccoppinger@college.harvard.edu.