Record Crowd Expected For Visit From Boston College

In a sea of fans dressed in white, the Crimson women’s hockey team will hope to stand out against fellow Boston foe Boston College (12-4-1, 7-1 WHEA). Coming off several convincing wins, Harvard is looking to continue its winning ways in front of a large home crowd as it heads into the winter break.

The Crimson (8-1-1, 7-1-1 ECAC) is seeking to break its record for single-game attendance of 1,921, which was set in 2004 against Dartmouth. The program is sponsoring a “White the Bright” event, an annual affair that encourages fans to dress in all white.

So far this season, the team has done well at home, with a record of 5-0-1 when it plays at the Bright-Landry Center. Conversely, the Eagles have struggled away from their home rink, with a 4-3-1 away record.

“Whenever you play BC, it’s a really good game,” junior forward Samantha Reber said. “It’s kind of like that Boston battle…. We’re hoping to get a lot of fans to get a good atmosphere and get us excited and pumped up.”

In addition to being Beantown rivals, BC is also Harvard’s fourth ranked opponent thus far this season. Although they were once ranked second, the Eagles are currently ranked sixth in the nation, while the Crimson sits at fourth and fifth in the two major polls. BC is also coming off several games against ranked opponents, as it split two games against No. 3 Cornell last weekend.

The goalie matchup of Harvard sophomore Emerance Maschmeyer and BC’s Corinne Boyles will be a key storyline to watch throughout the game. Both have been having strong seasons statistically. In the two games against Cornell, Boyles had 65 saves with a 1.51 goals against average. She was named last week’s Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week for the effort.

In Maschmeyer’s most recent game against Dartmouth, she saved 25 shots and recorded her fourth shutout of the season. Three more shutouts would put her fifth in the Harvard record books, as she currently has nine shutouts in her career since joining the team last year. The sophomore is one shutout away from tying her season-high with 19 games to go.

The Crimson defense in front of Maschmeyer has also been crucial to Harvard’s winning ways. The team leads the country in penalty kills, as it has only allowed one power play goal in 52 opportunities. The Crimson has only allowed 10 goals in 10 games so far in the 2013-2014 campaign, with freshman defenseman Briana Mastel leading the defense with 22 blocked shots.

However, BC is known for having a potent offense that will challenge the Harvard defense. Through their first 17 games, the Eagles have eight skaters with at least 10 points. They have outscored opponents, 63-36, and average 3.7 goals per game. The Crimson on the other hand is averaging an even three goals per game.

The Eagles have also been outshooting their opponents, 597-455. The Crimson, meanwhile, has been outshot in all but two games. Despite the lower shot count, it has been connecting on more shots than opponents, with a scoring percentage of .127 compared to its opponents’ conversion percentage of .036.

The Crimson offense has been spread out amongst several players. Four people have registered at least four goals. While Reber leads the team with six assists, four other players have dished out at least five.

Going into their two games this weekend against Boston College and New Hampshire, the Crimson is unbeaten in its last seven games, a statistic that puts it second in the country behind Wisconsin, who went unbeaten for 12 consecutive contests.

“Consistency is pretty big for us right now,” Reber said. “We’re having a really good season so far, so we just want to keep it going.”

This is not the only time the Crimson will face BC this season. The next time will come on a much bigger scale.

“This will be a good preview for the Beanpot,” freshman defenseman Robyn White said. “It’s a good rivalry we’ve had for a lot of years.”

The last time the two teams faced each other, the Crimson was unable to hold onto a 1-0 lead in the first period as the Eagles recorded three unanswered goals to secure a spot in the NCAA quarterfinals.