For the Harvard women's ice hockey team, Wednesday's game against league rival Brown represented an opportunity to exorcize the memory of a demonic three-game ECAC winless streak. But even the Pope could not rescue the Crimson (2-5-1, 1-3-1 ECAC) in Providence, as the Bears (5-2-1, 2-0-1) prevailed 6-2.
Indeed, Harvard's chains were rattled from the outset of Wednesday's game.
Brown threw the Crimson game plan off from the get-go by floating its wings into Harvard's high slot. The Crimson was unprepared for this strategy and yielded a quick goal to Brown left wing Nan Gorton off a corner pass.
Although this early Brown strike was certainly disconcerting. Harvard did not roll over and concede the contest. At 6:23 into the period, however, the Crimson suffered a tough break from which it never recovered. Harvard goalie Jen Bowdoin covered up a Brown shot, but the referees failed to whistle the play dead.
The subsequent fracas lodged the puck free, and Bear Karen Emma pushed it into the net. For lack of a simple whistle, Harvard's deficit doubled to 2-0.
"A 2-0 deficit is much more daunting than a 1-0 deficit," co-captain Holly Leitzes said. "From that point on we tightened up and were unable to really get back into the game."
Nonetheless, the Crimson jumped out to a strong second period start. Nineteen seconds into the stanza, freshman forward Alice DuBois assisted fellow freshman Melissa Milbert on the first goal of her Harvard career.
"Our freshmen have really stood out in the last couple of games," junior forward Jen Duval said. "Their play has been strong and they're quickly adjusting to their roles on the team."
Brown, however, was unimpressed, shaking off the Harvard challenge and tallying three consecutive goals. Only at 10:02 of the third period did Leitzes feed junior defenseman Christa Calagione for the Crimson's final goal.
Although Calagione's power play goal (the first of the season for the Crimson) scarcely softened the sting of the 6-2 loss, Harvard took heart in the toughness of its opponent and in its own strong play.
"Brown is probably the best team in the ECAC," Leitzes said. "They have a ton of talent on all four lines, and they also have a great crop of freshmen. Even so, we played well, and we'll play them even better when we see them again in February.".
Harvard's preparation for this rematch with Brown will begin this weekend when the Crimson face Middlebury and Williams--two non-league opponents--at Bright Hockey Center.
After an exceedingly difficult season-opening schedule, the Crimson will relish this chance to play with relative relaxation.
"Middlebury and Williams won't be pushovers, but they certainly aren't as talented as Brown or many of the other ECAC teams," said Leitzes.
"Neither of the games will be easy, but we should have a more relaxed attitude going into them," Duval agreed.
With the pressure off, Harvard hopes to make some necessary adjustments.
The Crimson will take the weekend's games as an opportunity to grow comfortable with its recently adjusted line assignments. The contests will also provide everyone with a chance to play.
"We should finally get the chance to practice some things that have troubled us against tough league competition," Leitzes said.
And with this weekend's experience behind them, the Crimson should be more than ready to tackle the second half of its difficult league schedule. First Period Brown--Gorton(Deering) 3:56. Brown-Emma (King, Kellar) 0:19. Brown-Ingram (King) 13:02. Second Period Harvard-Milbert (DuBois) 0:19. Brown-King 1 14:40. Third Period Brown-Hashenson (Deering) 5:41. Brown-Emma (Reed, Regnier) 8:10. Harvard-Calagone 3 (Leitzes) 10:02. (PPG).
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