Two of Harvard's freshmen have already showcased their potential in the Crimson's 5-0 exhibition loss to the Toronto Junior Aeros last Saturday. Forwards Kiirsten Suurkask and Angie Francisco both skated well and showed signs of making significant contributions early in the season.

With only one senior on the team, Harvard is definitely young. But that one senior represents most of the Crimson's consistency over the past few seasons. A three-year starter at goaltender, Bowdoin owns most of the major records at Harvard and is on her way to more.

Last year she broke her own record for most saves in a season with 836 and set the similar mark for a single game with 53 saves against Northeastern. She is only 415 saves shy of the Harvard career mark of 2,107 held by Erin Villotte '95, and she needs just one more shutout to tie the Crimson career record of nine.

"Everything starts with goaltending," said Coach Katey Stone. "In order to win in this league, you must have solid goaltending."

However, Bowdoin's record-chasing quest will be on hold until December as she recovers from off-season hip surgery. This means that yet another newcomer, sophomore transfer Crystal Springer, will be called upon to perform early in the season.

Springer displayed good skills in her exhibition debut against Toronto, and she should keep the Crimson in close games until Bowdoin can take over once again between the pipes.

"[Springer] is a good goalie," Bowdoin said. "The hardest part for her will be making the adjustment to Division I hockey, but I think she'll do a good job."

Harvard's first opportunity to showcase its abilities comes this weekend as the team kicks off its season at the All-American Tournament in Minnesota. The Crimson will face Minnesota, Augsburg and Gustavus during the four-day tournament.

With a good core of experienced players and a solid crop of freshmen, Harvard is looking forward to a very productive season. Although many of the Crimson players have not proven themselves in game situations, Walsh believes that this team has what it takes to go a long way, and she refuses to place limitations on Harvard's potential.

"I'm really excited," she said. "We have a much larger team this year, and the enthusiasm is up. We know how to work hard and know how to hustle. We're gunning for the Ivies."