The Harvard women's hockey team answered what few questions there were heading into the first weekend of the season and, more importantly, maintained the nation's No. 1 ranking with a pair of victories on the road.

The Crimson (2-0-0, 0-0-0 ECAC) held off Wisconsin (5-4-1, 3-2-1 WCHA) Friday, 3-1, in Madison before pasting then-No. 5 Minnesota (5-3-0, 2-0-0 WCHA), 8-3, in Minneapolis. Despite losing to Harvard, the Gophers jumped to No. 3 in the U.S. College Hockey Online poll by beating then-No. 3 Brown, 4-0, on Friday.

Although Harvard Coach Katey Stone had to tweak her top forward line in the offseason, it continues to score at will. The first line combined for 20 points in the first two games that the Crimson has played without A.J. Mleczko '99, who won the 1998-99 Kazmaier Award as national player of the year.

Junior winger Tammy Shewchuk earned the ECAC Player of the Week Award for scoring five goals and two assists on the weekend.

"Our line feels great," said sophomore center Jen Botterill, Shewchuk's linemate. "Every shift we get a little better, and we're starting to work really well together."

Botterill, who replaced Mleczko by switching from wing to center, had three goals and four assists. Junior winger Angie Francisco, the newcomer on the top line, scored a goal and five assists. Both Francisco and Botterill were named to the ECAC honor roll.

This weekend also marked senior goaltender Crystal Springer's first games between the pipes since she reinjured her collarbone in the national semifinal against Brown last March. Springer allowed four goals and made 38 saves in the two victories.

"I was a little more nervous than usual at Wisconsin because it was my first game since the injury," Springer said. "But I was really excited to get back out there."