Dunn (18, 15) has filled in for Botterill on the top forward line of co-captain A.J. Mleczko (31, 71) and sophomore Tammy Shewchuk (44, 45), the two highest-scoring skaters in the nation. Dunn, who is normally the third-line center, has scored a goal and made seven assists in the three games Botterill has missed.
The first line is still solid, but Botterill's absence could hurt Harvard's depth. If Cornell manages to hang around until the third period, Stone will not have the luxury of bumping Dunn onto the second line of sophomores Angie Francisco (11, 31) and Kiirsten Suurkask (11, 15). In the nailbiter at Princeton, senior winger Jen Gerometta (7, 8) played on the second line and had an assist.
"We all know what we have to do, and our roles are not different," Dunn said. "We are capable of beating Cornell without Botterill and Ruggiero, and we can still cut down to two lines in a close game."
The Crimson will also have junior goaltender Crystal Springer between the pipes, starting in her third game since recovering from a broken collarbone. Springer is second in the ECAC with a 1.40 GAA and third with a .928 save percentage. Freshman netminder Alison Kuusisto guided Harvard to nine wins in Springer's absence with a .900 save percentage and a 1.87 GAA.
"My bone is set and there is no fear of re-breaking it, although my arm is a little weaker coming off the injury," Springer said. "I go into most games wanting to put out a solid performance because I know my teammates can score for me. But the Cornell game will be more personal just because I'm trying to get back to where I was before I hurt myself. I need to focus on playing with confidence and solid fundamentals."
Springer made a rocky return at Princeton, recording 20 saves while allowing four goals. In 51:15 of action at Yale, she shut down the lowly Elis with 10 saves.
Notes
Including Cornell, the Crimson has beaten all five of those opponents in the last six weeks.