“She makes sure that we don’t take ourselves too seriously and she reminds us that we should keep hockey and being with the team fun,” says sophomore forward Julie Chu. “However, at the same time, she understands that there is a time and a place for everything and when it comes time to work, she pushes herself and those around her.”
Heart and Soul
The combination of Ruggiero and McAuliffe strikes the perfect balance of success, work, dedication and fun. The two are good friends off the ice, which helps make their teamwork more effective.
“I think we may see Angela emerge as an even greater leader this year as a result of she and Cully getting along great,” Stone says.
“We’re both on the same page,” McAuliffe says. “We’re really good friends which is great because there’s really great communication between the two of us.”
“We’re both positive people in general,” Ruggiero says. “I’ll speak when something needs to be said. But you need someone to be the leader who everyone looks to for “how do I do this?” That’s Lauren. She gets the team excited to go out there, like a spark plug.”
Both Ruggiero and McAuliffe know exactly where they want to take this year’s team.
“Last year we did awesome, but we didn’t win it all,” McAuliffe says. “There was that one goal left undone. I’m looking to get that this year, so we’ve got to be better than we were last year.
“We just need to be on the same page and have the same mind set that we’re going to Providence; we’re going to the Frozen Four this year. And I guess that starts with the captains, the seniors and the juniors. If we have that in our mind that we’re going there, then everyone’s just going to jump on board with that and just follow us.”
Stone believes their shared mind set reflects their Harvard experiences.
“They just know what it’s like to be a part of this program,” Stone says. “These kids understand how important it is to pass on that tradition and expectation, and I think they’re just really great role models.”
“I try to show the younger kids how we play Harvard hockey,” McAuliffe says, “to show them what everyone’s worked for, for so many years, to get to the point where we are, and to make sure they appreciate that.”
The balance between Ruggiero and McAuliffe should serve the Crimson well this season as aim to take Harvard to this year’s Frozen Four in Providence, R.I.
“We have great leadership on this team,” Stone says, “and that’s going to be the key to our success.”