“We’re going to miss them. They are a huge chunk of our leadership,” Ruggiero said. “The players we have and our recruits will step up, but there’s a huge a huge void to fill.”

Bark Worse Than Bulldogs Bite

To reach the final, UMD beat Dartmouth 5-2 on March 21. The Crimson players watched some of that game after their 6-1 win over Minnesota, and the Bulldogs’ celebrations drew the ire of some of Harvard’s skaters.

The Duluth players acted as though they had already won the national championship after they scored their first goal against Dartmouth, throwing their sticks to the ice and piling on the ice.

“Our team doesn’t throw our stick down or jump against the boards,” Ruggiero said prior to the championship game. “It’s not about being flamboyant after scoring a goal. It’s about getting the job done. Maybe I’ll say something to the refs like ‘keep the celebrations down.’”

Harvard junior goaltender Jessica Ruddock was even more adamant in voicing her displeasure.

“They should get penalties for that,” Ruddock said. “It’s unsportsmanlike. We’re not that kind of team—we have integrity and class. I care about hockey. I care about the way [the game] comes across. When they throw their sticks down or pile up after the first goal of the game, I think that it’s arrogant and that’s not the kind of team we are.”

UMD senior Maria Rooth defended her team’s right to celebrate.

“Every goal has a huge potential to be the game-winner so of course we’re all going to be excited because of it,” Rooth said.