The Raiders started the season by splitting games against No. 8 Providence, losing 6-2 before posting a 2-1 win. They stretched their streak out to three wins, topping Quinnipiac 3-0 and Wayne State 3-2, before the latter struck back with a 4-1 win.
Colgate will hope that senior leftwinger Amanda Barre and junior forward Allison Paiano can break through against the Crimson, but in today’s match-up they will likely fall back on their own defensive talent.
The Raiders present a formidable challenge to the explosive Harvard offense, and are led by senior goalie Rebecca Lahar, a 2003-04 All-ECAC team selection with a career .905 save percentage.
Last season the Crimson struggled the most against quality goalies like Yale’s Sarah Love and St. Lawrence’s Rachel Barrie.
Ultimately, Colgate plans to bank on aggressive energy to bridge their skill gap with Harvard.
“If we get caught watching them play, it’s going to be a long night,” Wiley said. “It’s not always the best team that wins—it’s the team that plays best. We have to dictate the plays the best we can and capitalize on the opportunities we’re given.”
CORNELL
Harvard will wait less than a day before turning its attention to ECAC opponent the Big Red.
Against the Crimson, Cornell’s hopes lie in “surviving the first fifteen minutes,” according to Big Red head coach Melody Davidson. The Big Red is still rebuilding its program, with nine freshmen on its roster.
“Obviously we’re a young team, and while they have some freshman, they’re more experienced,” Davidson said.
Though not entirely inexperienced—it returns last season’s leading scorer, junior Jen Munhofen, among others—Cornell has yet to hit the ice in a real game. They play Brown tonight in Providence before traveling to Cambridge tomorrow.
Additionally, Cornell’s exhibition results have been mixed. The Big Red began its season with a 4-2 scrimmage loss to the Toronto Jr. Aeros, after falling behind 2-0 early in the first period. They redeemed themselves with a 4-3 win over the Mississauga Jr. Chiefs in which Cornell put up 40 shots on goal. Sophomore Caroline Scott notched two goals and an assist in the victory.
“Their line played very well, and she was able to finish off some plays from the line,” Davidson said. “They just clicked on Saturday’s game and hopefully they’ll continue to click.”
Davidson will spend time north of the border as head coach of the Canadian National Women’s Hockey Team for the Turin, Italy Winter Olympics in 2006. Davidson worked as an assistant coach for Team Canada during its gold-medal performance in the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.
Harvard topped Cornell in consecutive ECAC quarterfinal games last postseason, ending the Big Red’s year. Cornell began this season near the bottom of the conference, ranked eighth.
In an early-season game between essentially untested teams, however, “anything can happen,” Davidson said.
The Crimson agrees that its opponent will prove to be a formidable challenge.
“They’ve got a team of really good players at Cornell,” Stone said.