Last season, the scoring was concentrated in three players—Jennifer Botterill ’02-‘03, sophomore Julie Chu and co-captain Angela Ruggiero, who racked up point totals of 112, 93 and 83, respectively. The next highest point-getter for the Crimson was Corriero (39).

This year, however, individual scoring has been replaced by a more united front on the offensive attack. Corriero leads the team with 53 points, and the largest gap between two consecutive scorers is 13 points. Chu has 42 points on the year while co-captain Lauren McAuliffe has tallied 29. Last season, the largest gap was 44 points by year’s end, and was between Ruggiero and Corriero.

“It’s a good mentality in there,” Stone said. “It’s not just one person, it’s everybody pulling the wagon.”

And Harvard doesn’t mind not having the same type of pressure put on the team last year.

“The expectations may not be there, but as a team we expect great things,” said sophomore goaltender Ali Boe. “Everyone is really stepping up. Last year we relied on the seniors a lot, but this year the freshman have stepped up and made huge contributions to the team.”

While the scoring this year (4.60 goals per game) is down from last year (6.47 gpg), the Crimson is still tops in the nation in this category. It also boasts the best scoring defense average—1.24 gpg—in the nation, up from last season’s 1.47 gpg. The drop in scoring makes for a lower scoring margin than last year—3.36 gpg. to 5 gpg a year ago—though the Crimson still ranks first.

One major reason for Harvard’s great defense has been the rise of Boe. After losing senior Jessica Ruddock—forced to retire from the game due to hip injuries—Boe has filled in nicely, posting .920 save percentage. Along with freshman Emily Vitt, Harvard’s two netminders have racked up nine shutouts on the year.

“It’s comforting knowing that you just need to keep them in there and eventually they’ll find a way to score and find a way to win,” Boe said. “You just have to keep them close.”

The Crimson will look to seek revenge for its Jan. 11 defeat at the hands of the Big Green Friday night in Hanover, as well as take one step closer to the Frozen Four.

“We’re trying to execute our game plan, not to be the No. 1 team in the country, but earn our way to Providence to compete for a national championship,” Stone said. “Once we get to Providence then we’ll take care of business hopefully and get things going.”

—Staff writer John R. Hein can be reached at hein@fas.harvard.edu.