The Harvard women’s hockey team entered last night’s Beanpot semi-final game against Boston College still showing signs of the battle scars sustained thus far this season.

Sophomore winger Julie Chu continues to tape her wrist while healing from a wrist injury suffered in a game with the U.S. National Camp over Christmas break.

“It happened on impact,” Chu said in reference to the wrist injury. “We’re still not really sure what it is, because I haven’t had time to rest it. All I know is it wasn’t extending the right way.”

Chu played injured against Dartmouth after missing a scrimmage against the Bluewater Hawks on Jan. 2 and the Crimson’s 3-0 victory over Vermont Jan. 10.

“Compared to how I was a few weeks ago, I feel 100 percent better,” Chu said.

Her performance against Princeton and Yale showed she was coming back to form, posting two goals and four assists over the two games.

“We don’t even realize she’s hurt anymore,” Ruggiero said. “If someone puts a jersey on, they’re healthy enough to play. She might have tape on her wrist, but she’ll play through the pain.”

The same can be said for defenseman Ashley Banfield, who suffered a dislocated patella in her during Harvard’s nail-biting 2-1 defeat to No. 1 Dartmouth Jan.11.

Banfield’s knee has plagued her in the past. She missed a handful of games last year due to knee problems, as well as 11 games her freshman season.

But she hasn’t missed a game this year, due in large part to the healing time afforded by reading period. Her presence on the ice has been invaluable given the youth of most of Harvard’s blueliners, as well as the absence of Jaclyn Pitushka from the line-up.

Though she remembers no specific incident to explain the injury, Pitushka suffered a ruptured disc in her back sometime after the Minnesota-Duluth game Dec. 13 and has been missing in action ever since. Both she and Harvard coach Katey Stone expect her to be back for this weekend’s road games against Colgate and Cornell.

But as the injured return, others are scratched from the lineup. Stone does not expect freshman defenseman Lindsey Weaver, who suffered a concussion last Friday night against Princeton, to be back in action for over a week.

As always, Stone has a response to unexpected developments.

“We’ve adjusted some things and changed our lines around a little bit to hopefully spark some different elements for us,” she said. “Caitlin Cahow has become a defenseman now, which I think is going to be a good move for us and a good move for her.”

Bruised Ego