With the whole of the potent first line departing, this line becomes the top line by default and with that transition comes a much increased share of the offensive burden.
That load will also fall on players like Katie Johnston, who seeks to return to the promising form of her freshman year, and Jennifer Raimondi, who hopes to finally realize her potential in her final season in the Crimson sweater.
Add into the mix a pair of big and talented freshmen—Laura Brady and Adrienne Bernakevitch—and Harvard suddenly has a number of scoring options. Brady impressed during brief stints on the top two lines towards the end of the season.
Cahow, meanwhile, despite her involvement in the tragic Darwitz goal, showed herself to be among the team’s most poised and confident skaters throughout the tournament.
Cahow will probably be asked to fill Banfield’s shoes next year as the defensive leader. Stone got a taste of what the defensive situation might look like next year when Banfield went down with an injury in the semifinals and liked what she saw.
The understaffed and undersized group of Cahow, junior Jennifer Skinner, sophomore Lindsay Weaver, and freshman Jessica Mackenzie rose to the occasion and held St. Lawrence to a single goal in the semis.
The Crimson is at its most secure between the pipes. Junior netminder Ali Boe returns for her senior year as the school’s all-time leader in shutouts and hopefully still riding a season-ending hot streak that pushed Harvard into its third consecutive proverbial bridesmaid’s dress.
Backup Emily Vitt will also have another chance to up her playing time next fall.
Nevertheless, the team’s detractors will be out in force next fall, betting on up-and-comers like Mercyhurst and New Hampshire instead.But the Crimson has been underestimated before and it usually rises up to humble its doubters.
Many of the pieces are in place, only to be solidified by the return of Chu and Vaillancourt in 2007.
So go ahead and count this team out for next year; it’ll probably make its fourth straight national finals out of spite.
—Staff writer Jonathan Lehman can be reached at jlehman@fas.harvard.edu.