When senior goaltender Christina Kessler sustained a career-ending torn ACL last week, it appeared that the Harvard women’s hockey team had found itself on thin ice. Kessler holds the NCAA career record with a .9413 save percentage, stopping 1,863 of 1,979 shots during her years at Harvard.

Now, after Kessler’s injury, the responsibility of protecting the goal falls to the shoulders of freshman Laura Bellamy.

Despite the newfound pressure Bellamy now faces, hockey is a part of life for the Minnesota native.

“Hockey is very popular in Minnesota,” Bellamy said. “My whole family played, and I learned how to skate when I was only three or four years old. My brother, who is also a goalie, taught me how to play the position, so I guess it’s just in my blood.”

The idea that hockey is innate for Bellamy was clearly evident through her performance in the net throughout the season. During her first-career start against Princeton on Jan. 8th, the freshman made 13 saves in the 3-3 tie. She contributed the same number of saves in her first career shutout in a 4-0 victory over Union on Jan. 22nd, and then posted a career-best 25 saves against Rensselaer the day after.

“Although [Bellamy] kind of got thrown into the position, she certainly is getting better and better in every game she plays,” Crimson coach Katey Stone said. “She’s a great kid, and very athletic.”

“Now that Laura has had the opportunity to play, she’s begun to gain more and more confidence each game,” co-captain Kathryn Farni added. “She’s eager to learn and always has a smile on her face.”

The only misfortune is that Bellamy’s opportunity to play has come as the result of an injury to a teammate who was not only a talented goaltender but also a leader for the Crimson squad.

“When we found out Kessler got hurt, it was devastating to the team,” Bellamy said. “You don’t want anyone’s career to end that way, but for her, as arguably the best goalie in the country, it was especially terrible.”

In her final game, Kessler became Harvard’s all-time wins leader with her 64th victory, making 21 saves to contribute to a 5-1 victory over Colgate. The loss of their senior goaltender is no doubt terrible, but Bellamy as well as her Crimson teammates know they cannot throw in the towel.

“Now we have to pick up the pieces—the season cannot be over yet,” Bellamy said. “We still have the same goals and the same destination for our season; it’s just going to be a different road to get there.”

This road requires Bellamy to not only make the transition from high school to Division I collegiate play but also develop into a team leader and game saver as a freshman.

“It’s definitely time for me to prove myself and step into the role that [Kessler] has been playing the last three-plus years,” Bellamy said. “It’s certainly bittersweet to be playing when you usually have to win the position on the team, but like anything in athletics, it’s an opportunity.”

Farni already sees Bellamy beginning to prove herself to her team and her position, which speaks to the future of the hockey program.

“She’s everything you could hope for as a senior for a freshman coming in,” Farni said. “She had butterflies at the beginning, but now she’s making the big saves, and she really looks like she belongs in college competition. She’s becoming a leader already.”

With a number of games left to be played before the season ends, the seventh-ranked Harvard team still has time—as Bellamy said—to pick up the pieces.

“Now we have to come together and use Kessler as extra motivation to win,” Bellamy said. “We’re still going to try and do what we had planned all season; we’re still going to win hockey games.”

“You never know how the season will go, you can’t predict the outcome, but you do have to bring your best everyday,” Stone echoed.

The unpredictable conclusion to the season will ultimately be determined by Bellamy and her teammates as they look to continue a winning year.

But for now, Bellamy will try to fill the skates of a talented predecessor and become the best player she can. Based on her early performances and the confidence of her team, the best player Bellamy can be will no doubt be a great one.

“She has an attitude that will take her wherever she’s willing to go,” Farni concluded. “She’ll do great things.”

—Staff writer B. Marjorie Gullick can be reached at gullick@college.harvard.edu.