When asked how hockey has shaped her experience, Bellamy immediately responds, “It is my experience.”

After all, despite having just one senior on the team last season, the Crimson found success in most phases of the game, finishing with the second-best record in the deepest league in the country.

“You can talk all you want, but it does so much more when we can lead by example,” Dempsey says. “It doesn’t always have to be goals. It’s some of those little things like [blocking a shot] where people just play gritty.”

According to the seniors, Stone—who also serves as coach of the U.S. national team—is one of the best at making sure that the team does those little things.

“We definitely take pride in the jersey we wear,” Bellamy says. “And a lot of that is credit to Coach Stone.”

Stone, women’s college hockey’s winningest coach, brings her own share of experience to the squad with 18 years behind the Harvard bench.

Defender Hilary Hayssen describes how, in a juniors-only meeting before last season, Stone revealed just how much confidence she had in the unit.

While the bounce of the puck will ultimately decide the team’s fate this year, the visibly excited seniors realize the importance of the preparation process.

“The ultimate goal is a national championship,” defender Kelsey Romatoski says. “Four years in the making. This is an experienced group we have right here, so we are pretty much ready for anything.”

Yet the road that has led to this moment cannot translate into complacency.

“[The seniors] are very smart; they know the game,” Stone says. “It’s time for them to step up and execute.”

—Staff writer Daniel A. Grafstein can be reached at dgrafstein@college.harvard.edu