“There certainly are changes because I’m a different person than she is,” Crowell said. “[But] for the most part we are trying to keep the overall themes the same.”

Despite the fact that the team is used to having Stone at the helm, the players are all very familiar with Crowell. Stone found out she would be coaching the Olympic team in June 2012 and Crowell was announced as the interim coach shortly after that, so the transition has been smooth as the pair have been able to work together in preparation for the upcoming season.

“Everybody in the locker room knew this was coming so it wasn’t a huge shock when I showed up in September,” Crowell said. “There was a lot of familiarity with my personality and my style.”

Preparation was something Crowell cited as a key to Stone’s success, both in her preparation for games and the way she prepares her players to anticipate any possible game situation.

“Coach Stone prepares her teams so well for all situations. It seems like the players are never surprised about what happens in the game,” Crowell added. “They have a quiet confidence about them. That’s what I want to continue because that’s how she’s been able to be so successful.”

In terms of advice for the new coach, Stone didn’t need to give much, as she knew Crowell was the best person for the job.

“I told her to go with her instincts,” Stone said. “She’s got great instincts, and she needs to do what she thinks this group of kids needs this year. I completely trust her and back all of her decisions.”

When the team found out Stone would be departing for the year, each of the other assistant coaches shifted up to a higher level. Laura Bellamy ’13, the former starting goaltender and last year’s co-captain, joins the staff as an assistant coach, alongside Hayley Moore, who is in her second year as assistant coach.

In her first game as interim head coach, Crowell led the Crimson to a 5-2 victory over McGill in the season’s exhibition opener. She cited her past experiences as a head coach as making the shift easier for her, but it has been an adjustment coming back into head coaching after being an assistant for several years.

“Knowing that [Stone] supports me in this position gives me a ton of confidence in doing it,” Crowell said. “I have been a head coach before…. [Harvard] is obviously on a much greater scale and at a higher level so that makes a difference.”

Although Stone will be back next year, Crowell is excited to have the opportunity to lead this team, even if it is only for one season.

“It’s fun for me because I know it is a one year opportunity and Coach Stone is coming back,” Crowell said. ”It’s not like the pressure [of] trying to get a job. It’s fun, I feel very lucky…. To be able to coach the Harvard team is pretty unbelievable.