For Harvard women’s hockey, the year of the XXII Olympiad is a year of Olympic challenges.

The upcoming games in Sochi, Russia ,mean changes for the whole Crimson squad, as its head coach and several key players take time away from Cambridge to pursue Olympic medals.

Filling in the gaps is no easy job, and the team aspires to maintain its standard of excellence this season in spite of huge adjustments.

Under head coach Katey Stone, the women’s hockey team has been one of the winningest teams at Harvard throughout the past 18 years, collecting six regular season ECAC titles and making nine NCAA tournament appearances.

As Stone takes this year off to coach the USA women’s national team, the Crimson will be led by interim head coach, Maura Crowell, who has been an assistant coach for Harvard for the past three years.

When Crowell, who previously had spent five years at the helm of UMass Boston, found out about her new role in June, she knew that her work was cut out for her.

“Getting back into the role [of head coach] after being assistant coach is an adjustment,” Crowell said. “But it’s a good one.”

Crowell is not facing this adjustment alone. With the support system of assistant coach Hayley Moore, and new assistant coach Laura Bellamy ’13, Crowell is well-equipped to tackle the task at hand.

An additional resource for Crowell in this transitional year is junior captain Marissa Gedman, who is returning to action after suffering an Achilles’ tear last year. Her return marks the comeback of an offensive force for the Crimson, as the lefty defenseman was responsible for eight goals, including five game-winners, in her last season.

“She sets the tone right away,” Crowell said. “She works hard and takes it seriously, so everyone follows in line behind her. Marissa expects a lot out of her teammates, and they want to prove to her that they belong and can meet her standards.”

With only two seniors on this year’s squad, Harvard’s roster is one of the youngest the team has had in years. The Crimson graduated six seniors last season, and is now dominated by younger players, making Gedman’s role as captain all the more crucial to the success of the team. It’s a role she is more than ready to fulfill.

“I love the responsibility,” Gedman said. “I love leading this team.”

Besides the absence of its head coach this year, Harvard is also missing Josephine Pucci, Michelle Picard, and Lindsey Fry, three key players in the Crimson lineup that will all be competing for spots on Olympic rosters this Fall.

The absence of these valuable contributors has made it more necessary than ever for each player on the Crimson to deliver. For this reason, the coaching staff and older players are holding the newcomers to a higher standard than ever as they head into this season.

“We always tell our freshmen, ‘You’re not freshmen anymore after those first few weeks,’” Gedman said. “After that, you’ve got to be on board.”