{shortcode-23368010d53d7df3c8116ea99fde2b6797dab8a1} The energy will be palpable on Friday night in the Bright-Landry Hockey Center as the women’s ice hockey season gets underway. Harvard and Dartmouth are set to hit the ice for their first meaningful game after both took on McGill in a preseason exhibition. The Crimson defeated the Martlets 4-0 at home last Friday, but the Big Green fell 2-1 this past Sunday. The two sides will be looking to start the year off with some momentum and steal points away from their fellow Ivy League competitor.

“It’s the opening game for the season and it’s an opening Ivy game so I know all the returners know what’s at stake,” senior defender Kaitlin Tse said. “The freshman, as they usually do, [know to] just keep your head down and work hard, take what you’re given, and own your goal.”

Harvard will look to continue the upward trend that it’s been on since the end of last season. After a lackluster 2016-2017 campaign left them at 5-19-5, the Crimson rebounded to finish 13-16-2 in 2017-2018. This effort was good enough to land Coach Katey Stone’s squad a spot in the postseason, where it fell to Colgate in the ECAC tournament quarterfinals.

“I think last year was an unbelievable season for us,” captain forward Kate Hallett said. “We put ourselves back out there as a leading team…I think we’re going to take that energy and transition that to this year, take everything we learned from that… but recognize that it’s a new roster, it’s a new team, it’s a new opportunity.”

This roster is definitely different than last year’s. Seven freshman have been added to the squad, and this group is headlined by goalie Lindsay Reed. In her preseason debut, the New Jersey native saved all 13 shots she faced in 20 minutes of action.

Another important boost to the team will be captain Lexie Laing. After being forced to sit out last year for health reasons, Laing is back and surely will be looking to make up for lost time. She has already made her presence known in the box score, netting two of Harvard’s four goals in the aforementioned exhibition against McGill.

“I think having her back, both as a senior, as a leader, as a captain, both on and off the ice, she’s going to be unbelievable,” Hallett said. “She’s really going to produce a lot for our team this year, so I think Lexie Laing is someone to keep a lookout for.”

The Crimson’s first test will be against a hungry Dartmouth team looking to improve off of last year’s disappointing season (5-19-3, 3-16-3 ECAC). Junior captain forward Christina Rombaut leads the group. Rombaut earned her position as captain by having the joint second-highest point total on the team last year at 12 (three goals and nine assists).

The Big Green heads into the contest with the added incentive of avenging its two losses against Harvard a year ago. In the 2017-2018 season opener, Dartmouth was thoroughly beaten by a score of 4-1 in Cambridge. The second matchup, taking place in Hanover, N.H., was much closer, with the Crimson grinding out a 1-0 win.

Come puck drop on Friday, both sides will be ready to kick things off. The intensity will be high, and all the student-athletes will be fighting for every inch of ice, playing as if everything is on the line.

However, it is important to realize that this game is merely a first step in a long journey. A win would be positive, but it is just one win. Likewise, a loss would be frustrating, but it is just one loss. Effort and focus will have to be maintained for a whole season in order for the team to find success and achieve its goals.

“One thing on which we focus is just taking it a practice, a lift, a game at a time, and not getting ahead of ourselves,” Hallett said. “Also, treating every game like a championship game, scratching and clawing to get every single point that we can, in hopes of positioning ourselves well for playoffs.”

In addition to consistent effort, a strong team culture and sense of unity will be important. Harvard will play plenty of top-notch, talented teams, but all the talent in the world can only take a group so far. It will be team hockey and trust in one another that puts the Crimson over the top and earns it its wins.

“There’s no hierarchy of voices and roles,” Tse said. “It’s like everyone’s in, and it’s really important because leadership really comes from the bottom and that’s what we’re trying to cultivate on our team right now. It doesn’t matter if there’s a ‘C’ on your jersey, or freshman, sophomore, playing time, no playing time.”

Despite the attitude of taking it one day at a time, it is impossible to avoid thinking about what could be. Harvard has high expectations for this season and believes it can make a deep run in the playoffs. There will be plenty of ups and downs throughout the year, but the Crimson’s postseason hopes will hinge on how it grows, develops, and adjusts during the season. That being said, it all begins against the Big Green on Friday night.

“Our main goal is always a national championship,” junior forward Kat Hughes said. “I think this group is extremely talented but also extremely close knit, and it seems like a really good recipe for success.”