March 23, 2005

Complete Game Notes

Harvard Coaching Staff

Player Bios

Game by Game Summaries

Drop the Puck
Harvard (25-6-3) will open the 2005 NCAA Frozen Four against St. Lawrence (27-7-5) for the second consecutive season. The Crimson will meet the Saints in the first semifinal at 5 p.m. Friday. Minnesota (34-2-2) will play Dartmouth (27-6-0) in the second semifinal at 8 p.m. Both games feature rematches of last year's semifinal contests.

What's At Stake
Friday's semifinal winners will battle for the NCAA crown Sunday at 4 p.m. Harvard, St. Lawrence and Dartmouth are all vying to earn the East Coast's first NCAA title. Minnesota-Duluth won the first three titles (2001, 2002, 2003). Minnesota won in 2004.

History Lesson
Harvard, a 2-1 winner over St. Lawrence, and Minnesota, a 5-1 winner over Dartmouth, met in the championship game of the 2004 NCAA Frozen Four. The Gophers prevailed with a 6-2 win, while the Saints finished third with a 2-1 win over Dartmouth.

The Venue
The 2005 NCAA Frozen Four will take place at the Whittemore Center on the campus of the University of New Hampshire in Durham, N.H. from March 25-27. It will be the first repeat host of the Women's Frozen Four, having hosted the tournament in 2002.

On the Tube
Both semifinal contests and Sunday's championship game will be broadcast live on College Sports Television (CSTV). CSTV is available on DirecTV channel 610.

On the Air
All four games of the weekend will be carried live over the Internet as part of the USCHO.com National Game of the Week. Brian Schultz will handle the play-by-play with color analysis from two-time Olympian and Patty Kazmaier Award winner A.J. Mleczko '97-99, who captained the Crimson to the 1999 AWCHA national title.

In addition, both Harvard contests cane be hears live on Harvard's student station WHRB (95.3 FM) or over the internet at www.whrb.org. Luke Cocalis and Rick Goldberg will provide play-by-play and color commentary for this weekend's women's hockey action.

Crazy Eights
This is the first time since its inception in 2001 that the NCAA Women's Ice Hockey Championship has expanded to an eight-team field, with four schools serving as regional hosts for the quarterfinals. Tournament champions in Hockey East, (Providence), WCHA (Minnesota) and ECAC Hockey League (Harvard) earned automatic berths in to the championships. Harvard, Minnesota, Minnesota-Duluth and Dartmouth hosted first round games, with all but Minnesota-Duluth advancing to the Frozen Four.

Harvard in the NCAA Tournament
Harvard has punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in program history and is 4-3 overall. The Crimson earned the program's first berth in 2001, finishing third. It lost to Minnesota-Duluth, 6-3, in the 2001 semifinals and came back to post a 3-2 win over Dartmouth in the third-place game. Harvard has advanced to the national championship game in each of the last two tournaments. Harvard dropped a 4-3 double overtime decision to Duluth in 2003 after opening with a 6-1 win over Minnesota. The Crimson beat St. Lawrence, 2-1, in last years semifinal and lost to Minnesota, 6-2, in the 2004 championship game. Harvard opened the 2005 tournament with a 5-4 (3ot) win over Mercyhurst at Bright Hockey Center.

Number Crunching
Harvard is 18-0-2 since Jan. 1 after opening the season 7-6-1 and has outscored opponents 100-26 in that stretch. The Crimson has claimed the 2005 Beanpot, Ivy League title, ECAC Hockey League regular season title and the ECAC Women's Hockey League championship.

How the Crimson Got Here
Harvard outlasted Mercyhurst for a 5-4 triple overtime win in the quarterfinals of the 2005 National Collegiate Women's Hockey Championships Saturday afternoon at Bright Hockey Center. Julie Chu scored at 12:28 of the third overtime to lift the Crimson to victory and end the longest game in women's NCAA tournament history at 112 minutes 28 seconds in duration.

Nicole Corriero, who assisted on Chu's gamewinner, scored Harvard's first four goals, setting an NCAA tournament record for goals in a game and matching the record for goals in the entire tournament. She also broke the record for points in a single game with five. Chu finished with a goal and three assists. Mercyhurst netmimder Desi Clark finished with 78 saves to set the NCAA record for saves in a game, shattering the previous record of 46 set by Dartmouth's Amy Ferguson in 2003 vs. Minnesota-Duluth. Harvard goaltender Ali Boe made a career-high 56 saves in the win.

The nine goals combined tied the record for goals in a tournament game. Mercyhurst's four goals were the most ever by a losing team. The 143 total shots on goal shattered the previous record of 85 from the 2003 NCAA final. Harvard's 83 shots on goal shattered the team single-game record of 51. Harvard's 21 shots on goal in the second period was a single period record. The 12 Mercyhurst penalties were the single-team NCAA tournament game record and the 19 total penalties were also a record.

Mercyhurst held a 3-1 lead heading into the first intermission after a wild first period. Heading into the game Mercyhurst had been 22-0-1 when leading at the end of the first period and 21-2 in its last 23 games.

Corriero got the Crimson on the board with Harvard's first of three power play goals in the game at 15:39 of the opening period with assists from Banfield and Chu. The Crimson clawed its way back with two goals from Corriero in the first 7:46 of the second period to knot the game at 3-3. She brought Harvard to within one with a goal just 23 seconds into the period with assists from Sarah Vaillancourt and Julie Chu and tied the game at 3-3 with her 21st power play goal of the season at 7:46 with assists from Cahow and Chu.

Merrcyhurst took the lead again at the 15:20 mark but Corriero scored her fourth goal, and third power play tally, of the game :38 seconds into the third period from Chu and Vaillancourt.

That started a streak of 71:50 scoreless minutes of end-to-end action highlighted by tremendous chances on both sided that were repeatedly denied by both goalies.

The line of Corriero, Chu and Vaillancourt came up with the game winning score at 12:28 of the third overtime period. Vaillancourt hit Corriero on the left side and she fed Chu in front. Chu made Clark commit and lifted the puck over the downed netminder to vault the Crimson to the Frozen Four.

Harvard finished with an 83-60 edge in shots on goal and was 3-for-10 on the power play. Mercyhurst finished 0-for-5.

The previous record for saves in an NCAA game was 68. Both goalies broke the prior record for saves in an NCAA tournament game, which was 46.

Series History vs. St. Lawrence
Harvard holds a 20-6-4 edge in the all-time series vs. the Saints after a 1-0-1 record this season. The Crimson posted a 5-1 win over St. Lawrence (Nov. 19) at Bright Hockey Center on the strength of Nicole Corriero's second consecutive hat trick, including the 100th goal of her career. Julie Chu assisted on three of Harvard's goals and Ali Boe posted 15 saves in the win.

Boe notched a season-high 32 saves to help Harvard hang on for a 4-4 tie against the Saints (Feb. 19) at Appleton Arena. Sarah Vaillancourt scored twice, Chu finished with a goal and two assists and Corriero finished with three helpers in the win. Head coach Katey Stone is 16-4-3 all-time against St Lawrence.

Corriero has 21 points (10-11) in 10 games against St. Lawrence. Julie Chu has 19 points (5-14) in eight games. Ashley Banfield (7 GP, 1-4-5), Jennifer Raimondi (7 GP, 2-2-4) and Sarah Vaillancourt (2 GP, 2-2-4) round out the top five. Raimondi and Chu scored the Crimson goals in last year's semifinal meeting, while Ali Boe made 20 saves in the crease. Boe is 5-0-1 all-time vs. St. Lawrence. She has stopped 123-of-133 shots she has faced in 367:10 between the pipes.

Series History vs. Dartmouth
Harvard trails the all-time series, 37-26-1, following a regular season sweep and win over the Big Green in the 2005 ECAC Women's Hockey League Championships (March 13). Harvard is 10-11-0 against Dartmouth since the start of the 1998-99 season and 12-17-0 in head coach Katey Stone's tenure. Harvard and Dartmouth have combined to win six of the last seven ECAC Tournament titles.

Nicole Corriero lit the lamp with five of Harvard's six goals in the Crimson's 6-3 win at Thompson Arena (Feb. 5). Julie Chu had a goal and three assists and Ali Boe stopped 20 shots to snap Harvard's three-game losing streak against the Big Green. The Crimson power play was 2-for-5 in the game. Harvard erupted for three first period goals and got the eventual gamewinner from Lindsay Weaver at 18:45 of the second period to clinch the Ivy title and regular season sweep with a 4-3 win over the Big Green (Feb. 25).

Harvard's special teams produced all four goals, including a pair from Nicole Corriero, and 36 saves from Ali Boe to give No. 5 Harvard a 4-1 win over No. 4 Dartmouth in the championship game of the 2005 ECAC Women's Hockey League Championship (March 13). Kat Sweet added a power play goal and Jennifer Sifers notched the first shorthanded marker of her career en route to the win.

Harvard drew four straight penalties in the waning minutes of the second period, spending the final 4:35 shorthanded, including 3:08 of a 5-on-3 Big Green advantage. The Crimson finished the game 3-of-5 on the power play and was out shot 37-25 in the game. Dartmouth was 0-for-9 with the extra skater.

Nicole Corriero has a team-best 14 points (10-4) in 11 games against Dartmouth. Julie Chu (8 GP, 1-11-13), Kat Sweet (11 GP, 4-3-7), Ashley Banfield (11 GP, 0-7-7) and Caitlin Cahow (5 GP, 0-4-4) round out the top five.

Ali Boe has played in six games, starting five, for a 3-2-0 record. She has a 2.26 goals-against average after stopping 128-of-140 shots in 217:59 between in net.

Series History vs. Minnesota
Harvard trails the all-time series vs. the Gophers, 5-4, following a 5-3 loss on Nov. 27 on the second day of the Harvard Shootout at Bright Hockey Center. Minnesota has now won two-straight against the Crimson dating back to a 6-2 win in the 2004 title game at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, R.I. The last Crimson win was a 6-1 decision March 21, 2003, in the NCAA Semifinals at Duluth. Minn.

Nicole Corriero scored twice and assisted on the third Harvard goal in the most recent loss to the Gophers. Chu leads all Crimson skaters in scoring vs. Minnesota with 10 points (4-6) in four games. Corriero is second with seven points (5-2) in five games. Ashley Banfield is third with three helpers in four career games and Kat Sweet is fourth with a goal and an assist in five games.

Corriero and Sweet lit the lamp with Crimson goals in the championship game last season. Chu had four points (2-2) in Harvard's 6-1 won over the Gophers in the 2003 semifinal.

Ali Boe is 0-2-0 against Minnesota, stopping 54-of-65 shots in 119:28 between the pipes. She set her previous career high of 34 saves in the NCAA championship loss to the Gophers in 2004.

Harvard vs. the Field
Harvard is 4-4-2 this season in games against the rest of the NCAA tournament field. The Crimson is 4-0-1 against the ECAC Hockey League schools (Dartmouth, St. Lawrence) and 0-4-0 against the WCHA schools (Minnesota-Duluth, Minnesota). The Crimson skated to a 2-2 tie against Providence.

400 Wins
Harvard became just the fifth team in the history of women's hockey to record 400 wins with the 7-1 victory over Vermont (Feb. 26). The Crimson is now 405-253-29 in 27 seasons on the ice. New Hampshire is the winningest program in women's hockey history with 550 victories. In second to fourth place are Providence (525), Dartmouth (454) and Northeastern (438).

20-Wins and Counting
Harvard's 7-1 win over Vermont (Feb. 26) gave the Crimson 20 wins for the season, the program's sixth 20-win campaign in the last seven seasons.

ECACHL Title Sweep
Harvard and Dartmouth entered the final weekend of the regular season tied for first place in the conference standings, but the Crimson topped the Big Green, 4-3, to assume the lead and the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. A 7-1 win over Vermont (Feb. 26) gave Harvard the outright ECAC Hockey League regular-season title. It is the third consecutive ECAC regular-season title for the Crimson after winning the crown outright in 2003 and sharing the title with St. Lawrence last season. Harvard's first ECAC title came in 1999.

This season marked Harvard's 15th appearance in the ECAC tournament, with the Crimson now boasting a 19-12 overall record. The Crimson opened the playoffs with a pair of wins, 5-0 and 3-1, over Clarkson in the ECACHL Quarterfinals. It posted its second-straight semifinal overtime win with the 2-1 victory over Yale then wrapped up its third tournament title with a 4-1 win over Dartmouth. Harvard also won the ECACHL tournament in 1999 and 2004.

ECACHL Honors
Nicole Corriero was named the ECACHL League Player of the Year, Sarah Vaillancourt was named the ECACHL League Rookie of the Year and Katey Stone was selected as the ECACHL Coach of the Year. Ashley Banfield joined Corriero and Julie Chu as first-team All-Ivy selections. Vaillancourt was named second-team All-Ivy and All-Rookie.

Corriero is the sixth Crimson skater to earn Player of the Year Honors, giving it eight ECACHL Player of the Year awards in program history. Vaillancourt is Harvard's sixth ECACHL Rookie of the Year. Stone was also named Coach of the Year in 1999.

Crimson Tint
Ashley Banfield, Caitlin Cahow, Corriero, Sarah Vaillancourt and Ali Boe were named to the All-Tournament team for the Crimson at the 2005 ECAC Women's Hockey League Championship.

Ivy League Shakedown
The 4-3 win over Dartmouth (Feb. 25) clinched the sixth Ivy title for the Crimson. The last of Harvard's Ivy titles came in 2003, with the others coming in 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1999.

Ivy Honors
Nicole Corriero was named the Ivy League Player of the Year, and Sarah Vaillancourt was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Year to give Harvard its third sweep of the Ivy awards in program history. Ashley Banfield joined Corriero and Julie Chu as first-team All-Ivy selections. Caitlin Cahow was named second-team All-Ivy, while Vaillancourt and Ali Boe each earned honorable mention honors.

Corriero, the only unanimous first-team selection, is the sixth different Crimson skater to be named Player of the Year, giving Harvard a total of 11 Ivy Player of the Year awards in program history. Vaillancourt is Harvard's eighth Ivy League Rookie of the Year. Chu, a first-team All-Ivy and Rookie of the Year selection as a freshman, earned second-team All-Ivy honors in 2003-04. This is the first All-Ivy selection for Banfield and Cahow. Boe was named honorable mention All-Ivy last season.

Rack `Em Up
Nicole Corriero has been named a top 10 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, the ECAC Hockey League and Ivy League Player of the Year, first-team All-ECAC and All-Ivy, Beanpot Most Valuable Player, and the Most Outstanding Player at the 2005 ECAC Women's Hockey League Championships during the course of the 2004-05 season. Corriero was also named the recipient of the Sarah Devens Award, which is presented to the women's hockey player who plays for an ECACHL or Hockey East school who best combines sportsmanship, leadership and commitment, both on and off the ice.

Record Breaker
Nicole Corriero scored her 52nd goal of the season at 2:39 of the opening period to become the new all-time women's collegiate record holder for goals in a single season in the 3-1 win vs. Clarkson (March 5). Corriero has 58 goals heading into the NCAA Frozen Four. She broke the previous record of 51, shared by Harvard's Tammy Shewchuk `00-01 and Northeastern's Vicki Sunohara, both Canadian Olympic Gold Medalists. The all-time collegiate record of 59 goals in a season was set my Michigan State's Mike Donnelly in 1986.

Goal SCorriero
Nicole Corriero currently has 88 points (58-30). She is second in the nation with 2.59 points per game, first in goals per game (1.71), first in power play goals (23) and first in game-winning goals (11).

Light the Lamp
Harvard is currently fourth in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 4.47 goals per game. The Crimson has three of the top seven scorers in the nation in Nicole Corriero (2nd, 2.59 points per game), Sarah Vaillancourt (5th, 2.30 ppg) and Julie Chu (7th, 2.10 ppg) and has 19 players who have registered at least one point this season. Vaillancourt is also the top-scoring rookie in the nation. Ashley Banfield is second nation in defensemen scoring, averaging 1.21 points per game and Caitlin Cahow is third with 0.91 points per game.

Trio Grande
Harvard's top line of Nicole Corriero (LW), Julie Chu (C) and Sarah Vaillancour (RW) has accounted for 215 (92-123-215) of Harvard's 414 (152-262) total points this season, approximately 52% of Harvard's point total. The trio is responsible for 61% of Harvard's goals and 47% of the program's assists.

Climbing the Charts
Nicole Corriero moved into third place on Harvard's all-time scoring charts with her five-point effort in the 5-4 (3ot) win over Mercyhurst. She now has 262 points (149-112), moving her with U. S. Olympian A.J. Mleczko '97-99 for third on Harvard's all-time scoring charts. She is also third on Harvard's career charts for goals scored, three behind Tammy Shewchuk '00-01 (152) and eight behind Jennifer Botterill '02-03 (157).

Dish Detail
Julie Chu is second on Harvard's scoring charts with 65 points (13-52) and has 214 points (70-144) for her career. She is seventh in the nation in scoring with 2.10 points per game and second in the nation in assists per game (1.68). Chu is sixth all-time in Harvard's record books after becoming just the sixth Crimson skater to record the 200th point of her career with her second goal of the game at Clarkson (Feb. 18). She is also fourth on Harvard's all-time assists charts and fifth in the record books for assists in a season. A.J. Mleczko '97-99 holds the record (77, 1998-99) followed by Jennifer Botterill '02-03 (65, 2002-03), Angela Ruggiero '02-04 (54, 2002-03) and Tammy Shewchuk (54, 1998-99).

Six Shooter
Sarah Vaillancourt, a six-time ECACHL Rookie of the Week is third on Harvard's scoring charts, fifth in the nation, and tops among the nation's rookies with 62 points (21-41). Vaillancourt is also fourth in the nation in assists per game (1.52) and ninth with 11 power play goals.

Multiplicity
Nicole Corriero's four-goal effort against Dartmouth was the 19th multiple-goal game of the season. Kat Sweet added a pair of goals against Clarkson (March 4). Sarah Vaillancourt recorded a pair of goals in the ECAHL semifinals against Yale (March 12) for her fifth multiple goal game of the season. Liza Solley (2), Katie Johnston (1), Jennifer Raimondi (1) and Jennifer Sifers (1) and have each registered multiple-goal outings this season.

Hats Off
Harvard skaters have recorded seven hat tricks on the season. Nicole Corriero (6), Jennifer Raimondi (1) and Sarah Vaillancourt (1) have each registered three-or-more goal games. Corriero scored a season-high five goals against Dartmouth (Feb. 5) and also had four goals against Brown (Nov. 11) and against Mercyhurst (March 19). She also scored three of Harvard's five goals against St. Lawrence (Nov. 19), three against Wisconsin (Nov. 26) and three against Union (Feb. 11). Sarah Vaillancourt scored three third period goals in the come-from-behind win against Connecticut (Dec. 8). Jennifer Raimondi had three goals in the win over Northeastern (Feb. 8).

Streaking
Nicole Corriero (16), Julie Chu (3) and Ashley Banfield each bring multiple game scoring streaks into the weekend. Chu opened the season with a nation's-best 24 game point streak that was snapped against Dartmouth (Feb. 25) and Corriero has at least a point in 19 of her last 20 games.

Senior Special
Ashley Banfield is turning in a career year as the elder blueliner for the Crimson. She has 41 points on a career-high nine goals, including seven power play tallies, and 32 assists. Banfield is second in the nation in defenseman scoring, averaging 1.21 points per game, and is tied for fourth on the team at +24. She established her previous career high of 24 points (3-21) in 2003-04.

"D"enial
Harvard's defense is allowing just 1.85 goals per game, good for fifth in the nation. The Crimson, which limited league opponents to just 1.35 goals per game, has outscored opponents 100-26 in 20 games since Jan. 1. It has also holds an average shot advantage of 40.9-21.3 per game. Banfield and Caitlin Cahow have been the most offensively productive blueliners this season. Cahow, who switched from forward to defense in 2003-04 beginning with the Yale game (Jan. 31) is third in the nation in defenseman scoring with 31 points (5-26), good for 0.91 per game, and is tied with Banfield at +24. Lindsay Weaver has nine points (3-6) after assisting on Harvard's first goal in the 4-1 win over Dartmouth (March 13) and is tied with Jennifer Skinner (0-9) for third on the Harvard defensive scoring charts. Jessica Mackenzie has skated in all 34 games of her freshman campaign and scored the first goal of her career against Yale (Jan. 29). Classmate Brenna McLean has played in 28 games and has four assists.

Between the Pipes
Junior Ali Boe helped carry the Crimson to its third-straight berth in the NCAA Frozen Four with a clutch career-high 56-save performance in Saturday's 5-4 (3ot) win over Mercyhurst in the quarterfinals. Boe made 28 saves in overtime against the Lakers to beat her previous career-high of 36 saves set in the 4-1 win against Dartmouth (March 13) in the title game of the 2005 ECAC Women's Hockey League Championships. She was named to the all-tournament team for her efforts. Boe's effort in the NCAA opener broke the previous record for saves in a tournament game (46).

Boe recorded her sixth shutout of the season with a 16-save performance against Clarkson (March 4), good for the 13th blanking of her career. Boe is 21-5-2 and is sixth in the nation in goals-against average (1.81), 13th in save percentage (.915) and fifth with a .789 winning percentage. She is already Harvard' single-season (7) and career (13) shutout leader.

Emily Vitt improved to 4-1-1 with a 19-save performance against Vermont (Feb. 26). Vitt has a .911 save percentage and 1.56 goals-against average to go with three shutouts this season. She stopped a season-high 28 shots in the 2-2 ot tie against then No. 10 Providence (Nov. 10) and again in the 3-2 loss at Yale (Nov. 12).

Special Delivery
Harvard's power play is 55-of-220 (.250), good for second in the nation. The Crimson went 3-for-10 against Mercyhurst (March 19) and 3-for-5 in the 4-1 win over Dartmouth (March 13) in the ECACHL tournament title game. The Crimson went a season-best 5-for-11 against Yale (Jan. 29) and 4-for-9 vs. Vermont (Feb. 4). Nicole Corriero leads the nation with a career-high 23 power play goals. Sarah Vaillancourt (11), Ashley Banfield (7), Caitlin Cahow (3), Julie Chu (3), Liza Solley (3), Kat Sweet (3), Jennifer Raimondi (1) and Katie Johnston (1) account for Harvard's power play goals this season.

View to a Kill
Harvard has successfully killed 183-of-204 (.897) of its opponents' extra-skater opportunities, including a season-high 10-of-11 against Colgate (Jan. 8), and is currently fifth in the nation. Nicole Corriero (2), Sarah Vaillancourt (1), Julie Chu (1), Jennifer Raimondi (1), Lindsay Weaver (1) and Jennifer Sifers (1) have accounted for the Crimson's six shorthanded goals this season.

Extra Sessions
Harvard is 2-1-3 in overtime games this season. The Crimson skated to a 2-2 tie vs. then No. 10 Providence (Nov. 10), a 3-2 loss to No. 3 Minnesota-Duluth (Dec. 5) and a 1-1 tie vs. No. 9 Princeton. The Friars scored with the goalie pulled in the final two minutes of the game to send it into the extra stanza. Harvard and then-No. 5 St. Lawrence battled to a 4-4 tie Feb. 19 in Appleton Arena. Sarah Vaillancourt scored at 12:06 of overtime to lift Harvard into the ECACHL championship game with a 2-1 win over Yale (March 12) in the semifinals. Julie Chu closed out an epic battle against Mercyhurst with her goal at 12:28 of the third overtime to lift Harvard to a 5-4 win in the NCAA Quarterfinals (March 19).

The Crimson went 3-0-1 in overtime last season and had not lost in extra time since the 4-3 double overtime loss to Minnesota-Duluth in the 2003 NCAA Championship game.

Tight Squeeze
Harvard is 3-2-3 in one-goal games this season. Lindsay Weaver gave Harvard a 4-2 cushion with her eventual gamewinner at 18:56 of the second period in the 4-3 win over then No. 3 Dartmouth (Feb. 25). Sarah Vaillancourt scored at 12:06 of the first overtime to give Harvard a 2-1 win over Yale in the semifinals of the ECAC Women's Hockey League Championships and Julie Chu lifted the Crimson to its third straight Frozen Four berth with a goal at 12:28 of the third overtime in the NCAA Quarterfinals vs. Mercyhurst (March 19). Harvard's two one-goal losses came at the hands of No. 2 Minnesota-Duluth (Dec. 5) and No. 6 New Hampshire (Dec. 11). Caroline Ouellette scored for the Bulldogs at 1:48 of the extra session to give Minnesota-Duluth the win. Jennifer Hitchcock scored at 12:20 of the third period in the Wildcat's 2-1 win over Harvard, breaking a 12-game Crimson winning streak against New Hampshire with the victory.

Harvard's three ties have come against then No. 10 Providence (Nov. 10), then No. 9 Princeton (Jan. 28) and then No. 5 St. Lawrence (Feb. 19).

Home Sheet
The Crimson is 13-4-2 on its home sheet, beating Colgate (Nov. 5), Cornell (Nov. 6), No. 5 St. Lawrence (Nov. 19), Clarkson (Nov. 20), No. 9 Brown (Jan. 11), Union (Feb. 11-12), No. 3 Dartmouth (Feb. 25), Vermont (Feb. 26), Clarkson (March 4-5) and Mercyhurst (March 19). Harvard tied No. 10 Providence (Nov. 10) and No. 9 Princeton (Jan. 28). It lost to No. 4 Wisconsin (Nov. 26), No. 1 Minnesota (Nov. 27) and No. 3 Minnesota-Duluth (Dec. 4-5).

Away from Home
The Crimson is 9-2-1 in the road, outscoring opponents 54-22. It has lost to Yale (Nov. 12) and No. 6/8 New Hampshire (Dec. 11), tied then No. 5 St. Lawrence (Feb. 19) and defeated No. 8 Princeton (Nov. 13), No. 9 Brown (Nov. 16), Connecticut (Dec. 8), Cornell (Jan. 7), Colgate (Jan. 8), Vermont (Feb. 4), No. 2 Dartmouth (Feb. 5), Northeastern (Feb. 8) and Clarkson (Feb. 18).

Neutral Site
Harvard is 3-0-0 in neutral site contests. It posted a 6-1 win over Boston College (Feb. 15) in the Beanpot Championship at Northeastern's Matthews Arena. The Crimson went 2-0 at Union College's Frank L. Messa Rink, site of the 2005 ECAC Women's Hockey League Championships, with an 2-1 overtime win over Yale (March 12) and 4-1 win over Dartmouth (March 13).

Harvard vs. Hockey East
The Crimson is 3-1-1 against Hockey East teams. It skated to a 2-2 tie with No. 10 Providence (Nov. 10) in the third game of the season. The Crimson used three third period goals from Sarah Vaillancourt to rally for a 5-3 win at Connecticut (Dec. 8) before dropping a 2-1 decision at No. 6/8 New Hampshire (Dec. 11). The Crimson picked up its second non-conference win of the year with the 9-1 win over Northeastern in the first round of the Beanpot. Harvard topped Boston College (Feb. 15), 6-1, to bring the Beanpot back to Cambridge.

Harvard vs. the WCHA
The Crimson is 0-4-0 against WCHA teams this season. It dropped a 6-4 decision to then-No. 5 Wisconsin (Nov. 26) in the first game of the Harvard Shootout and a 5-3 loss against No. 1 Minnesota (Nov. 27) on the second day of the tournament. Harvard continued with a two-games series against No. 3 Minnesota-Duluth (Dec. 4-5). The Bulldogs took a 6-3 victory in the first game and used a goal by Carolyn Ouellette at 1:48 of overtime to complete the sweep with a 3-2 win.

Hitting the Books
A league-best 12 Crimson skaters were named to the 2005 ECAC Hockey League All-Academic team released this week. Caitlin Cahow (So., Anthropology), Julie Chu (Jr., Psychology), Ali Crum (Sr., Psychology), Sarah Holbrook (Sr., Government), Katie Johnston (So., Anthropology), Jennifer Raimondi (Jr., Psychology), Carrie Schroyer (Jr., Psychology), Jennifer Sifers (So., Sociology), Jennifer Skinner (Jr., Psychology) Liza Solley (So., Sociology), Kat Sweet (Sr., Psychology) and Lindsay Weaver (So., Psychology) represent the Crimson on this year's squad. Chu and Schroyer are making their second appearance, while Crum and Sweet are three-time honorees.

Players are eligible for the All-Academic team if they have completed at least one academic year, have a cumulative grade point average of at least a 3.00 on a 4.00 scale, and have competed in at least one-half of her team's games during the current season. Goaltenders must have played in at least 33 percent of the team's minutes.

Red, White & Blue
Junior Julie Chu, current assistant coach Jamie Hagerman '03 and Angela Ruggiero '02-04 were among the 17 players named to the U.S. Women's National Team that will represent the United States at the 2005 International Ice Hockey Federation Women's World Championship in Linkoping and Norrkoping, Sweden, as was announced by USA Hockey Feb. 9. The tournament features teams from eight nations and will begin on April 2, 2005, with the medal games set for April 9.

Team Canada
Freshman Sarah Vaillancourt and Jennifer Botterill '02-'03 were among the 20 players named to Canada's National team for the upcoming 2005 IIHF World Women's Hockey Championship in Sweden. Canada has won gold at all eight previous IIHF World Women's Championships, including the 2004 event that was held in Halifax and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

Botterill was the 2001 and 2003 Patty Kazmaier Award and all-time leading scorer in the history of collegiate ice hockey-men's or women's-with 340 points (157-183).

Final 10
Nicole Corriero and Julie Chu were among the 10 finalists for the annual Patty Kazmaier Memorial award, annually presented by the USA Hockey Foundation. Corriero was a top 10 finalist in 2004. This is Chu's first top 10 selection.

The field was narrowed three finalists, Krissy Wendell and Natalie Darwitz of Minnesota and Minnesota-Duluth's Caroline Ouellette on Monday, March 14. The 2005 award will presented in Portsmouth, N.H., March 26, in conjunction with the Women's Frozen Four.

Selection criteria include outstanding individual and team skills, sportsmanship, performance in the clutch, personal character, competitiveness and a love of hockey. Consideration is also given to academic achievement and civic involvement.

Harvard winners include two-time Olympians Angela Ruggiero (2004), A.J. Mleczko (1999) and Jennifer Botterill (2001, 2003).

The other finalists were Desi Clark (Mercyhurst), Natalie Darwitz (Minnesota), Molly Engstrom (Wisconsin), Carla MacLeod (Wisconsin), Caroline Ouellette (Minnesota-Duluth), Cherie Piper (Dartmouth), Rebecca Russell (St. Lawrence) and Krissy Wendell (Minnesota).

Seventh Heaven
Harvard cruised to a 6-1 win over Boston College (Feb. 15) at Matthews Arena to earn its seventh straight and 11th overall Beanpot. The Crimson has outscored its opponents 25-4 in the last four Beanpot championship games and has played in the title game in all but five years of the tournament's 27-year existence. Harvard's current run of seven straight Beanpots began with a 9-0 win over Boston College in 1999.

Hardware Store
Nicole Corriero earned Beanpot Most Valuable Player honors after scoring eight points (4-4) in the two games, and Ali Boe stopped 32-of-33 shots to earn the Bertagna Award as the top goaltender. Boe joins Allison Kuusisto (2002) as the only Harvard goalies to be named the top goaltender since the award's inception in 2000. Corriero is the seventh consecutive Crimson skater to earn MVP honors. She joined a distinguished list that includes six Olympians--Northeastern's Vicky Sunohara and Shelley Looney of Northeastern and Harvard's Sandra Whyte, A.J. Mleczko, Jennifer Botterill and Angela Ruggiero.

Crimson "C"
Harvard has three captains for the 2004-05 season. Seniors Nicole Corriero and Kat Sweet, and junior Julie Chu all wear the "C" on their sweater.

Class System
Here is Harvard's roster breakdown by class: Seniors (5)- Ashley Banfield, Nicole Corriero, Ali Crum, Sarah Holbrook and Kat Sweet; Juniors (5)- Ali Boe, Julie Chu, Jennifer Raimondi, Carrie Schroyer, Jennifer Skinner; Sophomores (6)- Caitlin Cahow, Katie Johnston, Jennifer Sifers, Liza Solley, Emily Vitt, Lindsay Weaver; Freshmen (6)- Adrienne Bernakevitch, Laura Brady, Jessica Mackenzie, Brenna McLean, Sarah Vaillancourt, Susannah Wilson.

Century Club
Nicole Corriero (134), Kat Sweet (132), Sarah Holbrook (124), Ashley Banfield (115) and Ali Crum (109) have played in 100 or more career games. Corriero is now tied with Lauren McAuliffe '04 for the Harvard record for games played in a career (134). Jennifer Raimondi was the latest Crimson skater to hit the 100 career game plateau, hitting the century mark vs. Clarkson (March 5). Carrie Schroyer (99) and Jennifer Skinner (98) are next in line to hit the century mark.

On the Pitch
Sophomore forward Katie Johnston rejoined the team starting with the Brown game (Nov. 16) after missing the first five games of the season while finishing out the fall with the Crimson's women's soccer team. The Crimson finished out the season 8-7-2 after dropping a 2-1 decision at Connecticut in the opening round of the 2004 NCAA tournament. Johnston led Harvard's women's hockey freshman class in scoring last season with 21 points (10-11), including the gamewinner in the 2-1 double-overtime win over Brown in the ECAC semifinals. She is seventh on the team in scoring this season, with 17 points (5-12) in 29 games.

Double Duty
Julie Chu and Sarah Vaillancourt missed the Providence (No. 10), Yale (Nov. 12) and Princeton (Nov. 13) games while fulfilling national team duties at the Four Nations Cup held Nov. 10-14. Chu joined Harvard assistant coach Jamie Hagerman and Angela Ruggiero '02-04 on the U.S. squad that finished with asilver medal after falling to Canada, 2-1, in the gold medal game. Vaillancourt, who won a silver medal in her debut for Team Canada at the 2003 Four Nations Cup, captured a gold medal this time around.

Crimson Bloodlines, Part One
Several former Harvard hockey players will be on the ice when the Toronto Aeros beat the Montreal Axion for the NWHL Championship Saturday, March 26. The opening face-off takes place at 3:00 pm, Brampton Centre for Sports and Entertainment. Lauren McAuliffe '04 and two-time Patty Kazmaier Award winner Jennifer Botterill will suit up for the Aeros. Angela Ruggiero '02-04, the 2004 Patty Kazmaier winner has played in seven games for Montreal.

Crimson Bloodlines, Part Two
Both of Harvard's assistant coaches are graduates of the program. Claudia Asano '99 is in her third year behind the bench and served as a co-captain in 1998-99 when the Crimson finished 33-1-0 and won the AWCHA national title. Jamie Hagerman '03 is making her coaching debut this season. A two-time Harvard captain, Hagerman spent last season with the Brampton Thunder in the NWHL. Hagerman helped the Crimson capture its fifth-straight Beanpot as well as the ECAC regular-season and Ivy League titles en route to an appearance in the 2003 NCAA title game.

Behind the Bench
Katey Stone, the 2005 ECAC Hockey League Coach of the Year, is in her 11th season as head coach and has guided the program to a 226-102-13 record, a mark that includes back-to-back NCAA championship games, three NCAA tournament appearances, the 1999 AWCHA National Championship, four ECAC regular-season titles, three ECAC tournament titles, eight Beanpots and two Ivy League championships.

The winningest coach in Harvard women's hockey history, Stone became just the third Division I women's coach to reach the 200-win plateau with a 6-1 win over St. Lawrence in the title game of the 2004 ECAC Championship.

Stone took the coaching reigns from John Dooley prior to the 1994-95 season and posted a 12-11-2 mark in her first year as a head coach. The squad finished just under .500 over the next three seasons. The team improved from 14-16-0 in 1997-98 to 33-1-0 and a national championship in 1998-99. Heading into 2004-05, Stone's teams have posted a 160-34-8 (.803) record in the past six seasons.

Stone is in her first year as a member of the NCAA Selection Committee and has previously served as a member of the NCAA Rules Committee, the Patty Kazmaier Selection Committee and as president of the American Women's Hockey Coaches Association.

Stone graduated from New Hampshire in 1989 and was a captain and four-year letterwinner in both hockey and lacrosse for the Wildcats. Stone helped the hockey team to back-to-back ECAC championships in 1986 and 1987 and the lacrosse team to an NCAA title in 1985. She earned All-ECAC honors in hockey and was a two-time All-America selection in lacrosse.

Crimson Miscellany
Harvard boasts the largest NCAA Division I Athletic Program with 41 sports and more than 1,500 student-athletes. Harvard has won 123 national championships in 18 sports, with the most recent coming from the men's heavyweight crew in the spring of 2004. and three NCAA team championships (1988-89 men's hockey; 1990 women's lacrosse; 2003 women's heavyweight crew). Harvard has won 10 Ivy titles in 2004-05 (Fall: football, field hockey, women's volleyball; Winter: women's hockey, women's basketball, men's swimming & diving, women's swimming & diving, men's fencing, women's fencing, men's squash).