Women's Hockey: Burned by Brown

PROVIDENCE, R.I.--As the 25 or so curious bystanders sauntered into the 3100-seat Meehan Arena before Sunday's consolation game against Dartmouth at the Ivy League Championships, coach Joe Bertagna stood on the Crimson bench and leaned over the plexiglass.

"Have any problems getting tickets?" he asked, grinning. "The traffic pretty heavy outside?"

I made some crack about exorbitant scalpers, but the fact remained: women's hockey doesn't get much attention. Nevertheless, Harvard's skaters, who outnumber spectators at most games and have more trouble finding good ice time than Pierre Larouche, have worked diligently to make their first year as a team successful and had high hopes for last weekend's tourney.

After a less than awesome 0-4-1 start, the squad upset Dartmouth, 5-3, in Hanover on January 10, and went on to reel off six victories in eight contests. Most team members agree that there has been no sudden or spectacular improvement, just a slow, steady upswing as the lines got used to playing together, and basic hockey knowledge and experience.

"We just started working really well together," says forward Firkins Reed. "Our passes started clicking in practices."

Reed scored one of the Crimson's prettiest goals of the year in the second period of a 6-5 OT loss to Boston University on February 4. Linemate Lauren Norton swooped into the Terriers zone, then left a perfect drop pass to Reed, who wristed it into the upper corner of the net. Recalls Reed: "It was just fun to see that play work--it felt really good."

Enthusiasm--the enthusiasm that motivates nearly perfect attendance for 6:30 a.m. practices at numbing cold Browne and Nichols Arena--has also been a major ingredient for making this season an enjoyable if not a winning (now 6-8-1) one.

The squad still relies on a small nucleus of players to produce on offense.

But the talent is not as widespread as the spirit. The squad still relies on a small nucleus of players to produce on offense. The Green Line--Sara Fischer on left wing, Tania Huber at center and Meg Streeter on right wing--has accounted for three-fourths of the Crimson's 45 goals. Huber (16-10-26), a sophomore from Rumson, N.J., is the team's fastest skater, strongest shooter and all-around best player, but she cannot do it all every game.

The problem of depth surfaced at the Ivy tournament, especially in the crucial Saturday afternoon semi-final contest against Brown. Harvard could afford to go with only two lines--Huber's and the combination of Lauren Norton, Reed and Sue Yunick--while the "Pandas" went with three.

It wasn't just depth, though: Brown often found a clear route to pucks in the corner because Harvard's defense-oriented and, for the most part, inexperienced skaters seemed unsure whether to forecheck or drop back.

And for the first time in a while, Harvard's timing was repeatedly off. "We were thinking too much," leftwinger Sara Fischer said after the game. "People would see someone else breaking and think, 'Should I pass it now or wait?' By the time we made up our mind, it was too late." Plays that had worked before came close to working again--then just missed. A superfluous pass or a premature shot was enough to turn likely scoring chances into blown opportunities.

Team captain Alison Bell said, "We have the ability but not under pressure."

An hour or so after Harvard departed, as the team bus worked its way up I-95, Cornell was in the process of routing Brown, 6-2, for the League Championship when the public address announcer made a slight error.

"Harvard goal," the voice boomed, "their fourth of the game..." A Freudian slip? Wait 'til next year.