With Beanpot Title in Hand, No. 5 Women's Hockey Travels to Capital District
Photo courtesy of Kevin Burns Photography.
Complete Game
Notes (PDF)
Harvard
Wins 13th Beanpot Title
Live
Statistics
Live Video (at Rensselaer)
Live Video (at Union)
ECAC Hockey Standings
Ivy League Standings
The Particulars
After capturing the 13th Beanpot title in program history, the
fifth-ranked Harvard women’s hockey team looks to continue
its six-game winning streak, as the squad visits Rensselaer and
Union in ECAC Hockey road games. Harvard currently sits in third
place in the conference standings, only two points behind Cornell
and five back of Clarkson with four games remaining.
Beanpot Returns To Cambridge
The Crimson scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over No. 9
Northeastern at Bright Hockey Center Tuesday, as Harvard captured
its 13th Beanpot title. Liza Ryabkina netted the game-winner,
giving her five goals for the tournament and was named unanimously
as the Beanpot MVP. In net, Laura Bellamy recorded her second
straight tournament shutout, making 27 saves. For her effort,
Bellamy took home the Bertagna Award, given to the Beanpot’s
top goaltender.
Series History
Harvard and Rensselaer have met eight times prior to Friday
night’s matchup, with the Crimson holding a 5-2-1 advantage
in the series. The Engineers have won the last two games between
the schools, most recently a 4-2 victory over Harvard at Bright
Hockey Center Jan. 23. Cori Bassett and Kate Buesser each scored a
goal for the Crimson, while Laura Bellamy posted a 25-save
effort.
The Crimson has won each of the 13 previous games against the
Dutchwomen, including a 5-0 win at Bright Jan. 22. Liza Ryabkina
notched two goals, while Leanna Coskren and Jillian Dempsey each
lit the lamp once. Bellamy stopped 13 shots to pick up a
shutout.
Last Time Out
Prior to winning the Beanpot Tuesday, Harvard completed a two-game
sweep of Ivy League and ECAC Hockey rivals Brown and Yale, by
holding off the Bulldogs, 4-3, Saturday at Bright Hockey Center.
For the second straight game, four different Harvard players found
the back of the net, as the Crimson netted three power-play goals
in Harvard’s fifth straight victory. Laura Bellamy continued
her dominant play between the pipes, stopping 15 of 16 shots she
faced.
Legendary: Head Coach Katey Stone
Katey Stone is in her 16th season as the Landry Family Head Coach
for Harvard Women’s Ice Hockey, and she brings a 335-141-26
(.693) record into Tuesday’s game. Stone is now only two wins
shy of tying the all-time Division I record for victories, held by
Laura Halldorson (337 wins).
Stone, who ranks second all-time in Division I victories, has led
Harvard to all seven of its NCAA tournament appearances and has
guided the Crimson to 10 Beanpot titles. Stone is also the active
leader in victories among Division I women’s hockey
coaches.
Down The Stretch
With four conference games remaining entering the weekend, Harvard
sits in third place in ECAC Hockey with a 11-5-2 record and 24
points. The Crimson stands one point ahead of St. Lawrence (23
points) and two points in front of both Quinnipiac and Rensselaer
(22 points). Harvard only trails Clarkson (29 points) and Cornell
(26 points) for first in the conference.
Clean Sheets
With its 1-0 win over Northeastern in the Beanpot final Feb. 9,
Harvard now has recorded seven shutouts this season. Laura Bellamy
has earned three clean sheets, as she also shut down Union Jan. 22
and Boston College Feb. 2. Six of the Crimson’s seven
shutouts have come at Bright Hockey Center. Senior Christina
Kessler has recorded 25 shutouts during her career at Harvard, a
program record.
It’s All Over
Harvard is 108-1-5 (.969) since the start of the 2004-05 season
when leading after two periods. The Crimson is 14-0-1 (.967) in
this category this season.
Road Warriors
The Crimson has played seven road games this season, going 4-2-1.
Harvard has four road games left in the regular season, beginning
with the contest at Rensselaer Feb. 12.
License to Kill
The Crimson boasts the nation’s fifth-best penalty kill
unit, stopping 91 of 101 opponent power plays (.901). The Crimson
also has a shorthanded goal to its credit this season, coming off
the stick of Jillian Dempsey in a 4-0 win over Union Jan. 22.
Crimson Leading The League
Kate Buesser is tied for an ECAC Hockey-best 28 points in league
games and also stands first in assists with 18. Buesser is also
tied for fourth with 10 goals in ECAC Hockey contests. Rookie
Jillian Dempsey (9-11-20) ranks fourth in conference points among
all players and first among freshmen in the league. Defender Leanna
Coskren is tied for fourth with eight power-play points (4-4-8) in
ECAC Hockey contests. Coskren is also tied for first with three
game-winning goals and tied for third with three power-play goals
to her credit. Cori Bassett, meanwhile, stands third in defender
scoring with 15 points on four goals and 11 assists. Coskren ranks
fourth among defenders with 11 points (6-7-13).
Buesser is also the Ivy League leader with 16 points (5-11-16) in
Ancient Eight games, while Bassett is tied for first among
defenders with nine points (2-7-9). Dempsey has been the
league’s most prolific freshman, leading the way with 12
points (6-6-12).
The World’s Best
A trio of former Harvard standout skaters have been named to the
2010 U.S. Women’s National Team, which will compete at the
2010 Vancouver Olympics. Angela Ruggiero ’02-04, the Patty
Kazmaier recipient in 2004, Julie Chu ’06-07, the winner of
the Patty Kazmaier trophy in 2007, and former All-American Caitlin
Cahow ’07-08 were named to the American team. On Team Canada,
Harvard will be represented by two-time Patty Kazmaier Award winner
Jennifer Botterill ’02-03, and Sarah Vaillancourt
’08-09, who was named the top women’s college hockey
player in 2008. Overall, Harvard has had nine current and former
women’s hockey players represent their countries in the
Olympics since 1996.
When The Game Is On The Line
Nine different Harvard players have scored a game-winning goal
this season -- Kaitlin Spurling, Liza Ryabkina, Jillian Dempsey,
Leanna Coskren, Anna McDonald, Cori Bassett, Kathryn Farni, Kate
Buesser and Randi Griffin. Ryabkina has a team-best four
game-winning tallies, while Coskren leads ECAC Hockey with three
game winners in conference games.
Scoring In A Bunch
As a team, Harvard ranks second in ECAC Hockey with 3.33 goals per
game, having scored a league-best 60 tallies in 18 conference games
entering the week. The Crimson is averaging 3.60 goals per contest
in Ivy League games, good for first in the Ancient Eight.
A Balanced Attack
The Crimson has had 14 different players score at least one goal
this year, as the team has netted a total of 72 goals. Sixteen
players have at least one point to their credit. Harvard had 15
different players light the lamp last season, scoring a total of 95
goals.
Hot Hand
Liza Ryabkina established a new career high, scoring four goals,
including three in the third period alone, in Harvard’s 5-0
win over Boston College in the semifinal round of the Beanpot Feb.
2. Ryabkina, who also had the game winner in the Beanpot final Feb.
9, notched two power-play tallies and scored two even strength
goals. Her four goals mark the most for a Harvard player since
Sarah Vaillancourt ’08-09 lit the lamp four times in a 5-2
win at Cornell Feb. 13, 2009.
First Thing’s First
The Crimson was 18-0-2 when scoring first and 1-10-1 when the
opponent lit the lamp first last season. So far in 2009-10, Harvard
is 14-1-2 when netting the game’s first goal and 2-4-2 when
the opposition scores first.
Spreading The Puck Around
The Crimson has 11 players who have reached double digits in
points: Kate Buesser (31 points), Jillian Dempsey (22), Liza
Ryabkina (17), Cori Bassett (16), Leanna Coskren (14), Kathryn
Farni (13), Randi Griffin (13), Anna McDonald (12), Kaitlin
Spurling (10), Katharine Chute (10) and Josephine Pucci (10).
Just Win, Christina!
Senior goaltender Christina Kessler is 64-16-6 (.779) in her
career in net, placing her first on Harvard’s all-time goalie
wins, as she passed Ali Boe ’06 with a 5-1 victory against
Colgate Jan. 16. Kessler currently holds the NCAA career record
with a .9413 save percentage, as she has stopped 1,863 of 1,979
shots faced during her career. Jessie Vetter (Wisconsin 2006-09)
owned a .941 save percentage to set the record (2,175 of 2,312,
.9407).
Harvard Against The Ivy League
The Crimson owns a 6-2-2 against opponents from the Ancient Eight
this season. In its last eight games against Ivy League teams,
Harvard is 6-0-2, most recently defeating Yale, 4-3, Feb. 6 The
Crimson is tied with Cornell for first place in the Ivy League with
14 points. Cornell has two games remaining against Brown and Yale.
If the Big Red drops both games, Harvard will earn a share of the
Ivy League title.
To Be The Best ...
With its 1-0 win over No. 9 Northeastern Feb. 2, the Crimson
stands at 5-2-3 against ranked foes this year. Harvard was 2-6-1
against top 10 opponents last season.
Stopping The Puck
Since stepping into the starting role, goaltender Laura Bellamy
stands second in the country with a 1.09 goals-against average,
while boasting the nation’s third-best save percentage (196
of 207, .947). She owns a 7-2-1 record good for a winning
percentage of .750, the fifth highest mark in the country.
Christina Kessler ranks third with a save percentage of .944 (351
of 372) and stands fourth with a 1.39 goals-against average.
Hall of Fame Inductee
Former Harvard standout Tammy Shewchuk ’00-01 was inducted
into the Women’s Beanpot Hall of Fame during a ceremony
between the consolation and championship games at Bright Hockey
Center Feb. 9. Shewchuk is second all-time in Women’s Beanpot
history with 25 points in eight games, having scored nine goals and
handed out 16 assists. She helped Harvard win three Beanpots in
1999, 2000 and ’01. Other Crimson Beanpot Hall of Fame
Inductees include Jennifer Botterill ’02-03 (2008) and Cheryl
Tate ’82 (2009).
Welcome To The Show
Harvard freshmen have had the scoring touch this season, led by
Jillian Dempsey who is second on the team with nine goals, 13
assists and 22 points. Josephine Pucci (4-6-10) and Kaitlin
Spurling (7-3-10) have also been scoring threats. Spurling is also
second on the team with three game-winning goals.
Storied Program
With its 3-0 victory over St. Lawrence Nov. 7, Harvard earned the
500th victory in program history. The Crimson owns a 514-292-42
(.631)record over its storied 31-year history.
A Stone Wall
The Crimson earned back-to-back shutouts against Minnesota Dec.
4-5, marking the first time that the Golden Gophers were held
scoreless since Feb. 2, 2007. The Crimson had not recorded
consecutive shutouts since holding Cornell without a goal during
the ECAC Hockey quarterfinals Feb. 27-28, 2009.
Bright Spot
The Crimson was 9-4-2 at Bright Hockey Center last season, while
posting a 9-5-1 mark on the road. In 18 home games this season,
Harvard owns a 12-3-3 record on home ice, and is 4-2-1 in road
contests.
Hot Streak
Entering Friday’s game at Rensselaer, Harvard has won six
straight games and is 8-1-1 in its last 10 games.
Red Lights
Harvard ranks second in the nation in scoring defense, allowing
only 1.40 goals per game. The Crimson also ranks fourth in scoring
margin (+1.48), fifth on the penalty kill (91 of 101, .901), 10th
in scoring offense (2.88 goals scored per game), 11th in combined
special teams (110 of 216, .509) and 15th on the power play (19 of
115, .165).
Rank And File
Harvard is ranked fifth in the latest USCHO.com national poll and
fifth in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine national poll, tying the
highest the program has been ranked this year.
Crimson Among The Nation’s Best
With 0.80 assists per game, Kate Buesser ranks eighth in the
nation in this category. Buesser also stands 16th with 1.24 points
per contest. At the blue line, Cori Bassett is averaging 0.64points
per game, placing her 13th. Among all of the country’s
rookies, Jillian Dempsey stands eighth with 0.88 points per
contest.
