Pictured: Co-captain Cori Bassett and the No. 9 Crimson
compete for the first time this season Saturday, as the team hosts
McGill for an exhibition.
Photo courtesy: David Silverman Photography
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Statistics
Harvard
Season Preview
Game On
Harvard skates for the first time in 2009-10, hosting an
exhibition game against McGill, in the Crimson's final tuneup
before the start of the regular season. Saturday's game marks the
first of at least 21 times that Harvard will compete on home ice
this season.
Last Season
These two teams also met for an exhibition last season, with the
Crimson emerging with a 3-2 victory at Bright Hockey Center Oct.
25, 2008. In that contest, Jenny Brine '09 tallied a
power-play goal, while goaltender Christina Kessler stopped all
five shots she faced.
Crimson Captains
Harvard's two captains for the 2009-10 campaign are senior
defensemen Cori Bassett and Kathryn Farni.
Preseason Prognostications
Harvard, which finished 19-10-3 and successfully defended its ECAC
Hockey regular season and Ivy League titles last year, takes to the
ice ranked ninth nationally in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine
poll and 10th in the USCHO.com rankings. The ECAC Hockey coaches
picked Harvard to finish second in the in preseason conference poll
and voted senior goaltender Christina Kessler to the preseason
all-league team for the second consecutive season.
Returning Statistical Leaders
With five goals and 13 assists for 18 points in 2008-09, junior
Katharine Chute is Harvard's returning scoring leader. Junior
Liza Ryabkina (nine goals, six assists), senior Cori Bassett (six
goals, eight assists), senior Anna McDonald (two goals, nine
assists) and junior Kate Busser (six goals, four assists) also
reached double digits in scoring a year ago.
Between the pipes, Harvard returns All-America goaltender
Christina Kessler, who was named to the All-Ivy League first team
and All-ECAC Hockey second team last season. She ranked third in
the nation with a 1.59 goals-against average and ranked seventh
with a .933 save percentage (599 of 642). She posted a 17-8-2
overall record, giving her a 55-14-2 mark for her career, placing
her second in victories in school history.
Scouting the Martlets
McGill had won three straight contests entering Friday's
game at Dartmouth. The Martlets topped Vermont, 2-1, in overtime
Oct. 4, and recorded shutout victories against Concordia, 5-0, Oct.
9, and Ottawa, 6-0, Oct. 17. McGill played ECAC Hockey opponent St.
Lawrence Oct. 3, losing by a score of 2-1 to the Saints in Canton,
N.Y. The Martlets will conclude their United State at Yale Sunday
afternoon.
Coming Attractions
The Crimson opens the regular season with a trip to Colgate
Friday, Oct. 30.
