Pictured: Katey Stone, the Landry Family Head Coach for
Harvard Women's Ice Hockey, and the Crimson were picked second in
the ECAC Hockey preseason coaches' poll.
Photo courtesy: DSPics.com.
Complete ECAC Hockey Coaches' Poll
Release
Complete ECAC Hockey Preseason
All-Conference Team
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Harvard
women's hockey team has been picked to finish second in ECAC
Hockey this season, according to the coaches' poll released
Tuesday by the conference. In addition, Harvard senior goaltender
Christina Kessler has been named to the ECAC Hockey Preseason
All-Conference Team for the second straight year.
Harvard claimed three first-place votes and 103 points in the
poll, finishing second in the preseason poll to St. Lawrence, which
also garnered three first-place votes and amassed 107 points. The
Crimson is led by Katey Stone, the Landry Family Head Coach for
Harvard Women's Ice Hockey, who is entering her 16th season
at the helm. Stone is ranked second all-time and first among active
Division I women's coaches with 319 victories. Dartmouth
appears third in the poll with 93 points and five first-place
votes, while Princeton is fourth with 89 points.
“I think we're going to be a different team from last
year and rely on defense and goaltending more this season,”
Stone said. “I think we'll have pretty good depth
overall. Everyone in the league is strong this season, and it is
getting more and more difficult each season to fill out the
preseason poll. Everyone in the conference needs to be ready every
single game, otherwise you're going to get stung. One week
you might be the favorite, and the next you might be the
underdog.”
Last season, the Crimson won the ECAC Hockey regular-season title
for the second straight season after winning 10 consecutive
conference games down the stretch to finish 16-4-2 in the league.
The Crimson posted a 19-10-3 overall record and advanced to the
semifinals of the ECAC Hockey tournament. Harvard also successfully
defended its Ivy League title, going 8-2-0 in the Ancient Eight.
The team returns 13 players from last year's roster and
welcomes seven freshmen. Seniors Cori Bassett and Kathryn Farni
will serve as co-captains of the Crimson this season.
Kessler, a two-time All-ECAC Hockey choice, was named to the
All-Ivy League first team for the second consecutive year in
2008-09 after posting a 17-8-2 overall record between the pipes.
She was also 14-2-1 in ECAC Hockey contests a year ago and ranked
first in the conference with a 1.55 goals-against average against
ECAC Hockey opponents. Overall, Kessler placed third in the nation
with a 1.59 goals-against mark and stood seventh with a .933 save
percentage, stopping 599 of 642 shots she faced.
A native of Oakville, Ont., Kessler was named to the New England
Hockey Writers Division I Women's All-Star Team for the
second straight time last winter. She ranks second in school
history with 55 victories, and her 12 shutouts in 2007-08
established a new NCAA record. An All-America second-team choice
two years ago, Kessler attended Canada's National
Women's Under-22 Team this summer. She earned a 4-0 shutout
over Sweden, making 25 saves in the victory.
ECAC Hockey Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. St. Lawrence (3 first-place votes), 107 points
2. Harvard (3), 103 points
3. Dartmouth (5), 93 points
4. Princeton, 89 points
5. Clarkson (1), 85 points
6. Rensselaer, 74 points
7. Cornell, 68 points
8. Colgate, 52 points
9. Quinnipiac, 37 points
10. Yale, 34 points
11. Brown, 24 points
12. Union, 11 points
ECAC Hockey Preseason All-Conference Team
Christina Kessler, Goaltender, Harvard
Sasha Sherry, Defense, Princeton
Britni Smith, Defense, St. Lawrence
Jenna Cunningham, Forward, Dartmouth
Dominique Thibault, Forward, Clarkson
Catherine White, Forward, Cornell
