CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - The Harvard Crimson (1-1-0, 1-1-0 ECAC) returns to the Bright-Landry Hockey Center this weekend to host its first ECAC - and Ivy League - series of the 2022-23 campaign. First, the Crimson will welcome the No. 9/8 Yale Bulldogs to Cambridge on Friday afternoon before taking on the Brown Bears on Saturday. The 1-1-0 Harvard team hopes to carry over its solid performance against Dartmouth last weekend when the team takes the ice on Friday. The Crimson posted a 3-0 shutout against the Big Green to earn its first win of the young season and earn three points in ECAC play.
WHAT TO KNOW
Context of the Contest
Harvard split the season series with Yale a year ago but has dominated in the all-time series against the Bulldogs, especially at home. The Crimson is 22-3-3 dating back to 2003 against the Bulldogs at the Bright-Landry Center, which is the most wins over Ivy opponents in that span. Against Brown, the Crimson is unbeaten in its past eight games (7-0-1) which includes wins in the previous four matchups.
Scouting The Competition
The Bulldogs will take the ice for the first time in 2022-23 on Friday against the Crimson and come into the contest with a No. 9/8 national ranking. Junior Ella Hartje (Sister of former Harvard Men's Hockey/Lacrosse Student-Athlete, Jake Hartje) returns to the team for her junior season after leading the team with 51 points and breaking the school record with 35 assists. Sophomore Pia Dukaric figures to be the new starting goaltender for Yale after posting a 10-3-1 record, five shutouts and 1.36 GAA in 2021-22. Yale was picked to finish second in the annual ECAC preseason poll.
Through two games, Brown is led by first-year Jade Iginla who has scored twice on the young season. Junior Kayley Doyle will return to the starting goaltender role after posting a 2.12 GAA and a .932 save percentage in 21 games as a sophomore. Brown is coming off a series split (win/tie) with Stonehill College last weekend.
100 Games for Della Rovere and Willoughby
Senior Captains Kristin Della Rovere and Kyra Willoughby are both on pace to reach the 100 game milestone this weekend. Della Rovere will hit the mark on Friday against Yale while Willoughby will earn the milestone on Saturday against Brown. Della Rovere (53g, 53a, 106p) and Willoughby (4g, 23a, 27p) rank first and third on the team in career points, respectively. The duo joins Anne Bloomer in the 100 club after she hit the milestone agains the Dartmouth Big Green a week ago.
Hitting the Ice Flying
It didn't take long for the Crimson to put a tally on the board against Dartmouth. In fact, it took only 11 seconds for captain, Kristin Della Roverve to score against the Big Green, which goes down as the fastest goal in team history and is tied for the eight-fastest goal in NCAA history. Della Rovere won the opening faceoff back to first-year defender, Jade Arnone, who cycled the puck up the boards to Anne Bloomer who found a streaking KDR in the slot. The senior forward put the puck in teh back of the net, writing her name in the history books in the process. Bloomer's points per game total (2.0 ppg) is good for third in the nation while her and KDR are both ranked fifth in the nation with their 1.0 goals per game mark.
Stopping the Puck
Sophomore goaltender, Alex Pellicci recorded her second career shutout in the 3-0 win over the Big Green in which she made 26 saves. It has been a solid start for Pellici, who also made a career-high 47 saves in the loss to Quinnipiac, the most by a Crimson netminder since Lindsay Reed stopped 52 shots against the No. 2/2 Wisconsin Badgers in 2019.
Taking One for the Team
Defender, Kyra Willoughby and Jenna Macdonald, lead the team with six blocked shots apiece through two games. Last time out against Dartmouth eight different players blocked a shot and five players had at least two blocks in a 13-blocked shot effort from Harvard.
Winges Starting Strong
Sophomore Eleanor Winges started the season strong with a pair of assists in just her fourth game in the Crimson and White. Winges notched helpers on both Crimson goals against the Quinnipiac Bobcats on October 15, 2022, including the primary assist on the team's second goal. The two points were a career high for Winges and were also the first in her Harvard Hockey career.
Keepin' it clean
Neither Harvard or Quinnipiac recorded a penalty in the season-opening contest for the Crimson which is the first time both Harvard and its opponent has kept the sheet clean in a game since at least the 2008-09 season.
First-Years Firing on All Cylniders
In just their second game on the ice, first-years Jade Arnone and Sophie Ensley both recorded their first collegiate points. Both skaters notched assists against the Big Green to get on the board. Arnone's assist was on the first goal of the game just 11 seconds into the contest, which was the fastest goal scored in program history. Ensley earned the primary assist on the second goal of the game.
Sophomore Kayley Crawford also recorded her first career point on the second goal of the game with an assist.
Penalty-Kill Prowess
The Crimson Penatly-Kill survived its first test of the season after stopping both Dartmouth powerplays last weekend. The Crimson blocked five shots attempts from the Big Green and Alex Pellicci saved the only two shots put in front of her to hold back Dartmouth. The Crimson is one of only two teams in the country with at least two games played that have not allowed a powerplay goal
Crimson to Play at Frozen Fenway
The Harvard women's hockey team is set to take on the Quinnipiac Bobcats on the ice at Fenway Park as a part of the 2023 Frozen Fenway event. The puck will drop in Boston on January 6, 2023 at 3 PM. This will be the second time Harvard will play in the event and the first since 2017, when the team took on Boston College.
UP NEXT
Harvard will hit the road next weekd for its first trip of the season. The Crimson are set to faceoff against Union and RPI on Friday and Saturday, November 4-5, respectively. Both games will also be streamed likve on ESPN+.
