PRINCETON, N.J. – Harvard women's ice hockey secured a robust presence on this year's Ivy League awards, announced by the conference on Thursday. The Crimson, who was crowned Ivy League Champion for the first time since 2015 this season, took home all three of the league's major awards, while also landing three members on the First Team and one Honorable Mention.
Senior forward
Becca Gilmore was tabbed Ivy League Player of the Year, while first-year
Taze Thompson and The Landry Family Head Coach for Harvard Women's Ice Hockey,
Katey Stone, were named Rookie of the Year and Coach of the Year, respectively.
Gilmore is joined on the First-Team by linemate
Kristin Della Rovere as well as Crimson captain
Emma Buckles. Harvard defender
Kyra Willoughby received Honorable Mention All-Ivy honors.
It was a career best season on the ice for Gilmore who recorded 45 points on 19 goals and 26 assists. In Ivy play, the senior tied for the league lead with seven goals, while also dishing out six helpers. The Wayland, Mass native now adds to her All-Ivy Second Team recognition from the 2017-18 season.
A first-year out of Sherwood Park, Alberta, Thompson made quite an impression during her inaugural season in Cambridge, finishing fifth on the roster with 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists). The center was 10th in the Ivy League, and second among rookies, with 91 draws won in league-action.
For Stone, this marks her first Ivy League Coach of the Year recognition, an award which debuted in 2014-15. Stone led the Crimson to several accolades this season including the Ivy League crown, Beanpot Championship and ECAC Hockey regular season title. She also reached 500 wins for her Harvard coaching career in November, becoming the first female head coach to achieve the milestone.
Della Rovere joins Gilmore as a 40-point scorer this season, notching 15 goals and adding 25 assists. The junior tallied four goals and seven assists across 10 league-games, helping the Crimson to a 9-1-0 record. The native of Caledon East, Ontario finished second in the Ivy League with 141 wins at the faceoff-dot. She receives First-Team honors after being named an All-Ivy Honorable Mention back in 2019-20.
A senior captain and the anchor of the Crimson defense, Buckles enjoyed a career campaign in 2021-22 with seven goals and 10 assists. She ranked third and fourth among Ivy League defenders in goals and assists, respectively. This year marks the first All-Ivy honors for the Toronto, Ontario native.
Willoughby served as Buckles partner on Harvard's top defensive pairing this season, racking up 13 points on two goals and 11 assists. The junior's 35 blocked shots led the team this season, and her 15 blocks in Ivy League games were the fifth most among skaters in the ancient eight. Willoughby was also an All-Ivy Honorable Mention during her freshman season in 2018-19.
