HARVARD 2026-27: STEPPING OUT

[thirdtime's . . .]

Now that I’ve got the right season, welcome to you hundreds of Crimson diehards who missed the first edition of this year’s thread. In it I called attention to the small incoming class (4) and the potential gem that it is bringing with it (Stepnowski). The presence of this NEPSAC star will surely lead to fewer one-goal losses (6), fewer OTs (7), and much needed goal support to reward the skills of Tuffy.

In response, Timothy A wondered if there were signs that H was digging out of its “huge hole!" To which I reply: Sheesh! Do you midwestern hockey elders ever cast an eye east? Harvard went from 2-25-2 (.103) to 16-15-3 (.515) last season, some sort of NCAA record. What hole??? We are now very much standing on level ground. I think of it as getting to base camp last year, so this coming season marks the time to get acclimated before attempting an ascent.

Bellamy, Crimson Sign Four to Class of 2030 - Harvard University

Harvard women's hockey welcomes latest recruiting class.

gocrimson.com

 

[BuckyB]

It’s just not possible.
There will be no ascent to anywhere.
Base camp it is…. Enjoy the stay

 

[Timothy A]

Now that I’ve got the right season, welcome to you hundreds of Crimson diehards who missed the first edition of this year’s thread. In it I called attention to the small incoming class (4) and the potential gem that it is bringing with it (Stepnowski). The presence of this NEPSAC star will surely lead to fewer one-goal losses (6), fewer OTs (7), and much needed goal support to reward the skills of Tuffy.

In response, Timothy A wondered if there were signs that H was digging out of its “huge hole!" To which I reply: Sheesh! Do you midwestern hockey elders ever cast an eye east? Harvard went from 2-25-2 (.103) to 16-15-3 (.515) last season, some sort of NCAA record. What hole??? We are now very much standing on level ground. I think of it as getting to base camp last year, so this coming season marks the time to get acclimated before attempting an ascent.

Bellamy, Crimson Sign Four to Class of 2030 - Harvard University

Harvard women's hockey welcomes latest recruiting class.

gocrimson.com

I had no idea, that's why I asked. I can barely keep up with the UW men and women's team, let along some fringe EZAC team. Thanks for the update. I'd like to see Hawvawd get all the way out of the hole and make the NCAA's. One of the funnest games I ever attended was the last time Hawvawd played UW in the NCAA's. I believe that was "the Rigby save" game.

 

[Steamboat]

I had no idea, that's why I asked. I can barely keep up with the UW men and women's team, let along some fringe EZAC team. Thanks for the update. I'd like to see Hawvawd get all the way out of the hole and make the NCAA's. One of the funnest games I ever attended was the last time Hawvawd played UW in the NCAA's. I believe that was "the Rigby save" game.

My fun Harvard memory is seeing Hannah Brandt, who wasn't good enough for Katy Stone's Olympic team, scoring a quick goal against Harvard in the playoffs, and skating past the Harvard bench.

 

[Skate79]

Only four recruits for this incoming class is really sad. This won't help the program because the D once again will be all right shots. Bellamy needs someone to help her with recruiting and understanding what it will take to compete in the ECAC and nationally. This is embarrassing.

 

[BuckyB]

Only four recruits for this incoming class is really sad. This won't help the program because the D once again will be all right shots. Bellamy needs someone to help her with recruiting and understanding what it will take to compete in the ECAC and nationally. This is embarrassing.

Bingo

 

[robertearle]

I had no idea, that's why I asked. I can barely keep up with the UW men and women's team, let along some fringe EZAC team. Thanks for the update. I'd like to see Hawvawd get all the way out of the hole and make the NCAA's. One of the funnest games I ever attended was the last time Hawvawd played UW in the NCAA's. I believe that was "the Rigby save" game.

(Also the game when somebody hired a high school band to show up at LaBahn to play the Harvard fight song. Really.)

 

[Steamboat]

(Also the game when somebody hired a high school band to show up at LaBahn to play the Harvard fight song. Really.)

Are you sure that wasn't at Ridder? I remember the same. The band played during game play and had to be warned by arena staff to respect the players.

 

[robertearle]

Are you sure that wasn't at Ridder? I remember the same. The band played during game play and had to be warned by arena staff to respect the players.

Yes, I'm sure. No idea what might have gone on at Ridder- I've only been there once, for the 2018 final four. But the "Harvard band" at LaBahn I saw in person, and it was discussed here on the forum at the time.

 

[Timothy A]

(Also the game when somebody hired a high school band to show up at LaBahn to play the Harvard fight song. Really.)

That was rich!

 

[thirdtime's . . .]

One of the funnest games I ever attended was the last time Hawvawd played UW in the NCAA's. I believe that was "the Rigby save" game.

Expecting more trash talk, I at first read “funnest” as “funniest,” and given Harvard’s overall record against the WCHA there must have been one or two real laughers. But the number of one-goal and OT losses means that there was plenty of fun too. You have to cherry pick the wins, but the barn-burning close ones spill out of numerous box scores. My favorite goes back to the Minny game in 2009 when Harvard went 0-7 on the PP and ended up with an old-fashioned tie: 0-0 (maybe among the last such allowable results posted in the NCAA). And somehow while I can’t remember any of Rigsby’s 23 saves in 2014, each of Maschmeyer's 43 that night at LaBahn is at instant recall. Thanks for the reminder! The long and the short of it is that Hawvawd almost always shows up.


************



I see from recent posts that not everyone is buying what I’m selling. Yes of course we need some D. Somewhere in the process Bellamy stumbled or she was blindsided (a rogue de-commit?), but dealing with the vagaries of an Ivy admissions office and this particular AD has to involve something of a learning curve. (This AD, btw, without a hint of irony, wants to assure all potential recruits who might otherwise hesitate because of the prohibition of NILs that Harvard has many other things going for it, like academics, labs, clubs, etc.) But if you watched the first years of McSweeney and McGathey you should be excited to think of Stepnowski joining their ranks, and if you watched the first years of Biotti and Finnegan you should be excited to think of Pape coming back to the blue line. And then there’s Tuffy.

Last year’s turnaround was real. Trust it.

 

[BuckyB]

Expecting more trash talk, I at first read “funnest” as “funniest,” and given Harvard’s overall record against the WCHA there must have been one or two real laughers. But the number of one-goal and OT losses means that there was plenty of fun too. You have to cherry pick the wins, but the barn-burning close ones spill out of numerous box scores. My favorite goes back to the Minny game in 2009 when Harvard went 0-7 on the PP and ended up with an old-fashioned tie: 0-0 (maybe among the last such allowable results posted in the NCAA). And somehow while I can’t remember any of Rigsby’s 23 saves in 2014, each of Maschmeyer's 43 that night at LaBahn is at instant recall. Thanks for the reminder! The long and the short of it is that Hawvawd almost always shows up.


************



I see from recent posts that not everyone is buying what I’m selling. Yes of course we need some D. Somewhere in the process Bellamy stumbled or she was blindsided (a rogue de-commit?), but dealing with the vagaries of an Ivy admissions office and this particular AD has to involve something of a learning curve. (This AD, btw, without a hint of irony, wants to assure all potential recruits who might otherwise hesitate because of the prohibition of NILs that Harvard has many other things going for it, like academics, labs, clubs, etc.) But if you watched the first years of McSweeney and McGathey you should be excited to think of Stepnowski joining their ranks, and if you watched the first years of Biotti and Finnegan you should be excited to think of Pape coming back to the blue line. And then there’s Tuffy.

Last year’s turnaround was real. Trust it.

It’s not real… nothing left or incoming to support it…. It was a weak anomaly that is gone.