Harvard Crimson Women 09-10

[Watson Rink]

Special Teams Against Yale

Special Teams Against Yale

The box score tells an amazing story: Yale had 9:15 of PP time, including skating 6-on-4 for the last 58 seconds of the game, and Harvard had 9:04 of PP time, including skating 5-on-3 for 50 seconds of the first period.

Harvard generated 14 shots on the PP and scored 3 goals while the PK held Yale to three shots and 1 goal, and allowed Yale no shots on goal in the aforementioned final minute of 6-on-4.

In order to succeed during the remainder of this year, the team has believe that they can overcome adversity. That final minute says a lot about this team.

 

[alslammerz]

Re: Yale Game

Re: Yale Game

I would have started Kylie against Union so that she doesn't come in cold towards the end of a game.

Edit: Never mind- I'm an idiot- road game vs. Union coming up, right? I need to stop posting before breakfast.

From the Original: Glad I will get to see the team in their last home game of the regular season (even if it's not Senior Day). The new playoff format seems ridiculous by the way.

 

[Watson Rink]

Yale Game postscript

Yale Game postscript

Afterthought: thinking back, I was really impressed by Romatoski's decision-making when she dashed into the attacking zone after the loose puck that eventuated in the winning goal: she hesitated for a moment, to make sure her D partner and at least one backchecking forward were well positioned in case a counterattack were to turn into an odd man rush, then in she went.

I imagine that when the coaches review the game films they see countless smart plays like this, but it's just something i happened to notice at the time that then turned out to have far more significant consequences than anyone could imagine at the time

 

[Skate79]

Re: Yale Game

Re: Yale Game

Edit: Never mind- I'm an idiot- road game vs. Union coming up, right? I need to stop posting before breakfast.

From the Original: Glad I will get to see the team in their last home game of the regular season (even if it's not Senior Day). The new playoff format seems ridiculous by the way.

Right and you're not an idiot. I should have written the statement as "Coach Stone should wait and start Kylie next week against Union."

It is ridiculous. I was talking about it with a couple of people at Bright yesterday and they could not believe the ECAC is implementing this format. Travel costs go up and if you don't know where you are playing, how do you book hotel rooms? Will the ECAC do this in advance? And what about the tournament dinner? When and where do you hold it to hand out the awards for the season?

Watson, great point about Romatoski. It was a beautiful pass and a real heads up play. Great finish by Spurling and that makes three goals in four games for the freshman.

The Yale coach might disagree with you however because on that play, someone took out a Yale player in what she felt was an egregious penalty. She was giving it to the ref not only after the goal but at the end of the period and the beginning of the third.

 

[Skate79]

Re: Harvard Crimson Women 09-10

Harvard has a much better chance of securing home ice for the NCAAs than home ice for the ECAC semifinals at this point, oddly enough. Harvard has plenty to play for in the national standings. But they at least have a lot to play for in terms of maintaining their current national position, which would get them an at-large berth.

Dave, how would Harvard secure home ice in the NCAA tournament first round? Would they have to beat Clarkson in the regular season finale and then win the ECAC tournament? What else would get them there? Does the committee still want to avoid intraconference matchups where possible or minimize travel? Sorry for the many questions but I've never fully understood the process other than out-of-conference record in determining who gets in and who's left out.

 

[HofstraHockey]

Re: Harvard Crimson Women 09-10

For the ECAC tournament, I would imagine that the hotel situation would be similar as to what teams have to do for the NCAA tournament. The schools book a block of hotel rooms at a local hotel, and if you secure the game, you hand over the reservation to the team that is coming into town. If not, you simply cancel the reservation. This is commonly handled by the event managers for the school. The schools generally have a local hotel that they work with on a regular basis, and it works for the hotel that while they may have some last minute cancellations, they'll also get plenty of nights where they have 15+ rooms booked.

 

[dave1381]

Re: Harvard Crimson Women 09-10

Dave, how would Harvard secure home ice in the NCAA tournament first round? Would they have to beat Clarkson in the regular season finale and then win the ECAC tournament? What else would get them there? Does the committee still want to avoid intraconference matchups where possible or minimize travel? Sorry for the many questions but I've never fully understood the process other than out-of-conference record in determining who gets in and who's left out.

Right, so I figure it'll come down to Harvard or Clarkson for the last home-ice spot (others going to Mercyhurst/Minnnesota/UMD). It'd be wrong to totally write off a Hockey East team securing that spot (namely UNH), but the way Hockey East is going, it doesn't look like one team is going to stand out enough to secure that spot.

Here's what the Harvard-Clarkson comparison looks like
Basically Clarkson has a slight edge in two categories, Harvard has a slight edge in one category, and Clarkson has 1 H2H head victory. The three categories where they're all close could swing based on 1 days' results.

Clarkson Harvard
5707 RPI .5676
7-6-2 .TUC 5-3-3
17-5-2 COP 15-4-4
1-0-0 H2H 0-1-0
3 TOT 1

Basically, Harvard just needs to be better than Clarkson going forward. Since they play again and perhaps again in the ECAC tourney, being better than Clarkson will probably mean beating them once or twice. It is possible that Harvard could lose the finale, win the ECACs, and still finish ahead of Clarkson in the PWR, but that requires being perfect all other games and getting some help.

In terms of avoiding intraconference matchups, who knows exactly what they'll do. The committee's priorities change a lot year-to-year. But my guess is they'll avoid intraconference matchups since the teams in the middle are all very close. My guess is you'll see an NCAA quarterfinal between the best ECAC team and the best Hockey East team in the PWR --- while the other three qualifiers will be stuck going to Mercyhurst/Minnesota/UMD. (If Wisconsin makes it, probably they go to Mercyhurst).

So in other words, Harvard gets a much more favorable path to the Frozen Four by finishing ahead of Clarkson, probably playing a Hockey East team instead of visiting one of the top 3 schools (UMD if the season ended today).

 

[alslammerz]

Re: Yale Game

Re: Yale Game

Right and you're not an idiot. I should have written the statement as "Coach Stone should wait and start Kylie next week against Union."

It is ridiculous. I was talking about it with a couple of people at Bright yesterday and they could not believe the ECAC is implementing this format. Travel costs go up and if you don't know where you are playing, how do you book hotel rooms? Will the ECAC do this in advance? And what about the tournament dinner? When and where do you hold it to hand out the awards for the season?

Well thanks for that.

As for the playoffs, just the idea that a team could have a game (either this year or in the future) in Cambridge on Friday and then Potsdam that Sunday. Especially if the team going to Potsdam upset the Crimson and they had two road games like that. Imagine if you're Princeton in that situation!

 

[Skate79]

Re: Harvard Crimson Women 09-10

For the ECAC tournament, I would imagine that the hotel situation would be similar as to what teams have to do for the NCAA tournament. The schools book a block of hotel rooms at a local hotel, and if you secure the game, you hand over the reservation to the team that is coming into town. If not, you simply cancel the reservation. This is commonly handled by the event managers for the school. The schools generally have a local hotel that they work with on a regular basis, and it works for the hotel that while they may have some last minute cancellations, they'll also get plenty of nights where they have 15+ rooms booked.

Uh, you are forgetting one important thing here. You don't know where you are going to be after Friday night. You could be hosting or traveling. Not quite like the NCAA but I get your point. Certainly Princeton if they finish fifth would be traveling no matter what assuming the other top seeds win out. But you can see how this can lead to some difficult scheduling because of the different permutations of who wins and who loses Friday.

 

[Skate79]

Re: Harvard Crimson Women 09-10

Thanks Dave. I'm guessing that Maine beating UNH did the Wildcats no favors. I'm also assuming that beating Northeastern for the Beanpot would help Harvard somewhat. And I agree, it's all about Clarkson and beating them at least once if not twice to set up a home game in the NCAA.

I'm thinking that we may see a rematch of Harvard-UNH in the NCAA first round.

 

[alslammerz]

Re: Harvard Crimson Women 09-10

Third installment of "If the ECAC playoffs Started Today". Do be prepared to groan and gnash teeth at the 3-6 game unless you became a Harvard fan this year and missed last year's semifinals. Still ten teams viable for eight spots, should make for an exciting final stretch of league play.

 

[DC78-82]

Re: Harvard Crimson Women 09-10

Thanks Dave. I'm guessing that Maine beating UNH did the Wildcats no favors.

I think you're mixing genders. The men did suffer two heartbreaking losses to the Black Bears this weekend, but the women were at Alfond last weekend, and won both. That said, we're still bummed when the men lose

I'm thinking that we may see a rematch of Harvard-UNH in the NCAA first round.

That would be fun. More fun than a kennel of Bulldogs

 

[Skate79]

Re: Harvard Crimson Women 09-10

I think you're mixing genders. The men did suffer two heartbreaking losses to the Black Bears this weekend, but the women were at Alfond last weekend, and won both. That said, we're still bummed when the men lose

Whoops! Sorry about that. I was going on what someone told me at Bright last weekend. Thought he said the UNH women lost to Maine. I was shocked at the time... thanks for the correction.

 

[chippy]

Re: Harvard Crimson Women 09-10

Whoops! Sorry about that. I was going on what someone told me at Bright last weekend. Thought he said the UNH women lost to Maine. I was shocked at the time... thanks for the correction.

Skate,

That someone, although wrong, was close! UNH women lost to Vermont last Wednesday 2-1. Still shocking though.

Chip

 

[ARM]

Re: Harvard Crimson Women 09-10

I was going on what someone told me at Bright last weekend. Thought he said the UNH women lost to Maine.

They also lost to BU on Saturday, so that could also be what was meant.

 

[DC78-82]

Re: Harvard Crimson Women 09-10

Whoops! Sorry about that. I was going on what someone told me at Bright last weekend. Thought he said the UNH women lost to Maine. I was shocked at the time... thanks for the correction.

Well, we lost to Vermont last Wednesday. Shock on, dude

 

[Skate79]

Re: Harvard Crimson Women 09-10

Skate,

That someone, although wrong, was close! UNH women lost to Vermont last Wednesday 2-1. Still shocking though.

Chip

That is very surprising. Hockey East has been a very strong conference the past few years with UNH right up there year after year(they dealt us our only defeat in '08 until the NCAAs) and perhaps you guys are experiencing what we are seeing in the ECAC; namely, the usual suspects (Harvard, Dartmouth, SLU and Princeton) are giving way to up and coming programs like Clarkson, Cornell and RPI.

I think this year's race for the top eight spots in the NCAA tournament will be wide open.

 

[DC78-82]

Re: Harvard Crimson Women 09-10

That is very surprising. Hockey East has been a very strong conference the past few years with UNH right up there year after year(they dealt us our only defeat in '08 until the NCAAs) and perhaps you guys are experiencing what we are seeing in the ECAC; namely, the usual suspects (Harvard, Dartmouth, SLU and Princeton) are giving way to up and coming programs like Clarkson, Cornell and RPI.

I think this year's race for the top eight spots in the NCAA tournament will be wide open.

Considering Vermont also beat Clarkson, BU, and Providence, and is still in a battle to make the HE playoffs, and Maine only lost to VT this weekend by 1, I'd say there is definitly an uprising happening. VT still has 2 against both UNH and Providence, and I'm sure neither will take them lightly. Playoff spots and possible NCAA berths may not be decided until the final buzzer sounds. What fun!

 

[alslammerz]

Re: Harvard Crimson Women 09-10

Huzzah! What a game. I was super nervous throughout the 3rd period but Bellamy stood up to the task against the Huskies (I was at my most nervous when I had to vote with 5 min. left for the Goaltending Award- she had definitely earned it to that point, but I didn't want to jinx her or the team.) Second period, Harvard dominated play and Sulyma stood tall (whoever at the early part of this thread said there was not much dropoff between her and Schelling was absolutely right) but then Northeastern really stepped it up in the 3rd. Great game, had me on edge the whole time. Congrats to the Crimson, 2010 Beanpot Champs.

And as I found out in the postgame press conference, they're allowed to be called that until midnight tonight, when the focus goes back to the ECAC's. Two big road weekends coming up.

 

[Skate79]

Re: Harvard Crimson Women 09-10

Looks like I missed quite a game (I was in NYC on business and just made it back this afternoon. I know that people here in MA won't believe this given our current conditions but the snow was coming down pretty hard in the Tri-State area).

What a tournament for Liza Ryabkina and Laura Bellamy. The team has to feel good about Bellamy now and going forward. She is really standing tall. Kudos to her for winning the Joe Bertagna trophy.

On to RPI and Union. Let's face it, we need the two points against RPI and if we can get a win at Clarkson, all the better for the national standings. If anyone had told me in October that Harvard had a chance to host an NCAA first round game at Bright, I would have said they were crazy given the youth and injuries early on. This team has really surprised me and I'm sure others who follow women's hockey. Let's hope they can keep it going.