Icewomen Remain in Middle

With new head coach Katey Stone at the helm, the Harvard women's hockey team hoped to improve on last year's fourth-place Ivy League finish. Unfortunately for the Crimson (12-11-2,8-4-2 ECAC, 3-7 Ivy), it could muster no better than a fifth-place finish in the increasingly competitive league.

The crimson's ECAC record earned it the seventh seed in the ECAC tournament, but second-seeded New Hampshire eliminated Harvard in the quarterfinals of the tournament.

The season was not without its high points, despite the disappointing league finish and early exit from the ECAC tournament.

For the Crimson, the Beanpot tournament, held at Bright Hockey Center, was the pinnacle of the squad's success. Harvard dropped Boston College, 3-2, in the opening round, advancing the Crimson to the finals against Northeastern, which had defeated B.U. in its first-round matchup.

In one of its best performances of the season. Harvard squeaked out a 3-2 win over the defending Beanpot champion Huskies. Having lost to the Huskies three times in 1993-1994, including one loss in the Beanpot finals, Harvard's win was a breakthrough for the squad.

A couple of Crimson starters also contributed record-breaking performances to the 1994-1995 campaign.

In goal, senior netminder Erin Villiotte broke the career save record early in the season and finished with 493 saves on the season. Villiotte also holds the single game save record with 52, the single season save record with 613 and shutouts in a season with six.

In the offensive end, the Crimson was once again led by sophomore sensation A.J. Mleczko led the team in scoring with 34 goals and 17 assists--breaking her own record of 31 goals, which was set in the forward's freshman season.

Mleczko earned first team All-Ivy honors and was also named to the women's national hockey team.

But one player does not make a team, and lack of depth was a problem that plagued the Crimson throughout the season. Harvard consistently dressed fewer players than its competition and as a result most lines were forced to play longer shifts for the entire game.

Graduating from this year from the squad are Villiotte and co-captains Winkie Mleczko and Diana Clark.

Winkie Mleczko's physical play anchored the Crimson's defense and her powerful slap-shot generated many scoring opportunities on the power-play.

Clark, a forward, finished the season with two goals and four assists.

The team's prospects for the near future look promising. With A.J. Mleczko, junior Stacy Kellogg and junior Holly Leitzes--the top-three scorers on the Crimson this season--returning next fall, Harvard will certainly have a powerful offensive punch.

On defense, however, someone will have to step up and try to fill Winkie Mleczko's and Villiotte's skates.

The key to Harvard's success, though, many be how many freshmen come out for the team. This year's squad featured only two freshmen, forward Casi Walker and goalie Jen Bowdoin.

Another below-average turn-out next year and the Crimson may again have to struggle to keep its head above water in the Ivy League and ECAC.