Cambridge, Massachusetts – With the regular season over, the Harvard women's ice hockey team is preparing for its opening game of the ECAC Championships, taking on the ninth-ranked Quinnipiac Bobcats on Saturday afternoon at M&T Bank Arena in Hamden. The Crimson (5-22-2, 3-18-1 ECACH) will face Quinnipiac in the opening round, with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals to face the Colgate Raiders in a best-of-three series.
What you need to know
match
The Crimson and Bobcats have met twice this season, with Quinnipiac winning both times. The ECAC rivals have only met once in the conference tournament, with the Crimson winning 2-1 in the ECAC Championship semifinals in 2015. That same season, Harvard also defeated the Bobcats 5-0 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Crimson will try to end a five-game losing streak against the Bobcats when both teams take the ice to meet this Saturday.
Competitor research
The ninth-ranked Quinnipiac Bobcats enter the postseason after defeating RPI and Union in their final ECAC series of the season. The Bobcats bounced back from a tough start, losing six of seven games from Jan. 16 to Feb. 10. With a 13-9 conference record, Quinnipiac earns the No. 5 seed in the league and will host the Crimson in the opener.
The Bobcats displayed a balanced scoring attack in 2023-24 with nine skaters scoring 20 or more points during the campaign. Led by the efforts of Sadie Peart and Nina Steigauf (15 goals each), the Bobcats outscored their opponents, 123-66, to finish with a record of 24 wins, nine losses and one tie.
Fifth-year player Logan Anges had another outstanding season as a goaltender, posting a 1.85 ERA and .936 save percentage in 2023-24.
Active Players vs. Quinnipiac
M. Viotti – 0G, 3A, 3P
S. Ensley – 0G, 1A, 1P
G. Rap – 1G, 0A, 1P
P. Lester – 0G, 1A, 1P
S. Hollands – 2G, 1A, 3P
E. Winges – 0G, 2A, 2P
LAPP is the leader
Gwyn Rapp Rupp had a breakout season in his second year in the Crimson and White, scoring 11 goals and leading the team in points in both categories with 15. Rupp rose to the top of Harvard's line charts and established himself in the lineup with his strong play up the middle and his talent for scoring goals.
Her five power play goals this season rank in the top 10 in ECAC hockey and top 15 in the country.
ECAC Championship History
Harvard has played in the ECAC Hockey Championship in all but four seasons since the start of the 1997-98 season. The Crimson have a 47-24 overall record in ECAC tournament games and a 16-11 record in single-elimination contests.
Harvard has not won the ECAC hockey tournament since the 2014-15 season, when current Landry Family head coach of the Harvard women's ice hockey team, Laura Bellamy, was an assistant coach at Harvard.
The Crimson have won six ECAC Tournament titles in program history, the most among active members of the ECAC Hockey Conference.
Young Guns
Harvard's underclassmen skaters have begun to thrive under their new coaching staff this season, accounting for 47% of the team's points in the 2023-24 season. Freshmen and sophomores have also scored 22 of the team's 38 goals, giving the underclassmen a 58% scoring percentage, third-best in the ECAC behind Brown (81%) and Union (65%). Harvard's young talent has come up big time all season, scoring nine power play goals and two game-winning goals.
Between the pipes
Sophomore goalkeeper, Emily Davidsonhas contributed to a number of solid games at goal for the Crimson in recent weeks, including two wins and a shootout win in three of her first seven career starts. In seven games this season, Davidson has a 2.65 ERA and a .925 save percentage. The Ottawa native has only allowed three or more runs in two of her seven starts and led Harvard to a shootout win over No. 13 Boston College in the 2024 Women's Beanpot Consolation Round.
Block Shot
The Crimson weren't afraid to get into the shooting lane this season, blocking 457 shots on the year, good for fourth nationally in that department. Mia Biotti and Maria Papé Viotti led the way with 67 and 64 blocked shots, respectively, Viotti's totals topping the ECAC and sixth in the country. Maria Papé's They are No. 2 in the ECAC and No. 9 nationally.
next
A win over Quinnipiac would send the Crimson to the ECAC Championship quarterfinals, where they will face off against Harvard and the top-seeded Colgate Raiders next weekend (March 1-3) at the Class of 1965 Arena in Hamilton, New York.
