Women's ice hockey shoots for ECAC playoffs

By Naomi Zeff

Going into the Middlebury game, the Bulldogs realized that neither a win nor a mloss would affect their ranking. The Panthers, however, are first in their league and have consistently beaten the Elis in previous meetings. The Bulldogs performance against Middlebury was expected to indicate how they would fare aginst later ECAC opponents. "Middlebury was an important win because they have beaten a lot of teams that we're going to play against later," Abby Pease, SM '00, said. "Maybe this win will put a little fear in the hearts of our opponents."

An early Yale lead, secured by goals from Sue Vanderhill, CC '01, and Lisa Meyers, SY '01, on assists from Sue Barnes, DC '00, took away some of the early pressure, but the women maintained their intensity throughout. "We came out ready to play," captain Sarah Russell, SM '98, said. Standout goalie Laurie Belliveau, TD '98, added, "Joni's [Kletter, TC '00] goal, the third goal of the game, was really big for us. It was beautifully set up by Lisa [Meyers, SY '01] and helped secure the win for us." Barnes currently leads the team in scoring with 19 points, with Kletter and Meyers close behind.

Julia Tiernan/YH Photo of Lindsay Batson, SY '00

The women recognized and avoided their weaknesses after their 2-0 defeat at Providence on Sat., Jan. 31 and a 6-0 defeat at Brown on Sun., Feb. 1. They agreed that it had been a tough weekend, and also recognized that size matters. "Brown was big. Our team is fairly tiny," Barnes said. Belliveau added, "We were a bit flat, and I think this can be attributed to not playing many games lately."

Belliveau herself could not have been too flat, stopping 35 shots on goal against Providence and 48 against Brown. She has amassed nearly 3,300 career saves, including 1,321 last year--one of the highest totals in the country.

Providence's performance came as a surprise to many Yale players. In December, the Bulldogs had earned their first ECAC win of the season with a victory over Providence, and were hoping to win again. Belliveau said, "Both teams played really well against us--much better than in our first meetings with them."

Russell attributes the loss to injuries. Meyers recently returned after recovering from medial cruciate ligament surgery, defender Ashley Campion, BK '01, suffered an inflamed meniscus, and Pease's back problems had kept her out of action up through the Middlebury game.

The Bulldog upperclassmen noted a huge improvement from disappointing showings in previous years. They hope that the improvement will be enough to take them to the ECAC playoffs. "Last year at this time we had only won four games, and this year, we have already won six," Barnes said. Russell added, "We are in a position that I have never been in before. We are so close to qualifying for the playoffs."

Last year the women's hockey team lost all of its conference games, but this year the Elis are 1-11-2 in the ECAC, having beaten Providence once, tied Colby and Boston College, and lost in overtime to St. Lawrence.

Eight out of the 12 conference teams will qualify for the playoffs, and seven teams have already secured their spots. "A bunch of us are vying for the eighth spot," Russell said, citing Boston College and St. Lawrence as other contenders for playoff berths. Yale faces St. Lawrence on Sat., Feb. 7.

"It's been nice for the seniors this year because we're a much improved team and have waited long time for a taste of success," Belliveau said. They have already felt the satisfaction of a few more victories, and want to have that feeling again before their collegiate hockey careers come to a close.

Barnes commented that the three seniors--Belliveau, Wendy Yoshino, BR '98, and Russell--are essential components to success. She said that they contribute to "team unity, and they keep everybody psyched up." With strong leadership, the team fully plans to turn around its downward trend of the past several years, and make it to the playoffs for the seniors.

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