“Coach stresses that any chance we get, bring up the puck,” Banfield says.
Banfield’s teammates have lauded her play so far.
“She’s been superb from day one,” says Hagerman of the rookie defenseman.
“She’s pretty quick and she handles the puck very well,” adds freshmen forward Nicole Corriero, who played with Banfield back in Toronto. “Defensively, she’s relentless.”
In addition to Banfield’s contributions, the veterans should supply some offense as well. Hagerman and Van Reesema chipped in on the attack last season with 16 and 20 points, respectively.
In the Crimson’s season opener against Colgate last Saturday, Van Reesema scored Harvard’s only goal. Hagerman assisted.
“If we have open ice, we’re going to take it,” Hagerman says. “But our main goal is to keep the defensive zone safe.”
Women’s hockey involves more finesse than the men’s game. Since there is less checking, forwards can often find themselves in front of the net, with opportunities for clear shots on goal.
As a defender, taking the puck away involves more skill and agility and less brute strength than it does in men’s hockey. As a result, a strong defense is sometimes hard to come by in the women’s game, and goalies are often tested.
Sophomore netminder Jessica Ruddock returns to face more of those tests after earning the bulk of the work in net last season. Hagerman acknowledges that the young defensive corps will make Ruddock’s job harder.
“[Ruddock] is going to have to play a huge role this year because we don’t have a lot of defensemen,” Hagerman says. “She’s going to have to be someone we can count on every day, and she knows that she’ll see 30, 40, 50 shots a game.”
Teamwork is crucial to their success on defense.
“In protecting [Ruddock], we’ll do the best we can to make sure she can see this ice and we all work as a unit,” Hagerman says.
Despite the relative inexperience of the defense, the strong goaltending and remarkable talent of the young players should make for an exciting season. With Hagerman and Van Reesema leading the way—and Chim, Banfield and Haigh eager to contribute—the future looks bright for the Harvard defense.