During the weekend of the Frozen Four, Botterill was named the Kazmaier winner. It was a bittersweet awards dinner, as the Crimson had been eliminated by Minn.-Duluth in the NCAA semifinals the night before.

"The Kazmaier is a huge honor," said Botterill following the reception. "But

I'd trade it away any day for a team championship. That was our goal coming into Minnesota."

Botterill's story does have a happy ending, however. Immediately following the Frozen Four, she and Shewchuk played on the same line for the Canadian National Team at the Women's Ice Hockey World Championships. In the 3-2 gold-medal-game victory over the United States, Shewchuk scored the Canadian's second goal and Botterill netted the eventual game-winner.

"Tammy and I are both on cloud nine," Botterill said upon returning to Harvard. "We're definitely enjoying the moment. It's pretty special."

Botterill scored eight times in five games to lead all scorers in the championships, and she was named Most Outstanding Forward and Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

"Jen is very deserving of the [MVP] award," said Shewchuk, who tallied five goals and four assists herself. "Coming in first in the scoring race in a world tournament is something fantastic. She definitely led our team to victory last night. We needed that goal. When it comes down to it, that's what determines an MVP."

Next year, Botterill and Shewchuk will both be seeking Olympic Gold in Salt Lake City with the Canadian National Team. While that commitment will prevent Botterill from playing for the Crimson next season, she will be back along with U.S. National Team defenseman Angela Ruggiero for her final year of eligibility in 2002-03. The scary reality for the rest of college hockey is that Botterill could be even better when she returns.