For two Harvard alumnae, their Olympic dreams came true last night.
And for three more, the 2010 Games end with a disappointing silver.
Jennifer Botterill ’02-’03 and Sarah Vaillancourt ’08-’09 took home Olympic gold in front of a home crowd at Canada Hockey Place in Vancouver last night, as the Canadian women’s hockey team defeated the United States, 2-0.
Canada jumped out to a 1-0 lead 14 minutes into the game, when Botterill gave a nice feed to teammate Marie-Philip Poulin-Nadeau—just after the Americans were held scoreless on a 5-on-3 power play.
Three minutes later, Poulin-Nadeau lit the lamp again, and though American goaltender Jessie Vetter would settle down to play spectacular hockey in the second two periods, Canadian netminder Shannon Szabados was unbeatable.
Szabados made 28 saves to earn the clean sheet and help the Canadians to their third-straight gold medal.
For Americans Angela Ruggiero ’02-’04, Julie Chu ’06-’07, and Caitlin Cahow ’07-’08, the silver medal will have to do.
Ruggiero, who played in her record-251st game for Team USA, will likely retire after these Games. She was elected to the International Olympic Committee on Wednesday.
It is the fourth medal for Ruggiero and Botterill, the third for Chu, and the second for Cahow and Vaillancourt.
All five alumnae had multi-point tournaments, with Vaillancourt leading Harvard scorers with eight points on three goals and five assists.
—KATE LEIST
Read more in Sports
Lippert Takes Her Game to The Next LevelRecommended Articles
-
Alums Seek Olympic Glory<p>As the 2010 Vancouver Games approach, five alums from Harvard women's hockey—all veterans of at least the 2006 Olympics—are hoping to get another chance to represent their countries on the biggest athletic stage of all.</p>
-
SPORTS BRIEF: Botterill, Vaillancourt Headed to VancouverJennifer Botterill ’01-’03 and Sarah Vaillancourt ’08-’09 are among the 21 skaters named to the Canadian Olympic women’s hockey roster, which was released Monday.
-
Jennifer L. Botterill ’02-’03: Four-Time Canadian Ice Hockey OlympianNow competing in her fourth Olympic Winter Games at the age of 30, Jennifer L. Botterill ’02-’03 will forever be a legend of the women’s ice hockey program at Harvard—although her chance at a fourth medal is only one among many impressive career accomplishments.
-
Alumnae Dominate All-Decade Team“The older I get, the better I was.” For some former members of the Harvard women’s hockey team, that might just be true, as six Crimson alumnae were named to the ECAC All-Decade team this afternoon.
-
Former Crimson Athlete To Help Decide Site of 2018 OlympicsIn hockey, defensemen are often assigned to some of the least glamorous tasks. Though critical to their team's victories, they'll ...
-
Harvard Women Help Beat Canada on IceIn a rematch of February’s Olympic gold-medal game in women’s hockey, the U.S. select team beat Canada, 3-2, in a ...
