That the women's ice hockey team is now enjoying postseason play is at least partly due to the efforts of Jessica Link '05. Link leads the team with 28 goals and 19 assists this season and has scored 128 points over her three-year career.
"Jessica works extremely hard each game and puts a ton of effort into each period. She always wants to be around the puck. Whatever needs to get done she is willing to do," said captain Katie Germain '04.
Link has been one of the team's main leaders, instrumental to helping it advance to the ECAC Final Four for the third straight year.
"On the ice Jessica leads by example. When we are not on the ice she keeps the mood light and is very approachable," Germain said.
Link named her ability to score more goals as one of her greatest improvements this year, crediting it to her teammates' passes near the net and her training at Brown last summer. As a result of her additional time in the weight room and on the ice, Link said she feels more prepared for ECAC Final Four.
"Because I stayed at Brown last summer, I feel like I have improved many skills, especially my quickness," she said. "However, I still need to improve on (the) mental aspect of the game as well as continue to get stronger so that I can go up against bigger players."
Teammates said Link has strong work ethics and described her as determined player who never quits.
Brown will need a determined team effort Saturday when it hosts top-seeded Harvard University in the ECAC semifinals. The team lost to Harvard twice during the regular season. If Brown wins, the team will advance to the championship game on Sunday, against either Dartmouth College or St. Lawrence University.
The women's hockey team swept Princeton University last weekend, with a 2-1 win on Friday and an overtime win of 3-2 on Saturday, both at Meehan Auditorium. Link played pivotal roles in the weekend's victories, netting a goal in each. Link said she and the rest of the team know they will have their hands full this weekend against Harvard.
"We realize that Harvard will be a difficult opponent," she said. "We need to focus on containing their top players. It is important that we play the way we have all season since that has brought us success."
Crucial to the team's success has been its cohesiveness, which has improved since last season, Link said.
"We show a lot more continuity on the ice than in years past," she said. "Off the ice, we are like one big family."
Link also said she believes it is important that the team start each game on a positive note, adding she believes the team's losses are often because it comes out flat. Playing against a high-caliber team like Harvard, she said the Bears must have a lot of energy from the start.
"No one expects us to win, so we are just going to play the way we have all season," she said. "We will play with a lot of pride and hopefully get to play on Sunday."
