No position in hockey is more scrutinized than that of the goaltender, with a margin of error so unbecoming that only a certain breed of player can stand between the pipes. An already pressure-laden postition becomes even more so when a rookie is following in the steps of All-Americans and Olympians, legends who have cast shadows all over the traditions of the NCAA's most successful women's hockey program. If none of that seemed daunting to Jennifer Harss before she signed on to become a Bulldog, then the rest is just history.
The senior goaltender from Rieden, Germany came to the University of Minnesota Duluth in the fall of 2009, fully aware that larger-than-life Bulldog Kim Martin was centralized with Team Sweden ahead of the 2010 Winter Olympics. Harss had heard of Martin and read the stories of her accomplishments -- a silver medal in the 2006 Olympics, a complete shutdown of New Hampshire in the 2008 NCAA Frozen Four semifinal en route to backstopping the Bulldogs to a fourth title in front of the DECC faithful, to name a few.
“I didn't know Kim before I came here,” reflected Harss. “Obviously I had heard of her before, and during my first year we talked a few times via Facebook. It was definitely a challenge to 'replace' her my freshmen year, but it worked out pretty well.”
It worked out better than pretty well for the fearless Harss, who stepped into Martin's void and almost instantly made her presence known. Harss recorded a Bulldog single-season record of 1,138 saves in 39 games as a rookie in 2009-10, and her record of 29-8-2 ranks second only to Martin's 2007-08 31-4-1 title run. She played an NCAA-high 2,386:51 minutes and owned five shutouts, but what she did in March cemented her own legacy. Harss remained stoic in the net on March 21, 2010, making an NCAA postseason record of 49 saves in three overtimes to help posture the Bulldogs for a fifth NCAA title -- not too shabby for a seasoned veteran, let alone first-year player.
“I came to UMD because they have a great and very successful women's hockey program,” said Harss. “I had heard only great things about UMD, including the coaching staff and Shannon Miller, the program, school and the city of Duluth. I wish I could just keep playing for UMD because I really enjoy being here and playing for the Bulldogs, and no question, winning the national championship in 2010 has been my most memorable moment so far.”
When Martin returned last season, Harss embraced the opportunity to learn from the All-American. While Harss didn't get the playing time she had as a rookie, the netminder went 8-3-3 in 15 games and had a better goals against average of 1.85 in 841:14 minutes of action. Together, the two set a program record for the most shutouts in a season with 12 in 2010-11.
“I knew she was going to come back, and last year was a new situation for both of us, because we were each used to being the starting goalie,” recalls Harss. “I learned a lot last year and I learned a lot from Kim. She is a great goalie and a great and very nice person off the ice.”
Harss owns a life experience that most of her hockey-playing peers do not -- she was a member of the German Army out of high school. That path groomed the goaltender, who is now calm under pressure, and it gave her more time to dedicate herself to hockey.
“The army was definitely an intresting experience, especially boot camp,” said Harss. “ I did it so that I could mainly focus on my hockey career. In Germany, we have the great opportunity to join a sport company while we play for the national team. During the season the main focus was hockey and then over the summer we had military camps to also develop as a solider.”
Her army background made the perils of her goaltending postition more relative for the competitive Harss. No player in UMD history came in with more to prove than Harss, and arguably no player has lived up to that expectation more. Harss has noticeably been more comfortable out of the net this season, just another area where the army vet has continued to improve.
“Jenny did very well in net as a freshman because she is a fierce competitor,” said Miller. “Now two years later, Jenny has developed becoming technically stronger, wiser, and still is a fierce competitor. Jenny has taken her game to the next level and is consistently strong for us. At this point in the season, it's small adjustments, playing with a presence and taking pride in how consistently good you can be. Jenny is on her game and peaking at the right time.”
That time is without question now, with the Bulldogs fighting for their annual spot in the NCAA tournament with three regular season WCHA series remaining. UMD is also hoping to lock down first round WCHA playoff action at home as the WCHA Final Face-Off will be played at AMSOIL Arena.
Nothing looms larger as Harss' UMD career grows harshly closer to the end than the fact that AMSOIL will also host the 2012 NCAA Frozen Four on the Bulldogs home rink. While Harss owns a ring won on rival Minnesota's home rink, she is not alone in embracing a team motto that has existed throughout the year.
“I have developed as a goalie and learned so much about hockey in general here at UMD,” said Harss. “For the remaining season, we still have the goal to win a national championship, especially when we are hosting the Frozen Four tournament. Maybe the season hasn't gone as well as we wanted it to so far, but what counts happens at the end.”
Having penned such a successful career start, who better than Harss to help direct the script on how the Bulldogs season will end in March?
