Harvard women’s hockey is at a crossroads.
After 27 seasons, the era of coach Katey Stone (Watertown, Conn.) ended in June with a retirement announcement blanketed in controversy on the heels of reports by The Boston Globe and The Athletic that brought forth allegations of misconduct and mistreatment of players within the program.
Laura Bellamy, who played for the Crimson under Stone from 2009-13, was hired in August to take over as head coach and guide Harvard into a new era. She previously had been an assistant at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
However “new” this era will be remains unclear, as neither Bellamy nor athletic director Erin McDermott has answered meaningful questions about the future of the program or how it is responding to the allegations of misconduct. Harvard declined a request to speak with Bellamy for this story.
The lack of transparency from Harvard, which has not released the results of an investigation it commissioned into the allegations during Stone’s tenure, begs the question if anything can truly change within its culture.
