Crimson still gritty in pink

Perhaps to the shock of the Union and Rensselaer women’s hockey teams, the color of the Crimson’s jerseys this past weekend (Feb. 8-9) failed to soften the club’s ferocious play. Donned in specifically designed pink jerseys for the Pink at the Rink campaign, the No. 1 nationally ranked Harvard squad shut out the visiting squads, 4-0 and 5-0, respectively, to extend the Cantabridgians’ win streak to 11. Most recently, the Crimson — skating in their standard uniform, beat BU, 3-1, on Tuesday (Feb. 12) to snap up the program’s 12th Beanpot title.

A partnership of the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Association (ECAC) and the American Cancer Society, the Pink at the Rink campaign is a newly created variation of the traditional Coaches vs. Cancer program. The campaign aims to raise funds in support of the American Cancer Society’s research, education, advocacy, and community service efforts.

During consecutive weekends in February, all 12 ECAC teams will sport the specially designed uniforms over a pair of weekend home series. The game-worn jerseys will then be auctioned off at http://www.ecachockeycoachesvscancer.com/.

Personalized for each institution, the jerseys are outfitted with ECAC Hockey Coaches vs. Cancer and ECAC Hockey logo patches. The bidding for all items concludes Feb. 17. A minimum bid of $150 is sought for each player’s jersey, with a “Buy It Now” feature on the Web site that allows buyers to purchase a jersey of his or her choice for a flat price of $250. In addition to the pink jerseys, both men’s and women’s coaching staffs will be wearing pink ties and scarves during these two designated weekends. These articles of clothing will be autographed by each head coach and available for auction on the site.

Harvard (23-1-0; 18-0-0 ECAC) travels to Princeton and Quinnipiac Feb. 15-16 to close out the Pink at the Rink campaign.