From Forehands to Forechecking

There is a framed photograph in the coach's office at the Palmer Dixon Tennis Courts which shows Rob Wheeler sipping champagne from a silver cup at courtside after a major tournament victory.

Wheeler, after all, used to be known to Harvard sports fans as a tennis player. He was number two in New England as an 18-year-old. Then he came to Harvard and played at number-six singles for the varsity for two years, also excelling at doubles.

But Wheeler no longer competes at Palmer Dixon. Nowadays he has a new home about twenty yards away--Bright Hockey Center. Because last night an interesting thing happened. With Harvard leading Providence, the top-ranked collegiate team in the nation, 6-3 in the third period, Crimson forward Dave Burke cut in front of the Friars' net and pushed the puck to his center. The center sidestepped one defender, beat another, and slapped the puck past goalie Mario Proulx to help sew up an eventual 8-5 Harvard win.

No big deal for the average fan. Six goals had already gone in--what's one more? But the center was Rob Wheeler, playing in his first varsity game at Bright. Wheeler's last varsity goal came four years ago while playing for Exeter Academy against arch-rival Andover. In that game the Exeter scoring king notched five goals, despite the efforts of Andover star defenseman Neil Sheehy to contain him.

Then Wheeler quit, hanging up his skates in favor of tennis. Ever restless, though, he used the athletic ability which made him the leading scorer for Exeter hockey his junior year (50 points in 22 games) to take charge of the squash team as its MVP his senior year. As a Harvard junior, Wheeler just plays hockey--Providence's Proulx found that out the hard way last night at Bright.

Lazarus

Coming back after three years off the ice wasn't easy. Wheeler started skating again in June, once tennis season had ended. Six months later he was among four new players initiated by this year's varsity.

Wheeler never doubted he could make it. "I had a cocky attitude at first," he says. "I didn't realize how much skill I had lost--I thought I could just come out and play."

Instead, it took a lot of work. The three-year layoff hurt his physical and mental command of hockey far more than Wheeler realized at first. "In June I found I had lost my instincts, quickness, and tendency to make the right play on the ice," Wheeler recalls.

Now Wheeler is back--almost--to terrorizing opposing goalies again. Coach Billy Cleary praises his good offensive instincts, and j.v. coach Kevin Hampe calls him a good skater and a smart, heads-up player. But Wheeler isn't ready to get complacent yet. "I still have a long way to go," he says, "and it's going to take some time."

At this point Wheeler is in no rush. Someone asks him if he misses tennis. "Not right now," he says in the locker room after notching his first varsity points since Exeter, "There's nothing like scoring a goal--it's an unbelievable feeling and the gratification is instantaneous."

Especially when it helps ice a win against the best college team around, and it ends a three-year dry spell for his varsity scoring. Judging by his smile after the game, beating Providence last night made Rob Wheeler forget all about tennis. Even forget about sipping champagne at courtside.

Blasting pucks past hockey goalies can be quite a racquet, too.