Donato Chosen Icemen's Captain

Forward Ted Donato, the MVP of the 1989 NCAA hockey tournament, was elected the 95th captain of the Harvard men's hockey team by his teammates yesterday.

Donato, a Dedham native and graduate of Catholic Memorial, follows in the footsteps of fellow-local C.J. Young, who grew up in Waban and played hockey for Belmont Hill.

"C.J. did a great job and I just want to do as good a job as he did," said Donato, who scored 11 points this season despite missing 12 games because of injury. "I have the luxury of having five seniors with me. It will be good to share the leadership role."

Donato is a member of Harvard's strongest recruiting class in years, a group that includes Pete Ciavaglia, who led the Crimson in scoring his first two seasons; Mike Vukonich, the team scoring leader this past season; and John Weisbrod.

"We were talking about the captaincy just about a week ago," Donato said. "It's something we've all wanted since freshman year. We decided we'd all look at it as basically a four-man job, and that's the way I look at it."

With the Crimson coming off its poorest season in six years--Harvard finished with a sub-.500 record (13-14-1) for the first time since 1984--Donato's job will not be an easy one. Butthe forward, who is known as a clutch player onthe ice and an outspoken leader in the lockerroom, is expected to be a loud and visible teamleader.

"Ted is the most popular guy on the team,"Scott McCormack said. "He has a great sense ofhumor, and he's not afraid to speak up when thetime is right.