Winning Reputation Follows New Coach Here

Only a few short months ago, Mark Mazzoleni, then the coach of Miami University (Ohio), became the fourth person in the past fifty years to take the helm of the Harvard men's hockey team.

But had the former four-year letterman at Michigan State enrolled in law school upon graduation, Mazzoleni might never have set foot on the bench again, never mind assume the leading role for the Crimson.

A native of Green Bay, Wis., Mazzoleni played junior hockey for St. Paul of the USHL as a goalie. Then he earned the right to start between the pipes for the Spartans during his college career. He was awarded the team's Outstanding Rookie Award in 1977.

Mazzoleni graduated from Michigan State with a degree in criminal justice and psychology in 1980. He was working for the state of Wisconsin in probation and parole and was prepared to enter law school that fall when a single hockey game changed his career plans forever.

"I went and watched Michigan State play the Wisconsin Badgers at Madison, which was only two hours away from my home," Mazzoleni said. "And, God, I couldn't believe how much I missed it. I missed the hockey component of it, not the playing component of it."

Putting the idea of a law degree on the back burner, Mazzoleni decided to change direction. After speaking to Ron Mason, his coach at Michigan State, he learned of an open coaching position at Illinois-Chicago.

"Ron told me about an opportunity for a graduate assistant that was opening up at Illinois-Chicago, who was just coming in to the Central Collegiate Hockey Association," Mazzoleni said. "I applied for it and got it. It totally changed my direction because I went in a whole different route. I guess your career is not always what you do in undergrad."

Mazzoleni earned his MA in athletic administration from Illinois-Chicago while working as a graduate assistant under former Harvard assistant coach Val Belmonte. He remained at Illinois-Chicago for five seasons in one of his toughest challenges to date before accepting a position at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in 1985.

"When I took that job [at Illinois-Chicago], we were Division II, and the following year we were going Division I," Mazzoleni said. "So we had to make a jump in talent in a transition."

"My first year, we got beat 16-1, 15-0--it was hard," he added. "But I knew you had to stay positive with those kids. By my fourth year, we went in to Bowling Green and swept them. It took time because you had to reload the gun each year and bring in Division I players."

His first head coaching position in his career met with success, as he led the Pointers to three consecutive NCAA Championships in 1988-89, 1989-90, and 1990-91, an unprecedented feat in Division III hockey.

"Winning three in a row was just an unbelievable high," Mazzoleni said. "You would go out there and watch this team just dismantle people, and believe so much in themselves and what they wanted to accomplish that they acted as one on the ice. I think for anyone that's coached, that's the chief success."

The significance of this accomplishment is even greater, considering that Wisconsin-Stevens Point held a four-year record of 14-83-2 before Mazzoleni's appointment. Under his coaching, the Pointers recorded a winning percentage of .715, and a six-year record of 140-52-10.

"Wisconsin-Stevens Point never had a winning season in hockey. I was there for six years, and we just started from scratch," Mazzoleni said. "Everything changed. And we became such a superior team at our level."

The Pointers never had a losing season during Mazzoleni's tenure. He was selected as Northern Collegiate Hockey Association Coach of the Year during the 1987-88 season.

Most recently, Mazzoleni caught the nation's eye with his superb coaching ability at Miami.

Taking the helm at Miami in 1994, he spent five seasons turning around the program. He posted the best winning percentage (.505) of any coach in school history, notching a record of 85-83-20 during his tenure.

In his first season with the Red Hawks, Mazzoleni garnered an 18-5-6 record and was the runner-up for Central Collegiate Hockey Association Coach of the Year, only a glimpse of what was to come.

The most notable performance of his career at Miami came during the 1996-97 season, when he led the Red Hawks to a 27-12-1 record. The Red Hawks finished second in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and made their second-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.

For his efforts, Mazzoleni was CCHA Coach of the Year and was also a finalist for National Coach of the Year.

After 11 seasons as a head coach, with three NCAA Championships under his belt, Mazzoleni has no regrets. He posts an overall record of 233-135-30 (.613).

Mazzoleni was enticed by Harvard athletic director Bill Cleary '56 to accept the position of head coach for the Crimson in July, after Ron Tomassoni stepped down after nine seasons in charge. He was one of a handful of candidates Cleary considered to replace Ronn Tomassoni, Harvard's coach for the past nine seasons, along with Yale's Tim Taylor '63 and St. Lawrence's Joe Marsh.

Though Mazzoleni had not intended to leave his post at Miami, the temptation to assume the lead role with the Crimson was enough bait to lure him to Cambridge.

"I think I balance academics and athletics very well, and I know that winning is important," Mazzoleni said. "I'm not paid to put an inferior program on the ice because our fans want to see a winner.

"Our kids come here because they want to go to the greatest academic school in the world, but they also have a passion for hockey and a passion for winning," he added. "I felt philosophically it was very consistent with what I believe in."

Mazzoleni is well aware of the effort it takes to balance an academic workload and an athletic career in college. As a senior at Michigan State, he was awarded the Blue Line President's Award, presented to the team's top scholar-athlete.

Besides preserving the competing notions of academics and athletics, Mazzoleni is determined to continue the trend of his coaching career and turn around the Harvard program.

Last year, the Crimson suffered its worst start in school history, opening up with a record of 0-8-1, and finishing the year off under .500 at 14-16-2 overall.

"I want to establish a program that Harvard and the Cambridge community can take pride in," Mazzoleni said. "I think it's very possible to return this team to national prominence at a Division I level."

Harvard is quite capable of excelling in both the ECAC and on a national level, as evidenced by its NCAA Championship ten years ago. With the depth and talent the Crimson boasts this year, both with its veterans and new recruits, Harvard should be a force to reckon with on the ice.

With practice beginning less than two weeks ago, Mazzoleni has had little opportunity to see his players on the ice. But this has not been a deterrent. In fact, it's given Mazzoleni a chance to reassess the program to everyone's benefit.

"I don't think it's fair for any of the kids for us to prejudge them on the good things they did last year versus the areas they need to improve on," Mazzoleni said. "It's a wide open opportunity, and the kids have been very receptive to what we're doing."

But if there's one thing that Mazzoleni wants to stress to the fans, it's patience.

"The results may not be immediate," Mazzoleni said. "But I'm sure that everyone will be pleased with our progress."

Touting a track record that can only be described as overwhelmingly successful, hiring Mazzoleni may be the best tactical move yet in returning Crimson hockey to greatness. But between this lawyer-turned-coach's experience and the Crimson's raw talent this season, anything's possible.