It's Official: Mleczko Player of the Year

To the surprise of absolutely no one, co-captain A.J. Mleczko won the second annual Patty Kazmaier Award for the national women's hockey player of the year in 1998-99.

Mleczko received the Kazmaier Award last night in St. Paul, Minn., on the eve of the semifinals of the American Women's College Hockey Alliance National Championship tournament at the University of Minnesota.

An 11-person selection committee comprised of coaches, journalists and representatives of USA Hockey chose Mleczko over two other finalists--senior defenseman Nicki Luongo of UNH and junior goaltender Ali Brewer of Brown.

The Kazmaier completes Mleczko's sweep of individual awards a Harvard women's hockey player can win in a season. She was also named MVP of the Beanpot, the Ivy League, the ECAC regular season and the ECAC post-season tournament.

But Mleczko has brought more than individual achievements to her team this season. Harvard has already won the Beanpot, Ivy League, ECAC regular season and ECAC Tournament championships. Now the Player of the Year has a chance to wrap up the AWCHA national championship for Harvard this weekend, as expected.

Mleczko has led the Crimson (31-1-0, 24-1-1 ECAC) on its rampage through its schedule and the finest season in school history. She brought her experience as a gold medallist on the 1998 U.S. Olympic Team and helped ECAC Coach of the Year Katey Stone mold a team chock-full of talent into possibly the greatest women's hockey team ever assembled.

On the ice, the 5'11 Mleczko towers over opponents and teammates alike physically and mentally. Defenders seem intimidated to challenge her when she has the puck, and she can reel off a scorching slapshot or find an open Harvard skater at will.

That combination of skill, reputation, experience and unselfishness resulted in a single-season statistical total of near-ridiculous proportions. Mleczko returned from Nagano already holding the career scoring record for Harvard women's hockey players with 143 points in three seasons and, 109 (and counting) later, she has shattered the school single-season and career scoring records previously held by Athletic Director Billy Cleary '56 and Scott Fusco '86 of the Harvard men's hockey team.

Mleczko centers a forward line with almost too much offensive firepower to fathom. As individuals, Mleczko and wingers Tammy Shewchuk and Jen Botterill are the top three scorers in the country, with only one non-Harvard skater--UNH forward Carisa Zaban--within 25 points of any Crimson top-liner. All three players earned First-Team All-Ivy League and All-ECAC honors, with Botterill taking home both rookie of the year awards.

Mleczko is slowly taking over national records as well. She has already shattered the women's hockey single-season scoring record set by Cornell's Cindy Schlaepher in 1976-77, and with two games left is seven points shy of the 116 points scored by Tony Hrkac of North Dakota in 1986-87.

Mleczko can put the puck in the net--36 times this year and 127 times in her career--and has done so in big situations, including the game-winning goal in over-time against UNH last Sunday to give Harvard its first-ever ECAC championship by a 5-4 final.

The Crimson could face the Wildcats again in the national championship game if Harvard beats Brown in the semifinals, and Mleczko might be called upon to light the lamp against UNH in another crucial situation.

Perhaps more impressive, however, has been her playmaking ability. After tallying 52 assists in her first three seasons, she dished out 73 helpers in 1998-99--23 more assists than anyone else in women's hockey.

The Crimson offense--which is first in the nation at 6.47 goals a game--starts with the puck nesting in Mleczko's stick, and it will need to continue to do so this weekend. Harvard will face Brown, the best defensive team in the conference, tonight, and Mleczko will be responsible for running the offense with the precision she has demonstrated all season long.

And if Harvard wins, that precision will need to continue in the championship game against either UNH or host Minnesota.