Coach of the Year: Mazzoleni Brings M. Hockey to Next Level

Men's hockey and football are the two premier sports at Harvard. Football is hallowed because of its historic role in the development of the game itself, but the pinnacle of a Crimson season is the Ivy championship and beating Yale. Men's hockey, on the other hand, is vital not just because of tradition, but also because it has the expectation of being good nationally.

In the 1980s, under Coach Bill Cleary '56, Harvard qualified the NCAA tournament seven times, reaching the finals in three of those appearances, culminating in 1989 with a 4-3 overtime win over Minnesota for the Division-1 championship, Harvard's only major NCAA team win. A Harvard player won three Hobey Baker Awards in that decade. By contrast, before Mark Mazzoleni took the coaching job last year, Harvard had not had a winning season in the past five years.

When Cleary, now the Athletic Director, picked him to run the program, he gave Mazzoleni the responsibility to bring the Crimson back into the national scene. While Harvard is not there yet, the Crimson took a massive leap forward this year, finally getting that winning record (16-15-2, 12-8-2 ECAC) and finishing in third place. For improving the program dramatically in every department, The Crimson proudly names Mark Mazzoleni its Coach of the Year.

Mazzoleni came to Harvard after coaching the University of Miami-Ohio. In 1996-97, he was the CCHA's Coach of the Year for guiding the Redhawks to their second-ever NCAA appearance. His first head coaching job was at Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He took over a program that had just 14 wins in its previous four seasons and led the Pointers to three straight Division-III championships.

Looking at the man, one cannot help but think he bears a resemblance to Ned Flanders of the Simpsons. Hailing from Wisconsin, his effusive personality catches people's attention as does his interesting twists on popular expressions, such as "That's just water down the stream" instead of "water under the bridge." Don't let the malapropisms fool you, as goaltender J.R. Prestifilippo '00 commented last year, "He's Ned Flanders with attitude."

When he arrived last year, Mazzoleni was all business. He immediately went to work installing a counter-attacking style of play that could produce some exciting contests. The change in level of expectation was evident in the schedule he put together as well-he replaced the game against Umass-Amherst with a game at UNH. Next year, Harvard will be playing at Michigan. He expects that the team can at least challenge the big boys now, and the learning process will ultimately produce a squad that will consistently beat the nation's best.

Mazzoleni also surrounded himself with exceptional talent. He lured Ron Rolston away from Clarkson to become Harvard's top assistant and recruiting coordinator, and hired Nate Leaman from Maine to be the second guy. Rolston has instilled a world-class training regimen and runs the defense. Leaman orchestrates the special teams.

While last year was still an adjustment, the changes were very visible on the ice this year. Harvard nearly upset the eventual national champions, Boston College, in a home thriller in November. But the Crimson really came into its own down the stretch run, dumping conference-leader St. Lawrence at home, 4-1, on Feb. 17 by killing off eight Saint power plays in the game.

The real payoff for the level at which Harvard had been playing was the second game against Yale in the playoffs. Some Eli antics sparked a comeback in which a 3-1 second period Crimson lead turned right around to a 4-3 deficit a couple of minutes into the third. But this HaHarvar Harvard team was composed and disciplined and promptly went about putting together a four goal period to bury the Bulldogs.

This clearly was not a win the Crimson of a couple of years ago would've executed.

Mazzoleni has not only gotten his present talent to perform at a higher level but has radically upgraded the quality of Harvard's recruiting. He has entrenched Harvard's dominance over the top prep school players, bringing it Tyler Kolarik, Robert Fried and Kenny Smith from that pipeline and has opened up other channels in Canada that the CCHA normally plucks.

With next year's recruiting class, led by three stud defensemen and the son of Harvard great Joe Cavanagh '71, appearing to be as strong, the Crimson will only keep getting better.

Harvard hockey has turned a corner. The Crimson will be among the favorites along with Dartmouth and Cornell next year to take the ECAC crown.

Not since 1993-94, when Harvard went to the Frozen Four, was the Crimson a feared opponent. That respect is back, and the rewards are sure to follow. Well done, coach.