Blackwell's Back: Men's Hockey Star To Play in Both Semesters

“What’s wrong with me?”

Two years ago, Colin Blackwell could not help but ponder the question. Plagued by lingering concussion symptoms after suffering two such injuries just four months apart during his sophomore season, the young forward was forced to leave not only the ice but also the classroom.

Blackwell missed the entirety of the Harvard men’s hockey team’s 2013-2014 season, and a setback in his first game back the following year cast uncertainty over whether or not ESPN Boston’s first-ever “Mr. Hockey” designee would ever return to form.

That uncertainty vanished four months later, however, when Blackwell returned for the Crimson’s playoff run. The North Andover, Mass., native netted goals one after another at the ECAC tournament, finishing with five in seven games, including an empty-netter to clinch Harvard’s first title in nine years against Clarkson.

But after the Crimson suffered a first-round exit at the hands of Nebraska-Omaha in the NCAA tournament, a different kind of uncertainty resurfaced: not whether or not Blackwell would return to form, but whether or not he would return to Harvard.

Equipped with his cap, his gown, and a dark black pair of sunglasses, Blackwell took his seat at Harvard’s Commencement exercises in May, right alongside thousands of classmates preparing for what lies beyond Cambridge.

But Blackwell knew he had unfinished business to take care of. With one semester of eligibility remaining, the St. John’s Prep grad had expected to return to school and the ice all along, likely during the spring semester.

“In my heart, I wanted to be here for the long run and be here for the most important games,” Blackwell said Wednesday. “There’s more games in the second half of the year. You’ve got some of the most important ones [and] playoffs.”

After it was reported in September that Blackwell would be back for at least a semester, Harvard coach Ted Donato ’91 noted that the team was “excited to have him back.”

“He certainly was a shot in the arm for us when he was healthy at the end of the season,” Donato said. “It is exciting moving forward to have a healthy Colin Blackwell around.”

After working with both Harvard’s Compliance Office and the NCAA over the course of the offseason, Blackwell was also able to obtain a second semester of eligibility prior to the Crimson’s season opener, clearing the now-fifth-year senior to play through the entirety of the 2015-2016 season.

“There were a lot of question marks leading up until now, so to get those out of the way, that’s definitely huge,” Blackwell said. “For the first time in a while...I can finally know I’ll be playing, and stuff along those lines relieves the monkey off your back.”

Despite missing offseason captains’ practices while awaiting a decision, Blackwell did not miss a beat in Harvard’s opening game in Hanover, N.H. Skating on the second line with junior Sean Malone and rookie Ryan Donato, the veteran rocketed a wrister from the bottom of the left circle past Dartmouth goaltender Devin Buffalo for his first goal of the season—one of seven on the night for the Crimson.

One night later, Blackwell was at it again, assisting on junior Victor Newell’s eventual game-winning score and linemate Ryan Donato’s first collegiate goal in another victory over the Big Green. Blackwell finished at a team-high plus-four over the weekend.

“This team this year has probably got to be one of the deepest forward groups I’ve seen in awhile, especially since I’ve been here,” Blackwell said. “In the first two games...it wasn’t just line one, it was line one through four, the defense were chipping in, and I think that’s kind of going to be the beauty of our team this year.”

Including the opening weekend, Blackwell has recorded 14 goals and 28 assists in 68 games over the course of his Harvard career. But given the talent now skating around him, the fifth-year senior could be poised for his best season yet.

A successful senior campaign could provide the second-liner with a legitimate shot at the pros—a career Blackwell says he’d love to pursue. After missing the last two years of San Jose development camp, the Sharks’ draft selection returned this summer, where he says he got a “taste of what being a professional athlete is all about.”

Blackwell says his latest development camp experience has helped him with his preparation at Harvard. But with the summer now behind him, Blackwell has turned his focus back to what matters most.

“Not everyone gets a fifth chance at the Beanpot,” he says. “So I’m pretty excited.”

—Staff writer Jake Meagher can be reached at jake.meagher@thecrimson.com.