He changed his decision once formally and a thousand times mentally, but now that it has been announced, he's comfortable with the path he has chosen.

Aaron M. Israel '96 wants to be a Philadelphia Flyer.

And starting next season, the sophomore goalie for his year's Harvard hockey team will have his chance. He and the Flyers of the National Hockey League announced on Wednesday that Israel will forego his final two years of collegiate eligibility to turn professional.

Israel expects to sign a four-year contract sometime next week that is rumored to include a signing bonus in excess of $200,000.

"The money they offered is good, but that wasn't one of the important things for me," Israel said. "It was really a tough decision, the kind of thing that I went over back and forth in my mind. At one point [in April], I told Philadelphia that I was going to stay here."

But a multitude of factors conspired to make Israel change his mind.

"The timing was just so perfect," he said. "It's such a great opportunity--to get to do something like this--and it was just too much for me to pass up."

Israel helped backstop the Crimson to the NCAA Final Four in 1994; his 12-2-2 record and 2.30 goals against average were among the nation's best.

But Israel shared duties all year-- all of his first two years, in fact--with fellow sophomore Tripp Tracy, and Israel could only see more of the same on the horizon.

"It's really tough when you're only playing every other game, when you have to sit on the bench once every weekend," Israel said. "It's going to help me a lot if I get to play in twice as many games."

The situation in the Flyers' organi- zation was also attractive: although Israelexpects to be assigned to Hershey of the AmericanHockey League (the Flyers' top farm club), heknows that Dominic Roussel and Tommy Soderstromdidn't get the job done as Philadelphia failed tomake the playoffs again this past season.

"Dominic had a good start for us but falteredlate, and Tommy was in the kind of slump that lotsof second-year players have," Flyers GeneralManager Russ Farewell said. "[Israel] is a reallygood prospect, and although I would have to expecthe'll start the year in Hershey, he'll have achance at the big-league camp to prove himself."

"We know we're getting a solid, stand-up goaliewhose style is very good, his size is good and hedoesn't make the first move," Farwell added."We're optimistic that he'll become a very goodplayer."

"I'd love to get called up and dress for a gameor two [in Philadelphia] next year," Israel said."It all comes down to how well I play."

Among the other Flyers prospects Israel will bevying against at training camp: former CrimsonECAC foe Neil Little, who graduates from RPI thismonth.

In weighing the pros and cons of leavingHarvard two years early, Israel had lots ofadvisors: among them Matt Mallgrave '93, nowplaying in the Flyers organization; senior BrianP. Farrell, who knows the NHL's ins and outs aswell as anyone at Harvard; Ted Drury, who leftschool a year early after the 1992-93 season tojoin the Calgary Flames (and is now with theHartford Whalers); and, of course, his parents,especially his father.