"I'll help him get it ready, then go fishing for bluefish and striped bass," Mleczko said, as reported in The Globe.
Meanwhile, the Harvard women's hockey team (12-15, 6-14 ECAC) will anxiously await her return.
Stone could not say enough about the accomplishments of her erstwhile ice star. In her fourth year as the coach of the Harvard women's hockey team, Stone identified Mleczko as the "spine of the program."
When asked what Mleczko brought to the table for Harvard hockey, Stone listed the tangibles as well as the intangibles.
"A.J. definitely brings leadership, a tremendous attitude, and a contagious enthusiasm to Harvard hockey. Her disciplined approach to conditioning is also a great asset. She just has a knack for scoring goals; she's big, strong, and has a quick shot," Stone said.
Recently in contact with Mleczko, Stone added that A.J. is "very excited" about the medal and the team's play.
"Life is good," Mleczko told Stone.
It certainly is, and the sun has definitely not set on Harvard hockey. Having one athlete in the Olympics is a phenomenon; having two is a trend. When asked about Harvard's role as an Olympic Games pipeline for women's hockey, Stone responded with cheer.
"I definitely do think that we're going to keep doing that in the future," Stone said. "We've been attracting kids like Kiirsten Suurkask '01 and Tammy Shewchuk '00, who both were in competition for spots on the Canadian team.
"I think we can keep attracting Olympic-caliber players. Angela Ruggiero, who also played for Team USA in the Games, might be coming here, too."
For Mleczko, the road to Nagano was not paved with gold. Mleczko took a two-year absence from school to hone her talent, getting bigger and physically stronger for the international game.
"Her determination and work ethic have carried her all this way," Stone said. "I knew that she had the ability to do it, so I encouraged her to take off two years, not just one.
"I know that [Mleczko] is also looking forward to coming back and playing her senior year at Harvard. She doesn't look at it as a let-down at all."
Finally, the skilled Mleczko has a chance to bring her career full circle; she is ready to return to the team that helped groom her into a nationally-renowned athlete.
Harvard has made its fierce impact on the world sports scene with a great deal of flair, going out in championship style for the ladies, and with a high finish for Herberich.
As those medals hang about the necks of Whyte and Mleczko, the hockey pair has shown that they possess plenty of backbone to support them. We are the ones who should truly be "crazed" for these young women who refused to give up on the pursuit that struck gold.