All of the brothers learned hockey young. And all three would go on to graduate from the famous St. Michael's College School, which has produced 150 National Hockey League players.

Mark learned how to skate before he was two, and he said he could outskate his mother, who is an accomplished skater herself, by the time he was five. He played in his first organized hockey league when he was four or five.

Before coming to Harvard, Mark played on a Canadian Junior A League team, the Thornhill Islanders, which was coached by former NHL defenseman Brad Selwood. Steve joined him in his last year, a frequent occurrence before high school.

On the Crimson, Mark has earned the reputation of being a quiet but steady leader. His teammates have watched him improve significantly each year, and they will count on Mark to lead an inexperienced defense this season.

"Mark will definitely assume a leadership role this year," said junior defenseman Tim Stay. "I think he has the quiet-but-respected sort of personality."

His stoic role on the ice fits his interests off it. Mark by far is the most pensive of his brothers--he is a math concentrator who likes to ponder "arbitrary facts of existence."

Despite his frustration with some humanities classes, Mark also loves the arts and regrets how schools like Harvard present them.

"I do have a strong artistic bent, but modern school is the enemy of creativity," he said. "And creativity is the essence of art, therefore I prefer art in a setting other than the classroom."