Former University of Miami of Ohio coach Mark Mazzoleni was officially introduced as the new head coach of the Harvard men's hockey team at a press conference on Wednesday, becoming only the fourth head coach to lead the Crimson in fifty years.

Standing in front of a mural that depicts Harvard's greatest athletic triumphs, Mazzoleni--who will fill the spot left empty by the resignation of head coach Ronn Tommassoni last May--spoke to a crowd that included some of the greatest players to skate in a Crimson jersey.

"Our goal is to return Harvard to the top of the ECAC, the Ivy League and to the top of college hockey," Mazzoleni said. "I want to shoot for a national championship. All the components you need already exist here."

But, he added, academics will always remain top priority for Harvard's program.

"You never sacrifice the integrity of the program or a player's academics to achieve that goal," he said.

A 1980 graduate of Michigan State, Mazzoleni, 43, accumulated a five-season record of 85-83-20 at Miami. As head coach at Wisconsin-Stevens Point, he guided the Pointers to three consecutive NCAA Division 3 titles and compiled a six-season 138-52-10 record. Mazzoleni also spent three years as an assistant coach under Doug Woog at the University of Minnesota.

Mazzoleni said he was offered the post by Athletic Director William J. Clearly Jr. '56 on July 14 and accepted the position after two days of negotiations. The official announcement came last Sunday.

But Mazzoleni said it didn't take a lot to convince him.

"It was very easy to accept the job," said Mazzoleni, who follows Ralph "Cooney" Weiland, Cleary and Tomassoni in the position. "Harvard embodies everything I believe college hockey should embody," he said.

The three other reported finalists for the position--Bill Beaney of Middlebury, Joseph A. Marsh of St. Lawrence and Timothy B. Taylor '63--all withdrew from the search before the formal announcement.

Mazzoleni said his coaching philosophy, which he credits to his years at Minnesota, will remain the same at Harvard.

"I remember being wide-eyed at the speed the players possessed" at Minnesota, Mazzoleni said. "I like to play an up-tempo game, not dump-and-chase. Pressure both when you have and don't have the puck."

Mazzoleni said Harvard's team is well-suited to his style.

"This is a team that can skate," Mazzoleni said of the Crimson.

"I believe in disciplined hockey," he added, pointing out that his teams usu- ally finished lowest in the league for penalty minutes taken.

Mazzoleni also said he would try to facilitate creativity on the ice.