Mazzoleni applied the full court press to sway Kolarik away from the money, offering a more valuable Harvard degree in its stead. But the coach had a natural ally in his efforts.

"Robbie was able to give me a lot of inside information," Mazzoleni says. "One he made his decision, he was pushing Tyler hard, saying 'We got to go together.' We were able as a coaching staff to get into his home and really demonstrate to him how he was going to be a key component to our team now and in the future."

But Kolarik fit well into the offense of many college programs. As much as Fried will deny it, Kolarik concedes that his close friend really influenced his choice.

"The more I thought about my decision and having Robbie point me in the right direction, Harvard made sense," Kolarik says.

Fried was able to steer Kolarik's thoughts to Harvard's caliber of education, selling the whole school. He also enlisted sophomore winger Aaron Kim, a Deerfield alum, to help him out in his endeavor. Mazzoleni had covered the quality of the program; Fried made sure Kolarik understood the Harvard of his dreams.

"I think the idea of a bunch of kids who can perform in the classroom and still go out and put a championship team on the ice is special," Fried says. "With it being in Boston and the Beanpot tournament, everyone knows this is a special place."

The Pros

Harvard's Boston location does distinguish it from other Ivy schools. With four excellent Division 1 programs a Beanpot's throw away, coming to Harvard does not diminish your NHL prospects as scouts abound. The Crimson currently has five alums in the pros, with Craig Adams '99 the latest to join their ranks. And five current players are drafted.

It turned out that Kolarik and Fried didn't need that advantage. They spent part of their June in Calgary at the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. By the end of the two days, the Panthers had taken Fried 77th overall--15 picks before the New York Rangers took his Big Brother, Dominic Moore--and the expansion Blue Jackets grabbed Kolarik with the 150th pick.

In a few short months, the tandem had accomplished the goals they worked so hard for during high school. All the time spent in the summer, waking up at 6 a.m., lifting weights, running laps, had paid off. They were both now collegiate and pro hockey players.

"It was a relief to get the phone call," Kolarik says. "When you are there it is a very stressful process and you kind of want it to end. It's a very humbling experience."

The two share the reaction that getting drafted is humbling. Fried noted that looking at himself as a NHL player was an indication of how far he has to develop personally to really make it at the professional level. And Mazzoleni certainly was not going to let his freshmen think they were special merely because they had an invitation to training camp upon the conclusion of their Harvard careers.

"Freshmen just have to fit in," Mazzoleni says. "Kolarik and Fried have been humble. They've shut their mouths and just tried to fit in."

Fried concurs.

"Coach wants to make sure we earn everything we do on the team," he says.

A large part of humility comes from knowing one's place in life. Kolarik and Fried understand their place is as college students. Do not expect them to follow the footsteps of B.U.'s Ricky DiPietro or St. Lawrence's Brandon Dietrich--these potential stars intend on playing four years here. Harvard has been very successful in shielding its players from an early pro career.