Harvard coach Mark Mazzoleni arrived two years ago with the intention of restoring Harvard hockey to its days as a national power in the 1980s and early 90s.

Thus far, everything is going according to plan,

After a year spent getting the players accustomed to his system, Mazzoleni’s team made great strides last year, meeting its goal of finishing third in the ECAC both in the regular season and the post-season tournament.

The Crimson met Mazzoleni’s stated goal of earning home ice (given to the top five in the ECAC) for the first round of the playoffs. After a two-game sweep of Yale at Bright Hockey Center, Harvard finished third in the ECAC tournament, losing to nemesis Cornell but beating Dartmouth in the consolation game.

Defeating the Big Green gave Harvard its first winning season since 1995.

The outlook is even brighter this season, as the Crimson returns almost all of its frontline and defensive talent.

Thus it is not surprising that this year’s team has set the bar even higher.

“We’ve been talking a lot about winning the league and making the NCAA tournament,” sophomore defenseman Kenny Smith said.

Harvard has done neither since 1994.

The college hockey community has begun to take notice of Harvard’s resurgence under Mazzoleni. The Crimson was picked to finish first in the league by ECAC coaches and second by the media.

But the biggest surprise has been the attention the Crimson has received nationally. Harvard was ranked eighth in a USA Today-American Hockey Magazine poll—highest of all four Boston teams, including defending national champion Boston College.

But Harvard players are not buying into the hype.

“The polls are meaningless right now,” Smith said. “A team this young with this much inexperience doesn’t deserve to be put up that high.”

In the short term, Harvard will settle for maintaining a high level of effort and intensity in each game.

“When teams get done playing us, we want them to say ‘that’s the hardest working team we’ve played against,’” sophomore forward Tyler Kolarik said.

The biggest question mark for the Crimson is at goal, where Harvard will have to replace Oli Jonas, last year’s ECAC goaltender of the year. In his only year as a starter, and playing behind a young defense, Jonas single-handedly kept Harvard in games throughout the season and was by far the team’s most valuable player.

Sophomore Will Crothers, with only 80 minutes of game experience, and freshman Dov Grumet-Morris will compete for the chance to succeed Jonas.

Forwards

Harvard’s front lines are easily the strength of the team, and they will be looked on to carry the squad through what should be some rough defensive play early on as players gain experience.

Despite losing two of its leading scorers to graduation, Steve Moore and Chris Bala, the Crimson forwards are almost certainly the most talented in the ECAC, and they have the speed and quickness to compete athletically against the best teams in the nation.

Still, the group lacks experience, with only one senior in the rotation.

“We’re still young,” Kolarik said. “It’s going to be a challenge for us to come out with the intensity that upperclassmen bring every night.”

The only significant technical weakness for Harvard’s forwards is on defense. The Crimson sometimes struggled on backchecking—the transition from offense to defense—last year, allowing the opposition to more easily set up its offense.

“If our forwards get back and pick up players on the backcheck, it allows our defensemen to step up and make plays early on,” Smith said.

At the core, the Harvard attack is junior forward Dom Moore (15-28—43), the team’s leader in both goals and assists last year. The younger brother of last year’s captain Steve ’01, Moore’s creativity and skating ability are excellent, and he is also skilled at scoring close to net. The forward is a preseason favorite for ECAC player of the year.

“Dom will make a run for first-team all ECAC, first-team All-American in the east, and even Hobey Baker finalist [college hockey’s Heismann],” Mazzoleni said.

“I try to watch Dom religiously when he’s on the ice,” Kolarik said. “He’s one of the smartest players I’ve ever played with.

Moore spent the summer working on his biggest weakness—his tendency to get pushed around down low against bigger, stronger players. Mazzoleni said the forward added several pounds of muscle to improve against physical defense.

“He came back into camp in unbelievable shape,” Mazzoleni said. “Now when someone leans on him, he’s going to have the strength to play through that man.”

Moore’s biggest challenge might be filling in the shoes of his older brother. Steve Moore excelled at marking the opposing team’s star forward, a job which will fall to the smaller Dom this year.

Of the senior forwards, only Jeff Stonehouse (1-2—3) is expected to see significant ice time. Last year Stonehouse filled a fourth-line role which limited his scoring numbers. Mazzoleni said the senior may be placed in situations which would allow him to use more of his offensive skills.

After two disappointing seasons complicated by injury, highly-touted junior Brett Nowak (7-9—16) will look to finally realize his considerable potential.

After a quick start to his freshman season, Nowak separated his shoulder, which greatly limited his production for the rest of the year. Major shoulder surgery the following summer hampered Nowak’s ability to train before last season, and his numbers were further hurt by a brief midseason tour with the World Junior team.

Now that Nowak has recovered from his injury, the team expects him to fulfill a much bigger offensive role.

“It seems like Brett’s more focused this year, and he’s holding himself accountable for the details of play on the ice,” Kolarik said. “It’s his time to shine.”

Junior Aaron Kim (0-5—5) will finally return to his natural position of forward this year. Two years of thin, inexperienced defense forced Mazzoleni to move Kim to defense, where he played admirably despite having natural skills more suited to an offensive position. Kim is one of the most emotional and aggressive players on the team, who—when he channels these these are channelled effectively—should provide a welcome boost to the offense.

Five sophomore forwards played significant roles for the Crimson as freshmen last year. Their successful transition to college hockey is perhaps the main indicator of Mazzoleni’s successful rebuilding program and of Harvard hockey’s promising future.

“All of the sophomores have gotten stronger, faster, and smarter,” Kolarik said. “We should be able to contribute even more to the team than last year.”

Tim Pettit joined the team last year almost as an afterthought in a talented recruiting class. By season’s end, he led all ECAC freshmen in scoring and was named Ivy League Rookie of the Year. Pettit (14-17—31) surprised the league with his instincts, shooting touch and all-around solid play.

“He’s got a great feel for the game, and he’s deadly below the face-off circle in the offensive zone,” Mazzoleni said.

Kolarik’s freshman season was nearly as productive as Pettit’s. Kolarik (13-15—28) might have the best one-on-one moves of anyone on the team, and he provided several highlight-reel goals throughout the season.

“Tyler plays 185-190 miles per hour,” Mazzoleni said. “He’s capable of putting up major-league numbers as a sophomore.”

Kenny Turano (8-5—13) quietly posted impressive scoring numbers despite starting the year on the fourth line. While Turano may not have the same speed and quickness as some of his teammates, his talent for finding ways to score is as good as any player on the squad.

Dennis Packard came on strong during the last quarter of the season. Packard (4-4—8) provides an imposing physical presence to the Harvard front line, and his continued improvement over the summer on the U.S. Hockey Summer Challenge should earn him time on one of Harvard’s top two lines.

The team hopes Rob Fried (4-1—5) can meet some of the high expectations as the prototypical big, strong power forward set for him coming into last year. Mazzoleni says Fried’s considerable size (6’3, 200) may have been a factor in his play last year, as big players generally take longer to develop their skills.

Four freshmen will add depth to Harvard’s group of forwards. The most-anticipated of the group is Tom Cavanaugh, a sixth-round pick by the San Jose Sharks this summer. Cavanaugh should contribute immediately as a solid two-way forward.

“He plays both sides of the rink hard,” Mazzoleni said. “It’s very difficult to find a kid who’s as prideful playing defense as well as offense.”

The Cavanaugh family is no stranger to Harvard hockey. Tom’s father Joe ’71 and uncle Dave ’72 both skated for the Crimson. Joe Cavanaugh—a two-time All-American—was one of the best ever to play Harvard hockey.

Joining Cavanaugh in the freshman class is Andrew Letterman, a center with considerable speed and playmaking potential who should eventually put up good scoring numbers. Size and toughness will hopefully be provided by winger Brendan Bernakevitch. Rounding out the foursome is Rob Flynn, a product of the U.S. under-18 national team whom Mazzoleni will utilize as a power forward.

Defense

Harvard’s young, inexperienced defense was easily the weakest link of the team last year. With three freshmen playing prominent roles, the unit consistently gave up 30-40 shots per contest, forcing goaltender Oli Jonas ’01 to single-handedly keep the Crimson in the game.

“We were thrown into the fire last year,” Smith said. “We were playing in crucial situations because we didn’t have a choice.”

While four skaters return from last year’s defensive unit, only one of the blueliners is an upperclassman. And with Jonas’s graduation, this time there may not be outstanding goaltending to save them.

Harvard plays a high-risk, high-reward defensive scheme. Called man-on-man low, it involves each player manning up against an opposing skater in the Harvard zone. When done right, it can shut down a team. But, if just a single matchup is missed, it may leave players open near the net.

Success requires all five Crimson skaters to actively participate in one-on-one defense, something the team struggled with last year.

“We have to win all our one-on-one battles,” Smith said. “Last year we weren’t doing that.”

Additionally, Mazzoleni said the defensemen struggled clearing the puck out of Harvard’s own zone and getting the puck to the team’s forwards. This slowed down Harvard’s own offensive attack and resulted in lengthy periods of pressure in the Crimson’s own end.

Still, the talent, depth and experience of the defense have vastly improved over the previous two years. This season will be the first time more than a single defenseman has had a year of experience under Mazzoleni’s system.

“We’re still going to make a lot of mistakes, but our talent level on defense is night and day from one and two years ago,” Mazzoleni said. “Next year our defensive corps will be the strength of our team.”

Team captain Pete Capouch (7-14—21) is probably the most important player on the team. As the only senior on the blueline, Capouch provides an essential veteran presence on a unit which otherwise would be composed of just freshman and sophomores.

“I don’t want to imagine where we’d be without Pete,” Smith said. “He’s a phenomenal player who really holds the team together.”

“He may be best captain I’ve ever had on a hockey team,” Mazzoleni said.

Despite standing just 5’6”, miniscule for a college hockey player, Capouch consistently holds his own against much bigger forwards with superior technique and toughness. Capouch also adds an offensive presence, tallying seven goals and 14 assists last year. His ability to sustain such effective play amongst an inexperienced corps of defensemen is why Mazzoleni calls him the most underrated player in college hockey.

Senior Graham Morell was expected to provide solid play and much-needed additional veteran leadership, but a recurring shoulder injury has ended his hockey career. Morell will remain on he team as a student-assistant coach.

Last year’s trial-by-fire should help Harvard’s three sophomore defensemen this season.

Leading the trio is Kenny Smith (0-2—2). Despite missing the first half of the year with a stress fracture in his leg, Smith was the team’s second-best defenseman by season’s end. A third-round pick of the NHL Edmonton Oilers this summer, Smith flashed some his potential with some steady play in his freshman year.

Dave McCulloch adds a physical presence to the Harvard blue-line. McCulloch, a more defensive blueliner, is probably most likely to deliver a needed big hit in the Crimson’s own zone.

While not as physical, Blair Barlow is the most offensive-minded of the three sophomores. His six points last year trailed only Capouch among Harvard defensemen, and he will be expected to quarterback the Crimson power-play.

Like last year, Harvard will count on three freshmen to fill significant roles on defense. The most highly-touted of the trio is Brighton native Noah Welch. Welch was the highest draftee of any incoming ECAC player, having been selected in the second round by the Pittsburgh Penguins. A huge player (6’4, 215), Welch has displayed exceptional mobility for his size.

“Noah has the potential to develop into a dominating college player,” Mazzoleni said.

Joining Welch is Jesse Lane, who has the best offensive skating skills of the three freshmen. Mazzoleni hopes Ryan Lann will become this year’s version of Tim Pettit—a sleeper recruit who makes a huge impact.

Goaltending

This is without a doubt the biggest question mark on the team. Without a single experienced netminder on the roster, no one knows what to expect.

On one hand, the same goaltending questions were asked last year about Oliver Jonas after Harvard lost four-year starter J.R. Prestifilippo ’00 to graduation.

All Jonas did was become the team’s most valuable player.

“Jonas shot out of the blocks like a cannon,” Mazzoleni said. “He stole games for us, no doubt about it.”

Jonas, however, was a senior who had already shown flashes of his ability and had far more game experience than any of the goaltenders on this year’s roster.

Recent history actually favors the Crimson. Each of the past three years, the ECAC regular season or tournament champion has featured a first-year starting goaltender.

Hoping to lead Harvard in extending that streak are last year’s backup sophomore Will Crothers, freshman Dov Grumet-Morris and junior Ben Weiss.

Crothers is one of the most athletic and explosive players on the team. He was a highly-touted prospect out of the Canadian junior leagues whom Mazzoleni recruited as the team’s goaltender of the future. Mazzoleni hopes Crothers’s year of experience watching Jonas and hard training over the summer will pay off.

Crothers was expected to see significant ice time last year, but Jonas was so dominant that Mazzoleni found it difficult to bench Jonas. In all, Crothers played only four periods of hockey, although he did record an early-season 5-3 win over Brown.

Although not as highly-recruited as Crothers, Grumet-Morris is a big goaltender who should make an impact on the team this year. Thus far, he has pushed Crothers hard in practice and still has a chance to start.

Weiss is the longshot of the group—he has yet to see the ice in his Harvard career.

For now, Crothers will be the starter. However, Mazzoleni has not decided on a permanent starter and stressed that Grumet-Morris and maybe even Weiss will play plenty of minutes.

Outlook

Mazzoleni’s rebuilding program shows no signs of slowing this season. On paper, the Crimson match up at the skating positions with virtually any team in the country, and it is almost certainly the most talented team in the ECAC.

Unfortunately, that analysis ignores Harvard’s collective lack of playing experience, especially on the blueline and even more acutely in goal.

The defense should no longer surrender 30-40 shots on goal each game, but it also won’t have the ECAC goaltender of the year behind it.

On the other hand, Harvard is so talented that it doesn’t need a repeat of Jonas’s incredible performance to improve over last year.

If either Crothers or Grumet-Morris can provide a steady presence in goal, Harvard could be a force on the ice.

Even then, the team may struggle early in the season as the freshmen and sophomores continue to improve. But come March, a more experienced Harvard team might just meet the high national expectations set for it.

“I think we can be that eighth-ranked team in the country,” Kolarik said.