It would be unfair, of course, to expect Crothers to carry the defensive load like Jonas did last year. After all, he is no older than the defensemen playing in front of him. But Crothers isn’t about to let himself off the hook.

“There are those that would say if I’d played more last season, it would’ve helped. But I don’t want to use inexperience as an excuse,” Crothers said. “It doesn’t mean you can’t be very good. It just means you can’t even better with more experience.”

Mazzoleni believes Crothers has been well served just by watching Jonas last year.

“The one thing about Will, he’s a real bright kid,” Mazzoleni said. “Just sitting on the bench and watching can make a big difference. He travelled to every rink, so he knows every building we played in. He knows what it takes from watching Jonas. He’s worked extremely hard since the conclusion of last year’s season.”

Crothers agrees that, in the long run, he benefitted from the events of last season.

“I came away with the desire to get stronger and get ready for this year,” he says. “I realized it’s a lot more fun when you’re playing than when you’re not. I worked hard this summer to make sure I would be playing.”

Crothers isn’t kidding about the work he has put it in. Over the summer, he religiously followed the Crimson’s strict diet program and workout regime. And during this past preseason, he spent a lot of time watching game film. He finds it can be a valuable tool.

“If I’m watching myself, I can see my tendencies, like if I’m getting up on the wrong leg or if my head’s not up when I’m playing the puck,”he says.

Crothers’ dedication has not gone unnoticed by Mazzoleni. The Harvard coach has given Crothers the starting nod over some very capable competition in freshman Dov Grumet-Morris.

Playing for the Danville Wings of the North American Hockey League last season, Grumet-Morris finished the year with the best save percentage in the league. Grumet-Morris—whose sister, Aviva, plays defense for the Princeton women’s hockey team—is a talent in his own right and will almost certainly challenge Crothers for playing time.

That fact does not bother Crothers, however.

“I try not to think about the other goalies too much,” he says. “I cheer for them when they’re on the ice. But that’s it.”

As the season progresses, Mazzoleni may indeed face a tough decision between Crothers and Grumet-Morris. They may also end up getting platooned. Last week, even though Mazzoleni had tabbed Crothers as his goaltender for Saturday, he refrained from definitely naming him thestarter for Sunday until after the Brown game.

Still, it does seem that Mazzoleni will at least give Crothers the benefit of the doubt.

“I think Will’s ready to play,” Mazzoleni said. “We didn’t recruit him to sit on the bench.”