“Nate’s a helluva good coach, but Sean McCann is a helluva good coach and so is Gene,” Mazzoleni said. “I think that in my five years I’ve attracted not only very good coaches, but very good people, and we have that.

“We’re all happy for Leaman’s opportunity, but he’s on the other bench now.” Bruce Irving is returning for his second season with the program as a volunteer assistant and goaltending coach, while the team has added Joe Heydenburg as video coordinator.

The Captain

With Moore graduated, Smith (see feature, page 14) steps in as a capable captain.

“I think he’ll do a wonderful job,” Mazzoleni said. “A captain is only as good as the people under him, and he is extremely respected by his teammates.

“He’s earned their respect through hard work and his passion for Harvard hockey.” Smith, a third-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, is coming of a season in which he had career-highs in goals (four) and assists (11).

“He’s the guy who can lead on the ice and off the ice,” Moore said. “He’s just an all-around character guy that you can look to throughout the season as an example and for guidance.”

Freshmen

This isn’t a big freshman class, but by all accounts, it’s a good one.

Forwards Kevin Du, Ryan Maki and Steve Mandes, and defenseman Dylan Reese, will likely have different freshman seasons than this year’s seniors and juniors, who were counted on heavily as first-year players.

Two and three years ago, the Crimson was a young team. Now, it’s one of the nation’s most experienced.

So, it’s likely that the freshmen won’t fill major roles immediately—but that’s not to say they wouldn’t be able to.

“We’ve got four freshmen who are good players and very smart players, so we don’t have to spend a lot of time on the basics,” Smith said. “We’re already into the details.”

Reese is a candidate to play for the U.S. in this winter’s International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championships. He attended the team’s tryout camp in August and will be evaluated through the month of November, before the final roster is announced Dec. 2.

The Forwards