Hayes told Ingram to look at the injury as an opportunity to make herself stronger than anyone else on the ice.
“You’ve got to give her credit for working her butt off,” Hayes said. “This being her senior season, she missed six weeks, she had a great attitude and worked hard and pushed herself right through it.”
Stone has credited the senior class for providing a good example to the team. Hagerman gives credit to Hayes for inspiring the team’s work ethic.
“The first meeting our team had with Sean, he said to us that he doesn’t know who the starters are, and he is not concerned with who gets the most ice time,” Hagerman said. “He insists we are all equals, and he and Jodi have every intention of giving each one of us the same attention”
Part of the Team
The women’s hockey team is most appreciative when they see Hayes and Nash at their games.
“They’re so supportive,” Ruggiero said. “You really feel that they’re part of our team.”
Hayes explains that seeing Harvard teams win—and seeing the women’s hockey team maintain the No. 1 national ranking—is a great source of pride for his staff.
“We want to let our athletes know we’re here to support them, not just in the weight room,” he said. “We’ll drive ourselves to Providence to watch them play. We’ll make sure that our presence is felt because we care.”
Though Hayes takes pride in Harvard victories, he is not going to let that interfere with his duties. The team has invited Hayes to travel to Duluth for the NCAA Frozen Four, but Hayes says he must decline. The flight to Duluth would leave on Wednesday, which would cause him to miss three days of work. The games will, however, be televised.
“I’d love to go but my duties come first,” Hayes said. “Weight room duties come before travel.”
“I would love to have the time in my schedule to go,” he added. “You bet I would.”
While Hayes might not be physically present in Duluth, his impact on the team’s physical strength will not be left behind.
—Staff writer David R. De Remer can be reached at remer@fas.harvard.edu.