He started out quietly last fall, feeding his teammates the puck, earning an assist here and there. Nothing flashy, nothing spectacular. But then something clicked—and all of a sudden, the puck started hitting the back of the net—and now, as the Harvard men’s hockey team heads into a new season with everything to prove, Brendan Bernakevitch’s secret is out.

It took a good two or three years for word to spread, but a stunning second half of last year’s campaign— 22 points in 19 games—left little doubt.

“We have certain players on our team that get a lot of the headlines,” said last year’s coach Mark Mazzoleni. “[But] Brendan has the ability to be our best player.”

If Bernakevitch can continue last season’s performance, though, he’ll do both.

DOWN THE STRETCH

At times last season, Bernakevitch was the Harvard offense.

In a Jan. 10 home game against Colgate, the forward’s two assists marked his team’s margin of victory. And when Harvard mounted a miraculous comeback at the Yale Whale on Feb. 6, Bernakevitch led the way with an assist, a power-play goal and an empty-netter to seal the 7-5 victory.

And he was just getting started. As the Crimson headed into its playoff stretch—a period few expected as the squad hovered around .500 throughout much of the regular season—Bernakevitch excelled.

He garnered at least a point in all six ECAC playoff games, including a pair of two-point games and a three-point effort to clinch Harvard’s first-round victory over the University of Vermont.

“He can turn it on when he has to,” says sophomore Steve Mandes.

The center’s offensive burst was all the more impressive considering he notched just eight points in the first 17 contests of the season.

And though Bernakevitch remained modest throughout the campaign, his performance could not help but attract attention.

He netted a third-period rebound to break a 1-1 stalemate with Dartmouth in the ECAC semifinals, propelling his team to the championship game.

And then, with just 39.4 seconds left the next night, Bernakevitch won a faceoff and slipped the puck back to Kenny Smith ’04 for the championship-winning goal. And a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

And, after 10 points in six games, the honor of Most Valuable Player in the ECAC tournament.