For the second half of the regular season, that meant skating on the top line with Dennis Packard and Brendan Bernakevitch. But last weekend, Mazzoleni inserted freshman Ryan Maki in Fried’s spot and put Fried on the fourth line.
That has meant a little less ice time. Fried hasn’t complained. Instead, he’s made the most of the shifts he is getting. His three points Saturday boosted his season total to 13, tying his previous career high.
“He’s really stepped up his game,” Kolarik said. “He’s working on being poised and playing under control, and it’s working out for him.”
As you might expect, Fried deflects praise much more easily than he accepts it. Asked about his performance, he admitted it had been “a while” since he last had a two-goal game and almost immediately credited Cavanagh and defenseman Noah Welch, whose point shot Fried redirected for a second-period goal.
“I had some great help out there,” Fried said. “It was very unselfish of [Cavanagh] with an open net like that to pass it off. He’s a great team player.”
Funny. Everyone says the same thing about Fried. That’s why the locker room is a happy place when Fried is playing well. And of course, no one takes more pleasure in Fried’s successes than Kolarik.
They are inseparable friends but unique from one another on and off the ice. Fried has a quiet, steady demeanor and the 6’3, 210-lb. build to pull it off. He has a legendary work ethic and, in Kolarik’s words, “a heart of gold.” Fried founded the Crimson City Hockey Clinic for underprivileged youths. He’s deadly serious about his schoolwork, but has also written some of Satire V’s outrageously funny articles.
Kolarik, meanwhile, is a 5’10, 195-lb. sparkplug who occasionally makes like Sonic the Hedgehog and skates through people twice his size. He’s the team’s emotional barometer, a vocal leader with a penchant for scoring big goals in big games. He can change the momentum with one shift, whether he scores or not. “The kid’s the heart and soul of our program,” Fried said.
Despite the differences, both have a similarly strong sense of loyalty—to one another and their teammates. If you’re an opposing defenseman who takes an after-the-whistle hack at Kolarik, expect a visit from Mr. Fried on your next shift. Same thing goes the other way around.
And if it’s Fried instead of Kolarik who scores a series- or title-clinching goal, you don’t have to guess who will be among the first to tap Fried’s helmet. No matter if he’s on the ice or not.
—Staff writer Jon Paul Morosi can be reached at morosi@fas.harvard.edu.