Daigneau knew that Grumet-Morris "deserved every minute he got," but articulating reality is one thing—accepting it is another.

"Part of it was letting go of hockey," Daigneau says. "I just had to take a step back. There’s more to life than hockey—hockey’s just a privilege."

It wasn’t so obvious then the game was no fun, when the hours and hours at the Bright were eating at him.

Now, "having a bad day down here isn’t the end of the world."

* * *

Daigneau mopped up 33 minutes for Grumet-Morris last year, turning away a perfect 7-of-7 shots and biding his time. Grumet-Morris graduated, and for the first time since he came to Harvard, Daigneau has the chance and the mindset.

"He took the opportunity last year to work really hard, so that he’d put himself in a position to take advantage of this year," Donato says. "And so far, he’s been excellent for us, and I’m happy for him."

Daigneau has gone 2-0-0 in his pair of starts, accumulating a .933 save percentage and a 1.51 goals against average. His case for the starter position has been convincing, though anything could happen in a season that stretches from October to March.

All that matters is that Daigneau’s got another chance. He’s got a real shot to be Harvard’s starting goaltender. And in the end, he’s glad he stuck around.

Maybe life wasn’t a barrel of laughs at the time, but it makes what’s happening now all the sweeter.

"Kind of like a storybook," he smiles. "Last chance—hope everything goes right."

—Staff writer Rebecca A. Seesel can be reached at seesel@fas.harvard.edu.