Imagine playing three years of varsity ice hockey in Minnesota—a state where the sport is a religion and crowds for high school games can be as large as 18,000 people. Imagine representing the United States as part of the 2003 Under-18 squad—a team that would go on to the World Cup and win the gold.

Mike Taylor has done it all and more. During his high school career, the 5’11 forward won the Hobey Baker Character Award, took home a state title his sophomore year at the Academy of Holy Angels, and was a finalist for the prestigious Mr. Hockey award in Minnesota.

How did Taylor top it off? He came to Harvard and moved immediately to the first line with seniors Tom Cavanagh and Brendan Bernakevitch.

“From the start, [Taylor] played really hard,” Cavanagh said. “He did what he had to do.”

Despite—and perhaps because of—his early success, there was a lot of pressure for Taylor to excel.

In addition to skating with two of the Crimson’s superstars, he was part of a much heralded freshman class that was expected to produce on offense. With the graduation of prolific scorers Tyler Kolarik ’04, Dennis Packard ’04, and Tim Pettit ’04, Taylor and classmate Jon Pelle had big shoes to fill.

“I was a little scared at first,” Taylor said. “Once I got my feet wet though, and I figured out I could actually play with those guys, and I had skills to do some stuff, I was a lot more comfortable, and I was able to play a lot better.”

CLOSE, BUT NO CIGAR

From the beginning of the season, Taylor played aggressively. On offense, he scrapped along the boards, fighting off defensemen that were much bigger and stronger. And on the other side of the puck, his speed helped him to perform well on the forecheck.

But in spite of his intensity, the points weren’t coming. While Pelle dazzled the Bright Hockey Center crowd with three points in Harvard’s home opener against Yale, Taylor did not record a tally until late November.

“Everybody always wants to score goals,” Taylor said. “But the only time to worry is if you’re not getting chances. I feel like all year, I’ve been getting chances.”

When Taylor finally scored his first collegiate goal, it was a significant one. His second-period strike against Boston University on Nov. 23 proved to be the game-winner—and it led to the Crimson’s second straight upset of a ranked opponent.

That game sparked a wave of production from Taylor, as he tallied another goal and an assist in the Crimson’s next two contests. But then the flurry of points disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

Unfortunately for the freshman forward, his scoring decline coincided with junior forward Dan Murphy’s return from injury. This combination of events would force Taylor to be relegated to the bench.

“I kind of saw it coming,” Taylor said. “It was frustrating. But if anything, it spurred me to work harder.”