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.”

And his hard work eventually paid off. While Taylor did not return to the first line, he moved from being a healthy scratch to playing with sophomores Kevin Du and Steve Mandes. The combination of speed and vision has served the line well, and it has been very successful in generating scoring chances.

BOY FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY

Despite the change, Taylor’s production has remained low. The former recipient of an All-State Honorable Mention in Minnesota only has two goals and four assists on the season—and he hasn’t netted one since November 26th.

But coming to Harvard has been a huge transition for Taylor. Along with dealing with all the problems freshmen face during their first year of college—making new friends, eating cafeteria food, and doing his own laundry—Taylor has also had to adjust to playing a very different style of hockey.

Born and raised in the Gopher State, he’s hundreds of miles from home and playing in a hockey environment that is quite unlike the one he’s been used to. In comparison to the huge crowds and crazy fans of Minnesota, Bright Hockey Center presents a relatively calm ambience.

“At the beginning it was tough,” Taylor said. “I missed home a lot—I had never been away from home. The culture is a little different [at Harvard]. Here, people still like hockey, but it’s not religion like it is back home.”

When things have been rough, however, the team has been very supportive of Taylor and the other freshmen. Rather than hazing the rookies, the upperclassmen have made the younger players feel right at home in the new system.

Interestingly, of all the players on the team, Taylor looks up to assistant captain Ryan Lannon the most. Lannon, though a defenseman and one of the more quiet players on the team, has set an example for Taylor with his strong work ethic and his fiery play which has carried over into the latter’s performances on the ice.

“[Lannon] is probably one of the only guys who never plays a bad game,” Taylor said. “If I could play like anybody, I’d probably play like him.”

Even with the difficulties stemming from the first-year transition, Taylor hasn’t had too many bad games himself. While his points may be down, his play has been anything but substandard. Though it hasn’t necessarily shown on the scoreboard, the freshman forward has been instrumental in generating offense by virtue of his aggressive forecheck and solid defense.

Harvard head coach Ted Donato ’91, for one, is very impressed by Taylor.

“The thing that amazes me about Mike Taylor as a coach is that he is in the right spot and the right position all the time. For a guy that’s in his first year of college hockey, it’s amazing to see how positionally sound he is.

“He’s added a lot to whatever line he’s played for—whether that’s been with Tom Cavanagh and Brendan Bernakevitch or Kevin Du and Steve Mandes, which is right now. He’s an excellent player, and as a staff, we’re real excited about the future for Mike Taylor.”

That future begins now. The postseason is a fresh start and a chance to achieve things that remained undone in the regular season. With the NCAA tournament kicking off tomorrow, Taylor knows that he has a great opportunity to add to his already expansive list of hockey accomplishments. Having notched an assist against St. Lawrence in the ECAC tournament, Taylor’s hungry for more.

“The new season starts with the playoffs, and I’m excited about that,” he said. “[Hopefully], I’ll be able to produce more in the playoffs.”

—Staff writer Karan Lodha can be reached at klodha@fas.harvard.edu.