Senior goalie Kyle Richter is the first netminder in over 30 years to serve as a captain or assistant captain for the Crimson.

In a sport known for flashy playmaking and hard-hitting brawls, it’s easy to overlook the guy in the back minding the net. Goaltending may not be the most glamorous position in hockey, but in that role—perhaps more than any other—an individual can have a profound impact on whether a game is won or lost.

Senior netminder Kyle Richter’s career on the Harvard men’s hockey team certainly reflects this phenomenon.

After leading the team to the finals of the 2008 ECAC tournament and winning the Ken Dryden Award as the top goaltender in the league his sophomore year, Richter left Cambridge on a year-long leave of absence. His return to the Crimson crease, however, was tougher than anticipated.

“Last year was definitely difficult getting back into it, but I tried to approach it the same as any other year,” Richter recalls. “It was definitely a little different having the time off.”

Richter’s struggles in the first part of last season mirrored those of the team. After defeating Dartmouth, 5-3, in its first game of the season, Harvard went 0-8-2 in its next 10 matchups. In that same time period, Richter fought to hold the Crimson’s starting position and ended up sharing the job with classmate Ryan Carroll.

But by the end of the season, the talented Richter began to look a lot like his old self. He made a total of 70 saves as Harvard swept Princeton in the first round of the ECAC playoffs. In the second game of that series, Richter earned just the fifth shutout of his career, helping the Crimson defeat the Tigers, 3-0, and move on to the quarterfinals of the tournament.

“I eventually found my stride again and leading towards the end of last year, we really got in a good groove as a team,” Richter says.

Harvard will need Richter at his best this year as it seeks a return to the top of the ECAC and an NCAA tournament berth. During the 2007-08 campaign—during which Harvard finished second in the league—Richter started all 34 games for the Crimson and wrote his name all over the Harvard record books. That year, Richter notched a league-best .935 save percentage and 1.82 goals-against average. He also became the first goalie in Crimson history to score a goal in a 6-1 win against Yale.

Those statistics also helped Richter become the first Harvard goalie to earn a spot on the All-Ivy League first team since 2000.

But in addition to his role as the anchor of the Crimson’s defensive effort, Richter will have a new job this year as the team’s assistant captain.

It’s a rare job for a goaltender—Richter is the first to serve as a captain or assistant for Harvard in over 30 years—but the senior is more than ready to step into the role and help co-captains Michael Del Mauro and Chris Huxley lead the Crimson.

“We have a goalie who’s our assistant captain, which you don’t see often,” junior forward Alex Killorn says. “[Richter]’s always been a leader in the locker room. Huxley is more of a leader on the ice, whereas Del Mauro is a very vocal leader. Together they’re going to work really well.”

“I like to be as involved as possible off the ice, because in practice I can’t be as involved as the goalie,” Richter adds. “That’s where Del Mauro and Huxley come into play a little more. Overall, it’s really leadership by committee.”

And ultimately, despite all of his individual accolades and the specialized nature of his role as a goaltender, it really comes down to the team for Richter.

“My personal goals really tie into our team goals,” he says. “Our goal is to win the league and the Beanpot. That’s bigger than any personal goal I can think of. I just want to bring a consistent presence.”

—Staff writer Lucy D. Chen can be reached at lucychen@fas.harvard.edu.