Have Stick, Will Travel Quite Far

Scott McCormack has accumulated a hefty amount of Frequent Flyer bonus miles.

His hockey career reads like a map for Eastern Airlines.

His first stop was Minnesota, where he grew up and learned to play the game.

His next stop was Houston, Texas--not the most traditional of hockey breeding grounds.

"It was a boost for your ego," McCormack says of his Southern stint.

After stops in Illinois and St. Paul's in New Hampshire, McCormack still had one more stop to make: college. He had two choices. One was Yale, where he would have the opportunity to start as a freshman defenseman. The other was Harvard, where the list of defensemen was long and the talent was deep.

No problem, McCormack thought, I'll go to Harvard.

The first year he would just have to adjust. "It was kind of a frustrating year in that sense because I worked hard and I tried," McCormack recalls. "But it was no one's fault. There just wasn't space for me. The guys ahead of me were awesome."

Those guys were All-America defensemen Mark Benning and Randy Taylor. Those guys were Chris Biotti, Don Sweeney, Jerry Pawloski and Josh Caplan. Harvard's defensive corps was strong and McCormack would just have to wait.

This year, McCormack is no longer waiting. He has started in every Crimson game and has helped continue Harvard's defensive superiority in the ECAC.

In last Saturday's ECAC quarterfinal win over RPI, McCormack played one of his better periods in a Harvard uniform. With the game tied in the final period, McCormack concentrated on only one thing: clearing the puck out of the zone. It worked, as Harvard's defense helped shut down the Engineers.

"People say I'm steady. I think that's because I don't do anything flashy," McCormack says. "If I'm not on [the ice] for any of their goals, I feel I've done my job. I move the puck and I play some sound defense."

One person who echoes McCormack's sentiments is the person who should pay the most attention to McCormack's style of play, Harvard Coach Bill Cleary.

"He's a quiet type," Cleary says of the sophomore defenseman. "But always watch out for the quiet types."

Yet McCormack still admits he still cannot assume the role of teacher. He's still trying to learn about how to improve his game.

Helping Hand

"Jerry [Pawloski] has helped me out the most," McCormack says. "It's the positional things, especially the penatly killing, and Jerry's excellent at that."

McCormack has been one of reasons why Harvard has killed nine out of every 10 penalties. He didn't get to kill that many penalties early in the season, but Cleary has gone to McCormack more often during the past few months.

So, what's left for a steady, quiet and consistent defensemen? Maybe putting some numbers up on the board. McCormack admits he's never been a goal scorer. But that can change.

"I don't think my style of play warrants much publicity," McCormack says. "Hopefully, I'll be able to add offense to my game."

And when Pawloski and Sweeney graduate this spring, McCormack will no longer be a learner. He'll be a teacher.

"I just want to get everything down, get the basics down," McCormack says "Hopefully step up in a situation with Josh [Caplan] as kind of the next Donny and Jerry. It will take a lot of work."

But that's next year, a long time from this year's ECAC semifinals and possible NCAA bid for the Crimson. For now, McCormack will remain the sound and steady sophomore who just a year ago was waiting at the end of a long line.

This year, McCormack has cut into the middle of the line. Next year, he is likely to find a place at the front.

This Year

McCormack has netted three goals and recorded three assists for the Crimson.