A New Enforcer Graces Bright

"I hear Kevan Melrose has only two more games of eligibility. Who's going to replace him?

"You mean as Harvard's new defenseman? Tod Hartje is moving back from his forward position."

"No, I mean, who's going to replace him."

"Oh, you mean as Scott McCormack's partner on the first defensive line? Coach Bill Cleary isn't sure yet."

"No, I mean, who's going to do what he does?"

"Ohhhhh. You mean as a sturdy, tight-checking crowd favorite?"

"YES, DAMMIT! WHO'S GOING TO KNOCK PEOPLE ON THEIR BUTTS? WHO'S GOING TO CHECK PEOPLE THROUGH THE PLEXIGLASS? WHO'S GOING TO SPEND MOST OF HIS WAKING HOURS IN THE PENALTY BOX? WHO'S GOING TO APPEASE MY INSATIABLE DESIRE FOR BLOOD?"

"Oh, that's easy. Why didn't you just ask?"

Kevan Melrose is, as Cleary would say, a heck of a hockey player. He can skate, shoot and ride forwards off the puck with the best of the ECAC's blue-liners.

But when Melrose completes his collegiate career next Saturday night in Bright Hockey Arena, he won't be remembered for his hockey prowess.

To the Harvard hockey faithful, Melrose will be mythologized as the bruising enforcer whose monster checks and willing fists intimidated opponents and protected teammates. To fans at road rinks, he will be remembered as a goon.

And now a new man must take his place.

"I'm handing my baton down to Steve Flomenhoft," Melrose says. "He'll get into more trouble than I ever did."

Steve who?

Flomenhoft is a 205-lb. freshman forward from Chicago who centers classmate Matt Mallgrave and sophomore Jim Coady on Harvard's fourth line. He played his senior season at Avon Old Farm in Connecticut, the prep school that produced the Rangers' Brian Leetch, last year's NHL Rookie of the Year.

And Flomenhoft, the man Melrose calls "pound for pound, the toughest player I know," can hit.

Against Clarkson Friday night, the burly newcomer spent six minutes in the sin bin for his role in two altercations with Golden Knights, including a four-minute roughing penalty for dumping Paul Donovan after the second period ended.

In the win against St. Lawrence on Saturday, Flomenhoft threw his body around with reckless abandon, crushing three Saints in the first period, pasting another in the second, nailing Shawn Rivers twice in the third and scuffling with Rob White in overtime.

"I'm trying to watch Melly and pattern myself after him," says Flomenhoft. "He's a physical player, and I am too.

But "Flo," as his teammates call him, doesn't save all his bodywork for games. He has also taken on Melrose's role as practice bad boy, scrapping with defensemen Rich DeFreitas, Brian McCormack and, yes, Melrose himself. And the Holworthy resident has given as good as he has gotten.

"You practice the way you play, and for me,that means a lot of hitting," Flomenhoft says. "IfI'm hitting, everything else in my game getsbetter."

Flomenhoft has improved steadily throughout theyear, along with the rest of his hardworking line.While he is frustrated by his low scoring totals(1 goal, 2 assists), he has upgraded hispreviously suspect skating tremendously. Againstthe Saints, he almost won the game on a sweepingwraparound in overtime.

However, the powerful rookie's maincontributions are less tangible--digging the puckout of corners, clearing the crease, forecheckingand, of course, intimidating defenders withbone-rattling checks.

"People think twice about coming at us afterthe whistle," Mallgrave says. "They know that ifthey touch us Flo will come and take a chunk outof them."

As Melrose can attest, the life of a Harvardenforcer may be rosy at Bright, but bullyingtactics tend to be underappreciated at away games.Can Flomenhoft stand the heat?

"I think I could thrive on that kind ofatmosphere," he says. "When the crowd hates you,it shows you're doing your job. I think beingbooed is fun. It gets your blood pumping."

Harvard fans' chants of "MELROSE!" may soonbecome "FLOOOOO!" And other ECAC fans' unprintablechants may soon find a new target