ATHLETES OF THE YEAR

A.J. Mleczko finished her career with her signature play--she created a scoring opportunity for her teammates.

The No. 1 Harvard women's hockey team and No. 2 UNH were tied 5-5 after 8:01 of overtime in the AWCHA national championship game when Mleczko, the Crimson's co-captain, won the puck in the left corner. She then raced along the goal line and deftly slid the puck across the crease to freshman winger Jen Botterill, who slammed home the title-winning goal.

It was Mleczko's 77th assist of the season, 23 more than her nearest competitor--sophomore linemate Tammy Shewchuk--and more than enough to earn her the 1998-99 Patty Kazmaier Award as the Player of the Year in Division I.

Mleczko added 37 goals, good for a second-place tie with Botterill behind Shewchuk's 46, and her 114 points shattered the women's hockey single-season record, previously held by Cornell's Cindy Schlaepfer with 89 points in the 1976-77 season.

In addition to breaking almost every school and national record, Mleczko added the ECAC and Ivy League Player of the Year Awards, as well as the ECAC and Beanpot Tournament MVPs to her trophy case.

But Mleczko is not The Crimson's Female Athlete of the Year just because of her statistics and awards. Mleczko's skill, experience and will to win were representative of the greatest women's hockey team in history that brought fans, excitement and a banner to Bright Hockey Center in 1998-99.

For example, the overtime assist in thechampionship game happened after Mleczko hadseparated her shoulder with 30 seconds left in thesecond period.

"I remember the injury pretty clearly," Mleczkosaid. "I was coming into the zone with a full headof steam going around a UNH defenseman and shetook my feet out from under me. I was trying toget the puck out and my arm was underneath me in afunny position when I fell, so my shoulder waspretty exposed when I hit the boards. I rememberthinking that I had to get my head out of the wayand that I had to move or it would have lookedterrible to my parents.

"It was pretty painful at the moment and I'dhad shoulder problems in the past," Mleczko added."But the worst part was the muscles and ligamentsI tore and bruised because every movement with mystick comes from back there. But once the doctorsaid I wouldn't hurt it anymore, I knew I would goback on the ice."

Mleczko had little trouble deciding to play thelast 28:31 of her collegiate career.

"This was the final period of the nationalchampionship game and there wasn't really aquestion about that. I wasn't nervous aboutgetting more injured but about being useless,"Mleczko said.

Unable to wind up on her patented slapshot,Mleczko used everything she had left--her feet,her stickwork and her head--to get the puck toBotterill, the nation's most reliable sniper inthe clutch, for her eighth game-winning goal ofthe season.

"I'm glad I came back out even though I wasn'tthat helpful in the third period," Mleczko said."At least it didn't screw up the lines and we keptanother body on the ice. Maybe on another day Iwould have been able to take the shot instead ofpass to Bots, but I really have no idea."

It was not the first time that Mleczko cameback to lift Harvard to a new level in collegehockey. She took two years off to win a gold medalon the 1998 United States Olympic Team in thefirst year women's hockey was a medal sport.

After that, Mleczko passed up offers to posewith her Olympic teammates for Wheaties and otheradvertisements and returned to Cambridge for hersenior year and yet another historic championship.

"I always knew I was going to come back and Inever questioned the decision once I made it,"Mleczko said. "It's very easy to say I made theright decision now, but people thought I would goback only for my degree and not to play collegehockey because I had already reached the pinnacleof women's hockey.

"In my mind, I never thought of it that way,"Mleczko added. "Hockey is something that I have alot of passion for, it's supposed to be fun, and Iwanted to come back and play. To play Division Icollege hockey--that can't be beat. That's what itcame down to, because I had no idea we would be asgood as we turned out when I left in 1996."

So Mleczko was charmed to belong to not one,but two triumphant teams.

"I had an incredible experience playing Harvardhockey and I take a great deal of pride in wearinga Harvard jersey, and I enjoyed myself," Mleczkosaid. "This was the greatest 14 months of my life,going from winning the Olympic gold medal to thenational championship, and being a part of twovery special teams means a lot to me."

Although there is no professional women'shockey league, it is doubtful that Mleczko'scareer is over. She will try out for the UnitedStates National Team, which plays in the ThreeNation's Cup and World Championships.

Her experience should help her reclaim a spoton the team every year between now and 2002, whenthe United States will try to defend its goldmedal in Salt Lake City.

"Beyond the tradition and legacy of Harvardhockey, the chance to play every day at a highlevel was great for my development and future inhockey," Mleczko said. "Learning to play to therole expected of me and to understand what's bestfor the team helped my individual and teamdevelopment. This was a great step along the wayin my aspirations for 2002."

Two people Mleczko will likely see in 2002 areher Crimson linemates, Botterill and Shewchuk,both of whom were invited to play for the CanadianNational Team at the 1999 World Championships.Although the trio only played together at Harvardfor one season, they turned in the most productiveseason in college hockey history by combining for307 points.

"I don't think I was 'the scorer' this year,"Mleczko said. "Most of my points came off assists.I had plenty of goals but I don't consider myselfa finisher and I wish I were a better finisher.I've always seen myself as a playmaker and I sawthat as my role coming into the season. TheOlympic Team made me realize that my strengthswere playmaking and defensive zone, but with Jenand Tammy, our line was able to become a scoringthreat."

Commencement marks the end of a family dynastyin Harvard women's hockey that began in the fallof 1991, when Winkie Mleczko, A.J.'s sister,joined the Crimson. Both Harvard Beanpotchampionships in the 1990s came with a Mleczko ascaptain, in 1995 and 1999.

When A.J. Mleczko left school after her juniorseason, she already held the Harvard careerscoring record with 143 points, and she toppedthat off with the best season of her career--114points and a national championship. Now it is upto Botterill, Shewchuk and the rest of atalent-laden Crimson roster to start a new dynastyin Harvard hockey as well as try to matchMleczko's 257 career points.

"I've been around this program even longer thanCoach [Katey] Stone," Mleczko said. "The reason Igot most of the attention was that I took time offand came back as one of the captains, but thereare a lot of players coming back and this teamwill be on fire next year."CrimsonSeth H. Perlman

For example, the overtime assist in thechampionship game happened after Mleczko hadseparated her shoulder with 30 seconds left in thesecond period.

"I remember the injury pretty clearly," Mleczkosaid. "I was coming into the zone with a full headof steam going around a UNH defenseman and shetook my feet out from under me. I was trying toget the puck out and my arm was underneath me in afunny position when I fell, so my shoulder waspretty exposed when I hit the boards. I rememberthinking that I had to get my head out of the wayand that I had to move or it would have lookedterrible to my parents.

"It was pretty painful at the moment and I'dhad shoulder problems in the past," Mleczko added."But the worst part was the muscles and ligamentsI tore and bruised because every movement with mystick comes from back there. But once the doctorsaid I wouldn't hurt it anymore, I knew I would goback on the ice."

Mleczko had little trouble deciding to play thelast 28:31 of her collegiate career.

"This was the final period of the nationalchampionship game and there wasn't really aquestion about that. I wasn't nervous aboutgetting more injured but about being useless,"Mleczko said.

Unable to wind up on her patented slapshot,Mleczko used everything she had left--her feet,her stickwork and her head--to get the puck toBotterill, the nation's most reliable sniper inthe clutch, for her eighth game-winning goal ofthe season.

"I'm glad I came back out even though I wasn'tthat helpful in the third period," Mleczko said."At least it didn't screw up the lines and we keptanother body on the ice. Maybe on another day Iwould have been able to take the shot instead ofpass to Bots, but I really have no idea."

It was not the first time that Mleczko cameback to lift Harvard to a new level in collegehockey. She took two years off to win a gold medalon the 1998 United States Olympic Team in thefirst year women's hockey was a medal sport.

After that, Mleczko passed up offers to posewith her Olympic teammates for Wheaties and otheradvertisements and returned to Cambridge for hersenior year and yet another historic championship.

"I always knew I was going to come back and Inever questioned the decision once I made it,"Mleczko said. "It's very easy to say I made theright decision now, but people thought I would goback only for my degree and not to play collegehockey because I had already reached the pinnacleof women's hockey.

"In my mind, I never thought of it that way,"Mleczko added. "Hockey is something that I have alot of passion for, it's supposed to be fun, and Iwanted to come back and play. To play Division Icollege hockey--that can't be beat. That's what itcame down to, because I had no idea we would be asgood as we turned out when I left in 1996."

So Mleczko was charmed to belong to not one,but two triumphant teams.

"I had an incredible experience playing Harvardhockey and I take a great deal of pride in wearinga Harvard jersey, and I enjoyed myself," Mleczkosaid. "This was the greatest 14 months of my life,going from winning the Olympic gold medal to thenational championship, and being a part of twovery special teams means a lot to me."

Although there is no professional women'shockey league, it is doubtful that Mleczko'scareer is over. She will try out for the UnitedStates National Team, which plays in the ThreeNation's Cup and World Championships.

Her experience should help her reclaim a spoton the team every year between now and 2002, whenthe United States will try to defend its goldmedal in Salt Lake City.

"Beyond the tradition and legacy of Harvardhockey, the chance to play every day at a highlevel was great for my development and future inhockey," Mleczko said. "Learning to play to therole expected of me and to understand what's bestfor the team helped my individual and teamdevelopment. This was a great step along the wayin my aspirations for 2002."

Two people Mleczko will likely see in 2002 areher Crimson linemates, Botterill and Shewchuk,both of whom were invited to play for the CanadianNational Team at the 1999 World Championships.Although the trio only played together at Harvardfor one season, they turned in the most productiveseason in college hockey history by combining for307 points.

"I don't think I was 'the scorer' this year,"Mleczko said. "Most of my points came off assists.I had plenty of goals but I don't consider myselfa finisher and I wish I were a better finisher.I've always seen myself as a playmaker and I sawthat as my role coming into the season. TheOlympic Team made me realize that my strengthswere playmaking and defensive zone, but with Jenand Tammy, our line was able to become a scoringthreat."

Commencement marks the end of a family dynastyin Harvard women's hockey that began in the fallof 1991, when Winkie Mleczko, A.J.'s sister,joined the Crimson. Both Harvard Beanpotchampionships in the 1990s came with a Mleczko ascaptain, in 1995 and 1999.

When A.J. Mleczko left school after her juniorseason, she already held the Harvard careerscoring record with 143 points, and she toppedthat off with the best season of her career--114points and a national championship. Now it is upto Botterill, Shewchuk and the rest of atalent-laden Crimson roster to start a new dynastyin Harvard hockey as well as try to matchMleczko's 257 career points.

"I've been around this program even longer thanCoach [Katey] Stone," Mleczko said. "The reason Igot most of the attention was that I took time offand came back as one of the captains, but thereare a lot of players coming back and this teamwill be on fire next year."CrimsonSeth H. Perlman